by Amy Boyles
Infuriated that he could so easily beat my spear, I conjured another.
I threw this one at him, and again Rufus destroyed it.
“Try harder,” he said in a singsong, mocking voice.
“I’m going to beat you,” I snapped.
“It doesn’t look like it.”
I conjured another and another. Every time Rufus destroyed them as if they were made of nothing more than paper. Angry, I created them faster, harder, stronger, trying to beat him at his own game.
He took a step forward. “You have to work harder to defeat me.”
They were the same words that he’d said to me so long ago. They echoed in my mind, sending me hurtling down a dark path.
I withered, felt myself falling into oblivion.
“Don’t leave me now,” Rufus prodded. “You have to fight, Clementine.”
My head snapped up, and I conjured a spear of all black, the darkest magic that lived in the well of my gut. I arched my arm back and released it.
Rufus created his shield, but my spear pierced it and lodged itself in his shoulder.
He grunted and fell to his knees.
“No!” I rushed forward. “I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
I wrapped my arms around him. He grimaced and touched his shoulder. “Remind me never to go against you in a one-on-one battle. I wasn’t expecting that.”
“I’m so sorry. Is it bad?”
Rufus inspected his shoulder, touching it gently. He winced. “It’s a little tender, that’s all. Nothing that ice won’t fix.” He gave me a wobbly smile. “If I’d known that all I had to do was be wounded in order to get you to put your arms around me, I would’ve done it sooner.”
I swatted at him playfully before standing up. “You are a cad, do you know that?”
He rose and straightened. “Ah, you’re finally learning how to use words that I do. Cad. Good word choice.”
“You irritate me.”
“And you intrigue me.”
A breeze kicked up, lifting the hair on my neck and slapping it in my face. I spit out a wad of strands. Rufus chuckled and brushed them off my skin. His fingers lingered on my flesh, and goose bumps rose on the back of my neck.
“Well, did you get it out of your system? Your anger?”
I exhaled and checked, probing around my feelings. “You know what? I think I did. I think that now I can move forward.”
He smiled. “Good. I’m glad to hear that. So if I show up sometime after Malene has called and declared that you might be in danger, your response will be…”
I rolled my eyes. “To let you annoy me instead of verbally attacking you.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
We laughed as we headed back toward Rufus’s Range Rover.
“You know,” I said, “considering that I put everything that I had into that throw, I’m surprised you weren’t hurt worse.” I quickly added, “Not that I wanted you to be. I didn’t.”
Rufus opened the door, and I slid onto the seat. “I had a shield on me. Otherwise I would have been hurt much worse.”
I cringed. “Oh, I’m sorry. How bad do you think it would have been?”
He considered the question as his fingers curled over the lip of the door. Finally he said, “I’m not sure if I should tell you.”
“Tell me.”
He exhaled. “That spell packed enough power, that if I hadn’t had up the shield, you would have killed me.”
As I sat, stunned, mouth gaping, Rufus gave a shrug and then shut the door.
Chapter 21
Needless to say, I was pretty shaken up by the time Rufus got me home. I apologized about a thousand times, but he kept telling me not to worry. He knew to be prepared.
“Because I have so much pent-up rage? Or because I have issues?” I asked.
He dragged his gaze from the windshield to mine. “Because I knew that you’d need to use up some of your anger.”
“I’m sorry that I used it on you.”
And I meant it. I was. I felt like I knew this man now, in some ways.
He hadn’t thrown one spell to fight me. All he’d done was block when he possessed spells that could have wounded me as I had done to him.
But he hadn’t even tried to do me harm.
After he parked, Rufus walked me to the front door. I gave him a kiss on the cheek. My lips hummed as they grazed over his skin. I apologized again.
“You didn’t kill me,” he said.
“It wasn’t for lack of trying.”
“Maybe next time I’ll actually put up a fight.”
I chuckled. “I doubt there will be a next time.”
We said goodnight, and as I reached for the doorknob, Lady started barking.
I frowned. “That’s not like her. She usually knows when it’s me and doesn’t bark.”
Rufus’s brow furrowed. “You think everything’s okay?”
“I don’t know. Let me see.”
I opened the front door and sucked air. The place was a mess. The TV was on and papers lay everywhere. The ottoman lay overturned, its top cushions scattered across the floor. Drawers were open, their contents spilled on the rug.
From the back of the house, Lady called. “Clem! Get me out of here!”
“Wait,” Rufus said, stepping in front of me, “let me go first.”
For once I didn’t argue. Rufus slowly picked his way through my house, hunting in each room and the bathrooms before returning to me holding Lady.
“I found her in the bedroom closet,” he said.
“What happened?” I asked.
Lady shook from head to tail. Her entire body quivered as I took her into my arms. I hugged her close, and it was a moment before she answered.
“Someone broke in. I tried to attack ’em, Clem. I went for their ankles like I’m supposed to, but they grabbed me by the collar and stuffed me in the closet. I barked the whole time, but no one came.”
I frowned. “I’m guessing that had to do with the fact that Malene and probably all the other neighbors are too busy watching that guy on Dancing with the Stars.”
