"You can't push someone against their will that far," Mom said. "It's really important for to you remember why you did this. Were you angry? Vengeful, after what he'd done?"
I searched my mind. It was hard to remember.
Mom turned to Didi. "Just before she decided to push him about being nice to women, what was happening?"
"I told her that we should call the police," Didi said. "And Joy didn't want to, but I told her that even though he hadn't gotten too far with her, we needed to make sure that other women would be safe."
"Okay," Mom said. "That's not so bad."
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"When you attempt to alter someone permanently, you're altering their fate and the fate of all the people around them. Most witches can't even do it. So it's not something most worry about. But when it's successful, especially if you're doing it against someone's will, it's considered dark magic. But if the intention in your heart was good, especially something not self-serving, it won't be frowned on as much," Mom said.
Then I remembered. The reason I'd done it wasn't because I was thinking of all those other girls. It was because I didn't want to bother going to the police.
"Will she get in trouble with the High Council?" Didi asked.
"We should heal him just to be safe," Mom said. "I'm going to give him a visit. You get some sleep. You look exhausted."
All the talking and trying to remember had made me tired.
I wanted to tell Mom and Didi the more selfish reason why I'd done what I'd done, but I was overwhelmed by exhaustion.
I closed my eyes and vowed to tell them later.
It was nice being back in The Cove in my own bed. I'd been drifting in and out of sleep, but my mind had un-muddled enough to be able to appreciate being home.
Mom had healed Wilder. Didi told me that he wanted me to know he was sorry about what he did, and he'd never do it again. He also didn't have any memory of our interrogation or magic.
The hospital diagnosed him as having a hemorrhage in his brain, and that it was lucky that he'd survived without damage.
They'd given me the same diagnosis.
Guilt churned in my gut. Wilder wasn't a nice guy, but he didn't deserve a brain hemorrhage just because I was too lazy to report him to the police. But why hadn't I just decided to do the right thing?
I worried what the Witches' High Council would think of it. Would it reflect poorly on Mom and Didi, too?
The room grew cold and the lights flickered.
"Are you there, kiddo?" I heard Dad's voice ask.
"Yes," I said, looking around the room for him.
Dad appeared in my view, but he wasn't his usual, solid self. He looked a lot more ghostlike.
"I hear you've been through a lot, kiddo. I just wanted to come and see you," he said.
"Why are you all ghosty?"
"If I appear all the way, I kind of vacuum all the air from the room, from what I've been told. Don't want to make your condition any worse."
"I'm feeling a lot better," I said, appreciating Dad's precaution.
Dad sat down on my bed, but I didn't feel his weight.
"Everybody's worried about you. Kevin said it was a pretty close call."
"Really?" I hadn't known that. It all happened so fast.
Dad nodded. "I was kind of scared, but you mother told me you'd be okay."
"Sorry, Dad." Guilt stabbed at my heart. What had I done? I hadn't even stopped to think first.
"No, no, kiddo. Nothing to be sorry about."
"You don't understand, Dad. I really screwed up," I said, bursting into tears.
"Let it all out," Dad said to me. He'd used to say that when I was a kid. Everyone else always tried to get me to stop crying, but Dad knew better.
I cried until my tears ran dry.
"Feel better?" Dad asked.
"A little, but I'm worried about how I screwed up."
"Want to tell me about it?"
I relayed to him how I'd inadvertently used the push in a black magic way and how I was worried about what the Witches' High Council would do. And my worry that maybe I'd gone over to the dark side.
"You could never be evil," Dad said.
"Thanks, Dad."
"You don't believe me because I'm your Dad."
"What do I do now?" I asked.
"Listen, kid. Life can be complicated, but I've always found that somehow these things works themselves out. Even if you don't, they will. All you can do is tackle what's right in front of you and try to do that the best you can."
Even if I didn't believe that all of this would work itself out, I knew that Dad was right. Evil or not, we had a case to solve.
"Now you get some sleep," Dad said.
I was exhausted, but I felt like I ought to get up.
"Get your rest. The one good thing about problems is that you can count on them being there in the morning," he joked.
There was no arguing with that, and I was tired. I'd work on the case with Didi in the morning.
The great thing about having a Grim Reaper for a fairy godfather is that you sleep the sleep of the dead, which, to be clear, is very restful. I woke up the next morning, feeling a lot better physically, and a lot hungrier. The smell of coffee and bacon lured me to the kitchen.
The guilt of my misdeeds still weighed on me, but I resolved to focus my energies on helping Alison March find out what happened to her son and hopefully clear up some of the rising darkness in the process.
"I didn't want to wake you, but I figured if you were hungry, the smell might do it," Didi said.
I entered the kitchen and peered over her shoulder. "You got the good bacon."
"I figured we'd go all out," Didi said.
I went into the cabinet and got my coffee mug. When I opened the refrigerator, I noticed my favorite coffee creamer. "Wow! You bought the French vanilla instead of the Italian sweet cream," I said. My sister's favorite was the sweet cream, and since she did most of the shopping and I didn't really care that much, we always got sweet cream. "I must've been close to kicking the bucket for you give up your creamer," I joked.
