“Let’s go!” I say in a loud whisper.
With that, I start running into the dark woods.
Chapter Sixteen
Marley and I used to play hide and seek in the woods around Hillcrest. Sometimes, we’d play with our gym class at school, sometimes with a gaggle of neighborhood rug-rats, or sometimes we’d just play by ourselves.
The pinon pine trunks are so thick that a few skinny kids can crowd behind just one, twitching and twittering with excitement as they wait to be discovered.
I’m reminded of our childhood game as I run into the woods. The trees cast long shadows, and between the shadows lie bright patches of silvery white moonlight.
I sprint forwards, towards the last tree that I saw Zeke disappear behind. He can’t be far. Marley is running right beside me. She must be thinking about our hide and seek days, too, because she says “Just like when we were kids, right, Penny?” under her breath.
Sure, I think. Except now we’re seeking a murderous werewolf instead of our classmates.
Or—is he seeking us? I’m not sure which way round this game is set up.
I feel simultaneously like the predator and the prey.
Before I can get too confused by this, I see Zeke. He darts out from behind a tree, heading towards us. This time, it’s not just a flash of white that I see, or the tip of his tail. I see him clearly—and he sees us.
His eyes glint in the moonlight. He emits a soft, dangerous growl. He’s moving swiftly. The sight of us hasn’t stopped him.
I plant my feet. “Now!” I say, just as Zeke runs into a long, wide patch of moonlight.
I feel my sisters halt next to me. Keeping Zeke pinned under my gaze, I begin moving my hands counter clockwise. As I do, words start flowing from my lips.
My sister’s voices join my own.
As I speak, I feel as though I’m in a trance. Time seems to slow down. Zeke seems to be trapped in the pool of moonlight. His movements slow down, as if the ground is covered in a foot of molasses. Our words are having an effect on him, already.
We reach the final stanza of the poem.
“Banish, banish, banish
From without, within, below, above
Gone for good, forever,
Not in hatred but with love.”
My sisters and I chant. Our voices are unified, and soft but powerful. Somehow, our chanting seems to blend into the forest itself. Our words mix with the dry rattle of aspen tree leaves, and the whoosh of wind through thousands of pine needles.
We’ve become united with everything around us—including Zeke. He can’t escape my gaze. I merge with him, and as the poem ends, I watch in amazement as he starts to fade away.
It looks like a fog has rolled in through the trees, but I know that’s not the case. As I watch his growling, snarling, tooth-studded evil grin fade and fade some more, I know: It’s working.
Our spell is working!
He becomes fainter and fainter, and then, right before our very eyes, he disappears altogether. Just as the very last fragments of his presence evaporate into nothingness, the moonlit patch he was running across becomes dark.
I look up, and see that a cloud has rolled in, right across the moonlight.
Of course.
A successful spell. The light goes out. Of course.
I hear Annie give a happy little hoot.
Then Cora joins in with a sporty cry. “We did it, team!” she says.
I feel so elated that I can’t help jumping up and down. Marley practically tackles me, wrapping her arms around my neck as she cries out joyfully, “Ladies! We did it!”
Soon we’re all tangled up in a group hug, jumping up and down. Even Annie, whose seventy-odd year old knees rarely permit jumping, manages to leave the ground a few times.
I’m smiling big as our group hug breaks up.
“Let’s go celebrate!” Marley says.
“I feel like dancing!” Annie says.
Silas has joined us, and he now swoops up Cora in a hug. I try not to stare, but I can’t help seeing him give her a Hollywood movie worthy kiss, right after he congratulates her.
“Yes!” I say agreeing with Marley wholeheartedly, and voicing my approval for the kiss as well.
Celebrating sounds wonderful. Dawn’s caramel coated apples are calling my name; I could use a celebratory treat! Working magic stirs up my appetite, I’m finding!
We begin walking out of the woods, all in a line. I can imagine we might look like a team of astronauts, stepping out of their rocket ship after visiting the moon. I feel downright heroic. It’s not only caramel apples that are calling my name. I also want to swoop up Turkey in a big hug, and let him know I’m safe. I also wouldn’t mind sharing our success with my friend, Doctor Max Shire.
