A ping of surprise shook off her anger for a moment. Mark, her husband and the father of her daughter, had been an Eastwood. Alma had mentioned the Eastwood witch line. Once. And Alma had always treated him differently.
If Mark had been an Eastwood witch, then…
What did that mean? That there were more secrets Alma was keeping from her? Had Mark known about their history? Had he kept it from her, too? Why?
Tony raised his eyebrows. “So, no?”
She needed to change the subject. “You keep saying elements. Which ones and how?”
“All of them, and it depends on which one bonds with our soul.”
She could understand that. Kind of. Most witches were only able to control one element. She could control all of them, though not with equal ability. Leslie could control two. Amanda, for sure, could control one. Some of it depended on the gift they were born with, but there was another part of it, too, one that no one really understood. “How do they work with you?”
“Well.” Tony let out a long breath as he pulled away from the light, his tires slipping a little. “Let’s just say that when we get to our destination, if the storm hasn’t moved away on its own, it will by the time I get done with it.”
Weather magick? In her circles, that was considered pretty powerful stuff. “So, you control the elements.”
“More like, I reason with them and they bargain with us.”
“And if the storm doesn’t want to leave?”
“I’ll offer it something for it to let up.”
“Like what?”
He shrugged. “Possibly the tear of a mother, or a breath from a newborn.”
Paige frowned. “Why would a storm want any of that?”
“Because we’re not speaking directly to the storm, Paige.” Tony raised his eyebrows as they passed the last gas station before the long span of nothing until Boulder. “The elements are merely the Earth’s way of speaking with us. She’s showing she cares.”
Now, it was time for Paige’s eyebrows to rise. Incredulously. “Vampire.”
He tipped his head to the side and returned his full attention to the highway.
She tried to wrap her mind around everything she’d just learned. Wow. Just…wow.
The snow didn’t seem to want to stop. Great.
“So, what can you tell me about Elizabeth Harwood that I wouldn’t find in the file?” Paige asked.
“Bigger picture. Shifters are disappearing.” Tony paused at the light in the middle of nowhere and turned onto a two-lane road that led into the foothills. “Elizabeth Harwood was one of them.”
“I did notice the missing person’s report.” Paige surveyed the wide flat landscape at the foot of the mountains. “Where are you taking us?”
“Nederland.”
“I don’t have jurisdiction in the Netherlands.” They needed to go to Nederland, a town in the mountains, and question the brother and sister, and anyone else who might be connected to Elizabeth Harwood. Paige simply didn’t know where Nederland was. Before yesterday, she’d never even heard of the place.
“You’re adorable. No, you don’t. But the local sheriff and I are buds. She asked for my help.”
“Isn’t this the town with the frozen dead dude?” Dexx asked.
Tony visibly cringed. “He’s cryotized and, yes, this is where he’s stored.”
“He can’t be very frozen anymore with all the issues that have cropped up, can he?”
Paige twisted around to frown at Dexx. “Where do you get this stuff?”
“Hey, some of us actually dig for the news.”
Once upon a time, you could turn on a news station or open a newspaper. But, anymore, the news was bought by people with lots of money, and it showed. Paige didn’t put much credence in news anymore, unless she knew the reporter. Like, Danny Miller. She read his articles.
Tony leaned against the door. “These shifters have been disappearing primarily from the same location. Around Nederland. A lot of shifters migrated to the area. It’s a small mountain town. Low key.”
“You’ve been sending all the bodies from your cases there,” Paige said. “So, I’m guessing Nederland is more than just a low key town. It’s gotta be a central hub of some sort.”
Tony narrowed his eyes.
“How long have they been disappearing?” Dexx asked.
“A few months.”
Paige leaned forward to peer at the foothills. They unfolded and then folded back around the car. The falling snow made it seem like something from a Lord of the Rings movie. “Elizabeth Harwood.”