“Oh, I was watching it, too,” Lady said, nodding toward the TV. “See? It’s on.”
“You did that?”
Lady glanced at me bashfully. “I’ve taught myself how to work the remote.”
“Aren’t you smart?”
She pressed her nose to my arm. “I like to think so.”
I gestured to the mess. “Can you tell me who did this? Who broke in?”
“I can tell you some,” she said. “They were all dressed in black, and I recognized the scent. I had smelled it before.”
“Was it a man?” Rufus asked.
Lady nodded. “Yes, it was a man.”
I stared at Rufus. “What man could it have been? We just saw Payne…unless he broke in here before he broke into Knight’s house.”
Rufus nodded. “It’s a possibility. Why don’t you call the police and get someone out here?”
I stepped through the house and over to the bookcase, where I had stashed the journal. Ironically, the books on the shelf were the only thing that had gone untouched. Whoever had wrecked my place hadn’t realized that what they were searching for was right in front of their nose.
Exhaling with relief, I fished my phone from my pocket. “I’m calling the police right now.”
Earl Granger arrived a short time later. I was so glad that it was him and not Tuney Sluggs.
Heck, Sluggs probably would’ve taken one look at my house and declared that a tornado struck it.
“Is anything missing?” Earl asked.
“Not that I’ve noticed.”
He scribbled something onto a pad of paper. “No money or jewelry gone?”
“I keep it locked up, so no.”
Earl was slightly balding and had a round, friendly face. He was the type of guy who fit right in at a summer barbecue. I could picture him standing over the grill, tongs in one hand and a beer in the other.
He scratched his head. “Do you know why someone would have broken in?”
What was I supposed to tell him? Should I bother explaining that yes, I knew why—I had Knight’s journal with twenty grand in it? What would Earl do with it? Make it evidence? Who was supposed to get it now that Knight was dead? There was tension between the triplets, and heck, even Payne had said that their mother wanted the money back. Had Knight’s own mama gone and hurt him? Like, would she have done that?
I wanted to scratch my eyes out. Who could I trust in that family? My first thoughts went to Harlow, but even she was batty.
“Do I know why someone would have broken in? No, I don’t.”
Earl scratched his head but said nothing.
“But I have a feeling it was a man,” I added quickly.
He squinted at me. “What gives you that idea?”
Oh no, here it came. If I told him it was a neighbor, he’d want to interview them. If I told him it was my dog…
“I saw him,” Rufus said, saving me. “I got a quick look at someone in the neighborhood leaving, wearing all black. I didn’t put two and two together until later—after Clementine came home and called me. Then I came over and realized what I’d seen.”
“Uh-huh. About how tall was the suspect?”
Rufus’s gaze cut to Lady, who sat on the couch. She met his gaze and stretched out, throwing her paws over her head.
“He was tall,” Rufus said, “but from the distance that I saw him, it’s impossible for me to say exactly how tall.”
“Hair color?”
“Once again, too dark. I also couldn’t make out any distinguishable facial features.”
“That’s too bad.” Earl directed his attention back to me. “If you discover that anything is missing, let us know.”
I nibbled my fingernail, trying to figure out if I should say what I was thinking. Deciding that I had nothing to lose, I went for it. “I suspect it might have been Payne Owens.”
Rufus exhaled a low whistle. I glanced at him, and he shook his head. It had to be Payne, right? Who else could have broken in?
“What makes you suspect him?” Earl said.
I cleared my throat, working up my courage. “I saw him leaving his brother’s house after using a screwdriver to bust the lock. When I confronted him, he showed me the family Bible and said he could get some money for it because he’s broke.”
Earl tapped his pen to his pad. “That would be a compelling argument. So you think money was his motive here, too?”
I slowly nodded. I could feel Rufus beside me thinking that I was going after the wrong guy, but was I? I mean, Payne made the most sense as a suspect. For one, we’d already caught him breaking and entering one house tonight, and two, he was a man and Lady said a man had done the deed.
“How did the perp get in?” Earl asked.
I took him to the back door and showed him the glass that had been broken. Lady had showed it to us after we arrived.
“Hmm,” Earl said. “He didn’t use a screwdriver this time.”
Crap. I hadn’t thought about that. Officer Granger was right. Why would Payne use that tool at one house and not another? It was the only fly in the ointment, but boy, was it a big one.
He folded his notebook and tucked it into his pocket. “Either way, we’ll ask him about it, see what he has to say. In the meantime, you discover anything missing, you call me, okay?”
He handed me his business card. “Thank you.”
Earl nodded to me and shook Rufus’s hand. “Good seeing y’all. Be careful, okay. I don’t think whoever did this will return tonight, but you might want to sleep someplace else, just in case.”
As Earl was leaving, Malene, in her housecoat and slippers, strode up the steps. “Clem, what in the world happened?”
I glanced at the mess in my house and back to her. “Um, can I sleep at your place tonight?”
She nodded. “Get your things.”
Rufus pressed a hand to my shoulder. “I’ll come back tomorrow and help you clean up.”
I packed a bag, being sure to take the journal with me, and escorted Lady over to Malene’s. I wouldn’t sleep well tonight, but at least I had what the potential thief had wanted. And that made all the difference.