Perhaps I’m on Max’s mind, too, because he’s right on the edge of the woods waiting for us. As soon as we emerge from the trees, he approaches.
“How did it go?” he asks.
“Good!” I say. “That took all of—what?—five minutes?”
“Still time obsessed, I see,” Max says, with a laugh.
We’re walking towards each other. My friends are dispersing: Marley and Annie are headed for the dance floor, where the Funk Collective has just started up a rousing rendition of one of Marley’s favorite Reggae tunes.
Cora and Silas, hand in hand, are walking back towards the bonfire.
Which leaves me with Max.
As he walks up to me, he opens up his arms.
We collide in a hug that feels—I have to admit it—too good.
I’m now more aware than ever of my weakness for being held up by men—literally and figuratively. I want to be able to stand on my own two feet. I no longer feel that there’s a part of me missing. I’m not scrambling to find my other half. I’m whole and complete, just by being me: Penny Banks, Witchy PI.
However, this hug feels so good. Not in a needy way—the way I used to need desperately to be held by Chris. This ‘good’ feeling is more like... a bonus. Like I’m a bowl of homemade vanilla ice cream, delicious in my own right, and Max’s hug is a dollop of unnecessary but welcome chocolate sauce.
An added touch on top, that’s oh-so tasty.
His arms are strong. I fit perfectly against his chest.
“Max,” I say. My voice is almost a whisper.
He pulls back a little bit. “Yes, Penny?” he says.
I look up at him. “I—I just want to say thank you. I couldn’t figure out all of this stuff without your help. This—magic, you know—it’s all so new to me and I feel really lucky to have you around.”
“No,” Max says. “You don’t need me, Penny. You would figure all of this out with or without me. That’s just the kind of woman you are.”
For some reason, I like that he’s used the word ‘woman’. I am a woman. Why have I always thought of myself as a ‘girl’?
I smile, and look down at the toes of my cowboy boots. “Maybe,” I say. My newly cropped hair falls in front of my eyes, and I reach up and tuck it behind my ear as I look up at him again. “But I’m still really glad that you’re around. I’m glad we’re... friends.”
“Me too,” Max says softly, gazing down at me.
I feel my chest, moving up and down fast as my breathing becomes shallow. Standing this close to Max, looking into his eyes like this, makes me feel so wonderful.
“Penny,” he says, not breaking eye contact. “There’s something I should tell you. Something I’ve been meaning to tell you—but couldn’t, before... when you were with your boyfriend. But now, I feel that you should know. I—”
I want to know what he has to say. I really do.
But something has caught my attention.
There’s a section of nearly empty lawn between the tent and the bonfire. As Max speaks, for some reason, my eyes move to two figures that are moving across that shadowy portion of grass.
It’s the way the woman is walking that grabs my focus. She’s wearing heels and a tight-fi
tting pencil skirt. Her stride is short, because of the way the skirt binds her legs together. With every other step, one of her heels sink into the grass.
Despite the way she’s slowed down by her inappropriate attire (I mean really... who wears heels to a bonfire dance?) she’s walking with a strange sense of urgency.
Next to her is another silhouette I recognize: Marty Stevens. They’re walking close together; I can tell that they’re deep in conversation.
What do those two have to say to each other?
I didn’t even know that Sarah and Marty knew each other. Yet, now, watching them, I get the distinct feeling that they do know each other—very, very well.
“Wait!” I say to Max, cutting him off. “I want to talk. I really do. I’m better at this... you know, at talking. Like a mature adult. But there’s... there’s something I have to do, first. Okay?” I say.
Max looks over his shoulder, and spots the two figures that I’m now intently watching.
“Does this have to do with your case?” he asks.
“I—I’m not sure,” I say. “But I have this funny feeling...”
“Intuition,” Max says, with a smile. “Witchy intuition. It grows as you work magic. Yours is getting stronger. I can see that. Do you need help?”
I hesitate. Do I need Max?