“She was one of the first to disappear. Having her show up like that, and then be murdered?” Tony shook his head and shrugged.
“By a demon?” Paige added.
“Right after you get back from Louisiana?” Dexx asked.
“Seems coincidental,” Tony finished.
Dexx flopped back, shaking out his arm. “Was she malnourished?”
“No.” Paige sat back. “She was in good health. She was dressed for a party. Good clothes, but nothing flashy.”
“A party?” Dexx asked. “You were home early. It must have been some party.”
“I don’t know. The lab technicians haven’t come back on anything found in her purse and I didn’t get a good look at it.”
“Don’t detectives normally get those details?” Dexx asked.
“We do.” Paige winced. “I was collecting other information at the time and didn’t even think about it.”
“You’re slipping, Pea. What are the other details?” Dexx asked. “Is it possible they’re all just going somewhere else? Could they be running away?”
Tony shook his head. “It’s a wide age group. One of them owns the local coffee shop. He doesn’t even take vacations. He loves that shop.”
Paige chewed on her thumb. “Is a certain shifter type being targeted?”
His eyebrows rose in appreciation. “No. Two large cats, a bear, a wolf, two birds of prey, one aquatic, a snake, a fox, a coyote, a horse, and a tree.”
“A tree.”
“She was bitten and that’s the spirit form that chose her.” Tony held up one hand. “It’s odd. I will admit, but it happens more often than you might think.”
“Hmm.”
They passed a tiny town that, had she blinked, she might have missed it. They’d made it into the mountains and it had been less than an hour. Colorado was amazing for that, at least.
“Where is Nederland?”
“Just up the road. Trust me. We’re nearly there.”
“Good,” Dexx said. “I have to pee.”
They drove the rest of the way in silence. Tony reached behind him and pulled out several case files. They had all the names and faces of those who were missing. A shop owner. A straight-A student. A nearly failing high schooler. A boy who had just enlisted in the Marine Corps. An eleven-year-old girl in a foster home. There were twelve total.
“Why isn’t this getting more attention?” Paige asked.
Tony pulled into a town that was built around the winding highway as though it were a river. “We don’t want the Feds involved. There aren’t many in the paranormal society in those ranks.”
She nodded and continued reading, handing Dexx everything she’d completed.
“Could you read faster?” Dexx muttered.
“Shut up.”
Tony stopped the car and put it in park. He released a puff of breath.
Paige looked up from Kevin Felter’s file. The mountain folded around the cabin. Tall pine trees stood like sentinels on either side of the wide porch. The rest of the house was hidden except for a gable above the porch.
“Wait a minute.” Paige frowned. “This is an entire town of paranormals, right?”
Tony nodded, his eyebrows raised.
Paige looked around. “I didn’t feel a ward, any type of protections.”
“Ward?”
“Yeah. How do you keep people away? Witches? Demons?”
“We don’t have magick, Paige.”
“I understand that. But how do you keep normal people out, or those who want to kill your kind?”
Tony released a breath and flattened his lips. “They mark their territory in pee.”
Unexpected. Sounded like the punch line to a joke. “And that works? On humans?”
“Seems to.”
“Interesting.” Probably not on demons, and she hadn’t felt any affects as a witch, which seemed odd since they seemed hell bent on keeping themselves protected against her kind. She turned back to the cabin. “Who are we interviewing?”
“Sam Waugh.”
“That name isn’t in any of these files.”
He raised his eyebrows. “Hey, Paige. Be careful of what you say. You’re a witch. Moreover, you’re a Whiskey.”
She’d gotten the history lesson. She knew, kind of, what was at stake. “I thought the Whiskeys were the good guys.”
“They are, but…” He ran his tongue along his teeth as he paused. “But you’re still the second strongest witch family in the U.S. And we know who Leah’s father is, so, you’re connected.”
“What?”
“Leah’s a Whiskey and an Eastwood. She’s the product of the two strongest witch lines.”