"I just bought both," Didi said. "Do you want scrambled eggs?"
"And some French toast?"
"You must be feeling better. You're pushing it," Didi said.
"My head isn't as fuzzy as it was. Before I felt like I might fall over at any minute."
"You did fall over at many minutes," Didi said.
"I don't even remember," I said.
"I was worried Mom was going to have to magic you up some more teeth if you fell too hard."
I had no idea it had been that bad. Man, that last push had been the worst idea ever.
"How's it going with the case?" I asked.
"Not much progress. I've been here just in case you woke up. You kept talking in your sleep."
"What did I say?"
Didi shrugged. "Nothing made sense."
I noticed some flowers on the table as I sat down. "These are nice."
"They came for you. They're from that guy in the parking lot, Gerald. I think he likes you. He called my phone twice. He must've heard about you on the news."
"No, he was at the club that night."
"Really?"
"His band was the one playing. That's probably why he was there."
"I saw the band go up, but I was distracted trying to find you," Didi said, bringing me my eggs and bacon. "The French toast will be a minute."
"It's okay, Deeds. This is fine."
"We'll just eat more bacon. It'll be like we're on paleo."
"Except the coffee creamer," I said.
We shared a comfortable silence while we chowed down.
I spotted an envelope and tiny card nestled in the flowers. I reached over and grabbed it. "What does it say?" I asked my sister while I opened the envelope.
"Get well soon, Joy, from Gerald, and he did draw a little heart on," Didi said.
I smiled, looking at the heart on the card. It was a shame
I didn't get to see his band play.
"Do you remember the name of the band?" I asked.
"You're going to cyber stalk him, aren't you?"
"I was actually going to figure out when I could see his band live, but now I'll do both."
"I think it was something like Sheldon Crisis. Or something crisis."
My jaw dropped open. "Do you mean Seldon Crisis?"
"You've heard of them? Are they famous?"
"No, but that's from one of my favorite books. In the Foundation series, a Seldon Crisis is something that happens that can only result in one kind of outcome."
"Sounds deep," Didi said, getting up to get more bacon.
"Can I use your laptop?"
"Wipe your hands first. Don't get your bacon-y fingers all over it."
I wiped my hands on a nearby paper towel, and proceeded to use her laptop.
"It is Seldon Crisis," I said. I looked at the schedule of bands playing for the month. Luckily, the venue just put the whole month's calendar on one page. There was a link to the band's website, and I clicked on it.
"Is that the website?" Didi said, looking over my shoulder.
"Yeah," I said, closing out a pop up that asked me to sign up for their newsletter. I clicked on the link for band photos, and scrolled through a bunch of pics until I found one where I could get a good look at Gerald.
"Nightshadow?" Didi asked.
"It's his name for the band, he doesn't like it," I said.
"Okay, because I was going to say that's a red flag," she said.
"He looks good with his hair slicked back, doesn't he?" I asked. "It brings out his eyes."
Didi stared at the photo, but there was something about her expression that was less than pleased.
"What?"
"Zoom in on his picture," she said.
I clicked on the photo and zoomed in. "What?" I asked again.
Doesn't he look familiar?" Didi asked.
"Yeah, we met him in the parking lot at McDonald's. He just looks a little different with all his makeup."
Didi rushed way from the table, and into Mom's bedroom. She came out carrying her phone.
"Look at this," Didi said, showing me the photograph that Evelyn had created for us of the mystery man that she dated who split without calling.
"I saw this already. His hair is crazy," I said.
"Look closer. The eyes."
And that was when I saw it. Gerald Smith a.k.a. Nightshadow was Benjamin Starr.
"I didn't recognize him without the curly hair."
"It's probably a wig like Evelyn's," Didi said.
"She wears a wig?"
"I always thought it was one," Didi said.
Olivia flew in from one of the walls and perched on Didi's shoulder.
"What's wrong, girl?" Didi asked.
Olivia hooted while Didi listened. My sister's forehead wrinkled with concern.
"She says the Council is convening an emergency meeting about the dark magic, and it doesn't look good for us," Didi said. "We need to solve this case fast."
"Deeds, I'm starting to think the dark magic that's rising doesn't have anything to do with this case," I said.
"You're not evil," Didi said, turning her computer toward herself and typing something.
"That night at the club with Wilder--"
"Mom says it's probably going to be fine," Didi interrupted. "I'm double checking Wilder's address. Grab your wand. We're going to Culver City to wrap this up before we run out of time."
No matter what happened with the Council, we needed to wrap up this case. I rushed to grab my wand. I could tell Didi what happened that night in the car.
The End of the World As We Know It
Didi sped out of the parking lot.
"Take it easy, Deeds."
"Olivia's been in the Other World for days keeping tabs on the gossip. Everyone's gone crazy about this dark magic. They really think it's us. Olivia's worried it's going to turn into an angry mob before the Council can figure out what to do."
I wasn't sure which was worse: facing the angry mob or the Council. A part of me preferred our chances with the mob, but that was probably just because I'd been terrified by our last interaction with the Council.
I couldn't help but notice that the latest dark magic growth spurt seemed to coincide with the time I'd given that evil push to Wilder.