I’m a new person. I’m different. I’m not the needy girl I used to be.
“No,” I say. “I can handle this on my own.”
Max smiles. “Good answer,” he says. “You really are becoming more of a witch, Penny Banks. Do you know that?” He looks at me intently. I feel like his dark smoldering eyes are burning holes right through me. He lifts his chin, motions towards the lawn behind us. “Go,” he says softly. “I’ll be here when you get back.”
“I’ll be done with this soon!” I promise, as I begin jogging away from him.
Though Sarah keeps sinking into the lawn, she and Marty have been able to move fairly quickly. They are just disappearing around the far corner of the inn as I cross the lawn. I slow down, and then press my back against the inn’s siding.
I peer around the corner. I can see them, fifteen feet away from me, standing beneath an aspen tree. Their heads are bent together. I see that they’re talking, but I can’t quite hear the words. Not from here.
Curiosity drives me forwards. I have to know what they’re saying.
Moving as quietly and stealthily as I can, I crouch down and begin running out towards a low shrub, situated five feet from the aspen tree.
I make it to the shrub and I freeze. With every cell of my body, I’m listening for signs that I was spotted.
To my great relief, I hear Sarah speaking in a low tone to Marty. It’s obvious that she hasn’t seen me.
“We have to figure it out,” Sarah says. “I don’t like having loose ends like this. Where did the body go?”
The body? If I was a cat, my ears would have just perked up, and rotated to the front. Since I don’t have ears that rotate, I try to quiet my breathing so that I can listen to her low voice even more intently.
“You said that you went into the room,” Sarah says. “The wolf was there. I know. I spotted him with my own two eyes, when I looked through the window.”
Marty responds. His voice, too, is a low whisper. “I can’t figure it out,” he says. “The wolf was there, curled up on the bed. He was holding his paw in a strange way. I think he might have been hurt. He didn’t try to escape as I got closer to him.”
“And you tazed him? Like I paid you to do? With the high shock levels?”
“Enough to kill him,” Marty says. “I had my taser turned up to five-million-volt charge. It was more than enough to give him cardiac arrest.”
My heart is hammering in my chest. The more I hear, the angrier I feel. Marty, the man whose career was dedicated to protecting wild animals, is actually a bad guy!
I want to jump out, but I force myself to stay down.
Marty continues. “I tazed the beast, and it died within seconds. I left the room right after I confirmed that his pulse had stopped. I thought I could stage a raid the next day, and find him dead.”
“Fine,” Sarah says. “But if you really killed that wolf, like I asked you to, then where did the body go? That’s what I don’t understand, Marty. I need an explanation. I’m going to meet with the CEO of Powder Paradise tomorrow. He’s going to lease the land for the winter, and if there’s so much as one little sign of a wolf on that property, he’s going to drop it like a dirty sock. Do you understand how much is riding on this?”
Her voice, though still held in a whisper, is rife with aggression. I can tell that in the dynamic between Sarah and Marty, Sarah has clearly earned the Alpha position.
“I know,” Marty says. “I know how important this is to you. But I’m telling you, Sarah, I don’t know where the wolf’s body went.”
“Without the body, how do I know that you followed through with your instructions?” asks Sarah. “Why would I give you the money that we agreed on, without knowing if the job is done? What if you chickened out? What if that wolf is still out there, running around on the loose, ready to ruin my real estate deal?”
Silence.
I swear, my heart is beating so loud in my chest that for a moment I wonder if Sarah and Marty can hear it. With a slightly shaky hand, I pull my cell phone out of my pocket, and quickly type out a text message to Chris.
‘Meet me on the east side of the inn. Now!’ I type. ‘I know who killed Raul.’
Sarah continues, still unaware of my presence. “Those are my questions, Marty, and I’m not going to rest until I have some answers.”
“I don’t know!” Marty whimpers. “I—”
I don’t need to hear any more. I stand. “I have some answers for you, Sarah,” I say.
I begin walking towards her. While I walk, I begin reaching for my handcuffs. Maybe I haven’t thought this completely through. Chris isn’t here yet, and I only have one set of handcuffs. Who am I going to detain first?