Paige narrowed her eyes, staring out the window, not really seeing the cabin. What if…
What if Rachel hadn’t been after Leah to “save” her? What if Rachel had wanted Leah for her power? What if the angels had backed her because of it?
How could Alma have kept that from her?
“The Eastwoods did the most damage,” Tony continued. “And you’re connected to them. And we know that. So, just be careful.”
She really needed to get control over her anger at being left in the dark. But it was hard to do so when everyone else seemed to know more about her family than she did.
It didn’t help that she was already pissed at her family—namely Alma—for stripping away her memories of her daughter for five years. This only fueled that.
But she needed to get over it because they had a case and she needed to deal with that. With her Big Girl Panties on. It was time to stop whining and woman up. “I really only want to help.”
Tony nodded and opened his car door. “Keep telling them that. If you’re going to make it in Nederland, you have to get Sam’s approval.”
Awesome. New territory. What wrong step would get her kicked off the investigation? Or worse?
Dexx closed the door, staring at the car through narrowed eyes. “You know, I wanted to give you a ration of shit over your car, but…” His voice trailed off as he shrugged.
Tony stood at the hood and smirked.
Paige turned to the car as well, but only because she couldn’t go further without Tony to initiate the meet and greet.
“It’s hard to beat the Charger.”
“It’s easy to beat any of today’s cars.”
“I think your old car crush is affecting your brains. The older cars can’t compete with the newer versions. But I’ve seen yours. A 1970 Dodge Challenger, right?”
Dexx gave a smug nod.
“Yeah,” Tony said. “Hard to beat that.” He opened his mouth to say something else, but then his expression closed. He gestured with his head toward the cabin. “Come on. We’ve got work to do.”
“We’ll trash talk later.”
“Deal.”
Paige followed Tony up to the porch. An almost eerie quiet filled the forest. The snow stopped and the clouds parted enough for pale sunlight to stream through. Not enough to warm the air, though. She rolled her eyes, checked the zipper on her coat, and shivered.
“Texans,” Tony chided. “So weak to the cold.”
“This isn’t even cold,” Dexx added. “You want cold? Move to New York. We know cold there.”
“Shut up. Both of you.”
The door opened and a man with a wrinkled face and long, grey hair stood slightly stooped behind the screen door. “Tony.”
“Hey, Sam.”
“Why’re you here?”
Hmm. First name basis.
“Sheriff Karl asked us to assist on the case of the missing shifters.”
Sam frowned at Paige and Dexx. “Who are they?”
Paige offered her hand. “I’m Detective Whiskey.”
Tony flinched.
Sam straightened, ignoring her hand.
She needed to nip this in the bud. “I’ve been informed of the situation. I also realize what it means for me to be here, talking to you.”
Sam tipped his head to the side as if to say he didn’t believe her.
“I assure you, I mean no one any harm. I really am here to help. We want to help find your missing people.”
“Why should I believe you?”
“Tony trusts me?”
Sam flattened his lips. “You’re the Whiskey that had a child with an Eastwood. In my mind, you’re the biggest bunch of trouble that’s ever landed on my doorstep.”
She ducked her head, clearing her throat. What was she supposed to say to that? “I fear your world got mixed up with mine.”
“In what way?”
She looked up at him. “Demons.”
His gaze remained firm as he stood in silence.
She nodded. “And that’s the real reason I’m here, endangering the treaty. Endangering myself.”
He shifted his weight from one foot to the other.
“I have to make sure you’re safe. Your town. Your people.”
“That’s a hard sales pitch to buy.”
“Whether you buy it or not, I’m going to make sure you guys are safe. I know about your town now. I know where to find you.”
“We can protect ourselves against one witch.”
Good. “Then, what do you have to fear? Me? The rest of the Whiskeys are in Texas.” And she had no idea where the Eastwoods were. Mark hadn’t talked about his family except to say that he’d had a falling out with his mother. They hadn’t even attended the funeral.