"Pal," Didi said, "you need to look in the App of Spells and find something to make Gerald to tell the truth. Mom says you need to avoid using the push for at least a couple of months."
I kind of thought I'd never use the push again. The threat of that skull-shattering pain and the possibility that I might condemn myself to the dark side was enough to put me off that particular type of magic for good. Maybe even all magic.
"Tell my love to slow down," Fred said.
"Fred!" Didi said, turning around to look at him in the back seat.
Our cat had a nasty habit of hitchhiking. I wondered how he managed to do it without us noticing.
"Deeds, the road," I said as the car hit the curb.
Didi swore and righted the car.
"Be careful, my love," Fred cried out.
"Don't play all innocent with me," Didi scolded Fred. "You know you're not supposed to be in the car, and don't barf all over my back seat this time."
"I will endeavor to do my best, but this blasted machine prevents me from giving you my word it won't happen," he said.
"Then you need to stop sneaking in here," I said to Fred, but he'd already decided that his tail needed cleaning.
I turned my attention back to the app.
Didi's driving hadn't slowed down much, so I performed a navigation spell that I'd used when we were driving back to San Diego a lot for our first case. Then I searched for a truth spell.
"There's a spell here that's called Wonder Woman's Magic Lasso," I said.
"I thought these spells were written a long time ago," Didi said.
"Maybe they update them like they do dictionaries."
"Does this spell make people tell the truth?"
"Yup."
"How does it go?" Didi asked.
"You say 'tell the truth' two times in a row," I said.
"Why do we even look this stuff up?"
I shrugged.
Something whizzed by my ear, and it made me jump.
"Get out of here!" Fred said.
I looked into the back seat. Olivia had joined us.
"What is it, girl?" Didi asked.
"You sound like that kid on Lassie," I said.
My sister ignored me as Olivia hooted the latest news.
"Tell that blasted know-it-all bird to leave," Fred said.
"Be quiet, Fred," Didi said. "I'm trying to hear what Olivia has to say."
Fred let out a sad meow and then laid down in the backseat wearing the saddest expression on his little face. I felt bad for him.
"She's just under a lot of stress, Fred," I said.
He slow blinked at me, and then went back to being sad.
Didi sped up even more. I realized Olivia had stopped hooting.
"Somebody's trying to work a really evil spell," Didi said.
"Like what?"
"At first they were working in secret, but now whoever has been stirring that black magic has actually cast an evil spell and everyone senses death on the horizon. We have to stop it," Didi said.
"Deeds, just now, I tried to do a spell to navigate us better. And before--"
"Joy, stop it! It's not you!"
"But that night at the club--"
"I know that was hard. Please don't think that I'm being insensitive, but you have to know that you're not evil. I need you to focus. We've got to wrap this up. Lives are at stake."
"We'll talk about it later," I said.
Didi didn't say anything. We sat in silence for a minute or two. It felt like we were fighting.
"Why is the car turning?" Didi asked as the car took a hard right.
Our tires screeched as we turned off of Venice Boulevard. Didi tried to redirect the car.
"I think it's my spell," I said.
"I hope it's getting us where we have to go," Didi said.
I hoped so, too.
The car sped up, and we continued to fly through traffic.
"I've never gotten this many green lights in my life," Didi said.
"It's cool, but scary. It looks like we still might be headed to Culver City."
The car maneuvered through side streets that I didn't recognize. It zagged around potholes, which I appreciated. Didi's Toyota wasn't in the best shape, and LA had some of the world's worst potholes.
"I think I know where we are, and it's not far from Gerald's place," Didi said.
"Then that's where we're supposed to be," I said, realizing that likely meant that Gerald, or whatever his real name was, had orchestrated the theft of Evelyn's spell book and killed Damien.
"Sorry, pal," Didi said. She must've deduced the same thing I had. "I kind of thought you guys might be a match," she added.
"That's probably what Evelyn thought, too." The car slowed as we neared Gerald's house. "What do we do now?"
"Let's just go to his door and act like we've come to visit," she said.
"I guess we could ask him about the case. And if he wonders why we're really there, he might just think it's because I have a crush on him."
"That's because you have a crush on him," Didi said.
"Had, past tense," I said.
My sister looked at me. "That's not entirely true."
Man, I kept forgetting my sister could hear lies. I'd gotten that crush way too fast. And I had a crush on the cheese shop guy and Frankie De Vincenzo. The only thing those three guys had in common was that I barely knew them. After this, I needed to look at myself. Was I lonely deep down?
The car parked itself directly across the street from Gerald's house. His van was in the driveway.
"You two wait here," Didi said to Fred and Olivia.
"I need to protect you, my love," Fred said, pushing his head between the two front seats and resting his paw on the center console.
"No arguing," Didi said, replying to his meows.
Fred closed his eyes and slow blinked. "I cannot deny you, my love," he meowed and then turned to me. "Keep her safe."
"I will," I said, wondering if Fred sensed danger, or if he was just being his melodramatic self.
Potions Eleven: A Paranormal Witch Cozy (Fair Witch Sisters Mysteries Book 2) Page 13