Chapter 22
I didn’t sleep well that night, which was no surprise. Malene offered me what comfort she could, making me a warm cup of hot chocolate (with milk, not water), which helped loosen me up a bit.
We didn’t talk much about the break-in, though I dreaded the next morning, when I had to clean.
Rufus, true to his word, appeared first thing to sort through the mess. Surprisingly it didn’t take very long to clean up, and even though I didn’t want to push my luck, I used the gold hammer on the broken window to fix it.
I held my breath, wondering what might break after implementing its power, but was surprised when nothing crashed down—like a lighting fixture.
But we swept and dusted. As we did, I noticed that the knot that had lodged itself in my chest, the spot that had been created from anger and rage at Rufus, had loosened. It wasn’t a hard mass. In its place was a soft spot, an untied knot, unfurling and opening.
I had officially softened to him, and I think it showed.
“You’re smiling a lot today,” he murmured, “considering.”
“Oh?” I cocked a brow. “Should I not be smiling?”
“Your house was broken into.”
“But nothing was stolen.”
“Do you know what they were looking for?”
I exhaled. “Oh my gosh, I haven’t told you.”
His eyes narrowed. “Haven’t told me what?”
I pulled the journal from my purse and showed it to him. “This. Open it.”
He whistled. “That is a lot of money.”
“Twenty grand,” I said.
He lifted his gaze from the cash and looked at me, his eyes full of anger. “Why didn’t you tell Officer Granger about it?”
My voice hardened. “Why are you mad at me?”
“Because you’re in danger. If someone knows you have this—and they do—your life is at risk.”
“But if I had told Granger about it, then he would have taken the money. Who knows what would have happened to it then? It might have wound up getting lost in the evidence room.”
He scowled. “I assume by the word ‘lost,’ you mean stolen.”
I lifted my nose in the air. “I wasn’t going to say that.”
“You just did.” Rufus rubbed his eyes and sighed. “You realize this was probably the motive as to why someone killed Knight.”
“Yes, that’s why I’m holding on to it. I don’t want the killer to get it. When the time is right, I’ll give it to who needs it, but not before.”
He folded his arms and glowered. “And you’ve deemed yourself the person in the best position to determine that?”
Way to make me feel small, Rufus. “You make it sound as if I’m being self-righteous, as if I’m playing God or something.”
“You’re not playing at being God, but you are putting yourself in danger, as I’ve said, and also keeping someone from having what is rightfully theirs.”
“Like I said, I plan to give it back.”
“When?” he prodded.
“As soon as we find Knight’s body and, like I said, the killer is ferreted out. And not one minute before.”
Rufus rose from the ottoman, where he’d been sitting, and studied me. “I just hope you don’t wind up getting hurt in the process.”
I shot him a wide, if worried, grin. “How can I get hurt when you show up everywhere I go?”
Rufus tsked. “I actually do have a job, Clementine. Hunting spells takes a lot of time, as you know.”
“I’ll be fine.”
“I hope so.”
After that, Rufus left. I watched him get into his vehicle and drive away, wondering if I was making the right decision.
Lady padded up. “You know
you should have handed that money over, right?”
I glared at her. “You know, I liked it better when you couldn’t speak.”
Lady cocked her head. “Well, you’re stuck with me now, so get used to it.”
I laughed and picked her up, pressing my nose to the back of her neck. “Time to get going. There’s a lot more to do today.”
“Oh? There is?”
“Yep, come on. We’ve got an old lady to interrogate.”
“You’re going to talk to Martha Owens?” Urleen said, working her needle through a swatch of fabric.
Lady and I sat in the library, watching as Norma Ray, Urleen and Malene sewed their quilt squares together. Dogs were not officially allowed into the place, but I had stuck her in my purse and managed to sneak her past the head librarian without being noticed.
“I was planning on talking to her,” I said. “She might have an idea as to who killed Knight.”
“Whose body is still missing,” Norma Ray said smartly.
“You know, there’s something I forgot to tell you,” I said.
Norma’s eyes flared with interest. “And what could that be?”
I clicked my tongue. “Harlow seems to think that your theory is correct—that Knight ended up being sucked into the house.”
Norma Ray cackled with delight. She rubbed her hands together. “I knew it! You just wait and see. My bet’s on the fact that we never find a body.”
“We’re going to find Knight,” Malene bit back. “There’s no way around that. If the man is dead, there’s a body to be had.”
“Exactly why I want to speak with Martha,” I said.
“And what if she’s the person who broke into your house last night?” Malene asked.
Urleen and Norma Ray gasped. Urleen fingered her gray hair. “What on earth? You were burgled?”
“You didn’t tell them?” I said to Malene.
She grinned. “I thought you’d like to do the honors.”
So I did, explaining what happened after they ditched me for Dancing with the Stars, including the part where I saw Payne at Knight’s and how I told Earl Granger that I thought he might’ve broken into my house.
“Well it’s a good thing we called that handsome John to help you,” Norma Ray mused. “Sounds like if it wasn’t for him, you could’ve been in a lot of trouble.”