He chucked his chin in Dexx’s direction. “And that one?”
“Dexx Colt.” He stepped forward, offering his hand. “Demon hunter.”
“Paranormal creature hunter?” Sam ignored his hand, too.
“Since this is the first I’ve heard of it, don’t know.” Dexx dropped his hand. “Demons I know are murdering jackals that need to be put down.”
Paige hid her eye roll.
“But from what Tony here says, I’d have zero reason to hunt paranormals.”
Sam relaxed.
“Unless I discover they’re murdering people, or worse. Then, I’m putting them down without a thought.”
Paige cringed and reapplied her smile. She didn’t disagree with him, but she really wished he’d kept that to himself.
Sam thought for a moment, then shrugged and took a step back. “Sounds fair. Well, come in. It’s damned cold out there.”
Paige glared at Dexx and led the way through the creaky screen door.
Sam wandered into the small kitchen of the dark cabin.
The living room housed a couch in 1970’s burnt orange, a loveseat in 1960’s pea green, and a new leather recliner. A wood coffee table dominated the middle of the room. A small stand supported a box TV.
Paige had never been claustrophobic before, but her skin became a little clammy in the tight space.
“Sit, sit.”
Tony took the pea-green loveseat. “This is Sam Waugh. He came here from Montana in—what, Sam—the 1970’s?”
She’d been born in the 1970’s. Just barely.
“That’s about right,” Sam said from the small kitchen behind them. The room was open from the living room to the kitchen, so there were no boundaries.
Paige remained standing. If she sat on the sofa, her back would be toward Sam, and she wanted to read his body language as he talked.
“We’re having tea.” Sam put the kettle on the stove and lit a burner with a slight hissing pop of gas.
De
xx sank onto the sofa, his expression rounding in horror. He bounced a little, but he’d sunk into the thing, his knees nearly meeting his chin.
Tony grinned.
Dexx scooted forward to perch on the edge.
Sam came to the living room and eased into his recliner. “What do you think I can tell you?”
Paige sat on the edge of the couch with Dexx, testing the cushion with her hand. The thing had died many, many years ago. She couldn’t find any structure under the cushions at all.
“First of all,” Tony said, “you are a leader in this community. People look up to you.”
Sam shrugged with a dry expression.
“I need Detective Whiskey’s assistance on this case. The only way the people of this town will cooperate with her is if you give her the nod of approval.”
“Hmm.” Sam leaned back in his chair.
“You’re also a shaman,” Tony said, folding his hands in front of him. “People come to you for guidance.”
“Yeah. Yeah, they do.”
“Is there anything you can tell us about the missing people? Did they come to you?”
“Yes.”
“Anything that made them special?”
Pushing his lips out, Sam thought for a moment, then shook his head.
Demons liked to play on insecurities. “Did any of them come to you before they were taken? Were they having problems accepting their abilities? I don’t know how it works with shifters, but…”
Sam studied her, then seemed to come to a decision as the tension released from his face. “We don’t start shifting until we reach adolescence. So, yes, a few of them came to me for guidance. It’s a big change.”
“I can imagine.”
“I bet you can. But when we get older, our animal guide becomes stronger, and there are times when it is more difficult to control them.”
Paige clasped her hands. “But wouldn’t controlling the spirit animal only anger it?”
Sam’s blue eyes sharpened as he turned his gaze toward her. “Yes.”
She hoped she wasn’t pissing him off. “Then, wouldn’t it be better to not try to control it?”
He narrowed his eyes at her. “You’re really a witch?”
She shrugged.
“Hmm. Anyway, to answer your question. Yes.”
“How did you become a shaman?”
His wrinkled lips ironed out into a smile. “My grandmother. She was Sioux and a medicine woman. When my father died and my mother abandoned me, she took me in, raised me in the old ways.”
whiskey witches 02 - blood moon magick Page 7