My hand fingers the steel of the cuffs, but then I leave them where they are. I can’t cuff both of them. If I go after one, the other will run—or fight back. It’s the latter that worries me most.
My only hope is to keep them talking until Chris joins us.
“Penny!” says Sarah, in shock. “Where did you come from? How much did you—”
“Overhear?” I supply. “Everything. I heard that you paid Marty Stevens to deliver a lethal shock to an innocent, endangered wolf.”
“I—I wouldn’t call him innocent,” Sarah says. “He was dangerous! He was going to ruin Hillcrest. I know what’s best for this town!”
“Oh, you do?” I say. “And what’s that, Sarah? A fancy, shiny, monstrosity of a resort? Powder Paradise?”
Sarah and Marty are backing away from me as I walk forward. Sarah’s heel dips into the sod and her ankle falters. She quickly rights herself.
I continue. “You’ve barely just moved to town,” I say. “You don’t know Hillcrest like I do, Sarah. I’ve lived here my whole life. This whole place is my home. The people who live here are my family.”
Sarah scoffs. “You just think you like it here because you don’t know any better,” she says. “I can show you better. With more commerce flowing into Hillcrest, you’ll be able to expand. An airport, bigger roads... more restaurants and shops. You’ll see. This is for the best.”
“Killing a wolf was for the best?” I ask. Where the heck is Chris? He should be here by now.
“It had to be done,” Sarah says. “I couldn’t risk the fact that George Barter would spot a wolf in Hillcrest, when he came to lease the land. And what if the wolf stayed around, chasing after tourists when they ski? Barter wouldn’t want to stay.”
“Just like in Southwest Colorado,” I say. “With the mountain lion.”
“Precisely,” Sarah says. “You understand. I couldn’t let that wolf ruin everything. He had to die. Wolves are dangerous. They deserve to be killed.�
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“Sarah—that wolf is a protected, endangered species. You realize it was illegal to have him killed, don’t you?”
I turn to Marty. Even though this side of the inn is blanketed in shadows, I can see that his face is turning pale. “And you—Marty! You should have known better. You served the government as a special agent—protecting endangered species for years! What were you thinking?”
“I just—just tazed him,” Marty says, fumbling over his words. “To stun him a bit, so that he could be removed safely and taken to a wolf sanctuary...”
“No,” I say. “You didn’t. You delivered a shock that you knew would kill him. I heard you say that yourself. You’re not getting away with this, Marty. You—both of you—” I look over at Sarah and then back to Marty “are going to go to jail for a long, long time.”
“No, we’re not,” says Sarah. Her voice is cold.
Suddenly, she springs forward, and I feel one of her hands wrap around my mouth. With her other hand, she twists one of my arms behind my back, and then holds me tight to her. I struggle, but I can’t get free. Her hands are ice cold and surprisingly strong.
“Marty!” she says, over my muffled scream. “Take out your taser!”
Where is Chris? I wonder desperately, as I try to use all of my strength to wiggle free from this maniacal woman.
Marty is fumbling as he pulls something from his pocket.
“Turn it up!” orders Sarah. Her voice is cold and steely.
“You mean...?” asks Marty.
“All the way up! I want five million volts!” Sarah says with authority. Yep, she’s definitely the Alpha of this little two-person crime ring.
I see Marty moving his hand on a dial in the middle of his taser. Is he going to give me a cardiac arrest, just like he did to Raul?
I know now that it was Marty who killed Raul, not Zeke as I’d thought.
Marty was in the room before Zeke and Silas ever arrived. Marty delivered a fatal shock to Raul, while he was in wolf form, lying on the hotel bed nursing his wounds. Marty killed Raul, and then left the hotel room.
Raul, dead, transformed back into human form.
Zeke must have been very disappointed to find the Tenebris Alpha already dead. But that didn’t stop him from staging a murder of his own. He positioned himself over the body, and, just as Silas entered the room, he plunged his dagger into Raul, making a great theatrical show out of it.
The Case of the Banishing Spell Page 18
