by Savannah Mae
Bea shut her eyes and spoke through gritted teeth, “Are we sure she wasn’t dropped on her head as a child? It’s like her brain cells have left the building.” She pointed to Juliana’s head. “Vacancy. Vacancy.”
Consuelo clicked her tongue. “Will you focus? This is important. That book shouldn’t be here. Either one of the sisters picked it up by mistake or … Well, who knows how they acquired it? We don’t need to know everything. It’s probably better for us not to know in this situation, but …” Her words trailed off.
“But?” Ben asked.
She took a deep breath. “The fact remains that it’s here and someone has to return it. The longer they keep that thing around, the worse things can get for all of us.”
“All of us?” Ben asked. “Why us? We didn’t take it?”
Melanie smacked his arm. “Yes. We’re in this together. Remember?”
“I never thought I’d have to ask anyone this question, but since you brought it up, are you and the Jinx Sisters from the same coven?” Ben asked. “If it’s none of my business, tell me. If it’s a bad omen to have another coven’s book of spells, it can’t be good for witches from different factions to be in the same place, can it?”
Everyone stared at him as if he’d grown a second head.
He swallowed hard. “Was that a dumb question?”
Melanie answered, “It’s not like we’ll spontaneously combust. Did you not hear the conversation about the convention? Witches come together all the time. They don’t have to get permission to travel to each other’s territory. We probably run into witches all the time in life.
He gulped. “You’re kidding?”
Consuelo shook her head. “They’re everywhere. The problem isn’t the witches. The problem is the spell books. A lot of what we do is dictated by those books. It’s kind of like a reference guide. We need it to cast spells or to help us understand something.”
“So, it that book is here and not with its respective witches, they can’t cast spells?” he asked.
Melanie shrugged. “Not exactly. They probably know many of the spells by heart. The book is like a roadmap. The problem is that it belongs to them. My spells, if I had any, wouldn’t necessarily look like their spells or do what theirs do. Our intentions might be different.”
“The book belongs to them. I get it.” Ben said, even though he didn’t understand why they made it sound like a bigger problem than it was. He dared ask, “Is that all or is there more to worry about?”
Consuelo said, “Let’s say Calypso found it and brought it home. That’s innocent enough on the surface. She makes a couple of phone calls and let’s someone from the coven know. Problem solved. But, and this is the key, the convention was a while ago. She obviously knew she had the book because it’s in a drawer in her house. Maybe she forgot to call someone or maybe—”
Bea thought she understood. “Or maybe she took it on purpose and had no intention of calling anyone and they found out about it.”
Juliana asked, “How do we know Calypso took it? I know I’m not in a position to defend her because she’s not exactly been kind to me, but how did we go from them accidentally finding a spell book to Calypso taking it on purpose?”
Consuelo and Penelope rolled their eyes.
“Okay. Okay. I get it. If anyone took it, it would be her. Forget I said anything,” Juliana offered.
Ben nodded. “I’m afraid to ask this question, but would the witches from the other coven retaliate? Would they break into their store to try to get it back or worse? Isn’t there a witch code that says that’s a no-no?”
Melanie answered, “It depends on the coven. Right?”
Consuelo looked like the weight of the world had fallen on her. “Right.”
“Is there more?” Melanie asked.
“These witches aren’t like us. They do things differently,” she answered.
Bea queried, “Would you care to explain what you mean?”
Juliana snorted, “All witches do things differently. What’s the big deal? It’s not like they’re criminals, are they?”
Consuelo gulped.
“They’re criminals?” Ben laughed. “Is this a joke?” He looked over his shoulder as if someone would jump out to tell him he was on Candid Camera.
“They’re not criminals. At least, I don’t think so. They’re rogue, I guess, would be the best word to describe them.” She leaned her back against the wall. “There are groups who follow the basic rules. Don’t use spells for monetary gain. Don’t commercialize your abilities. Be a good citizen of your community. Standard rules that apply to everyone. The group that book belongs to like to take extreme measures. They’ve never harmed anyone that I know of, but they’ve been known to not intervene should something awful happen in their presence. They believe it’s them against the world. That world includes members of other covens. Most of the time, they get along well with others, but when there’s even the slightest hint of what they see as trouble, they retaliate. These are only rumors, of course. I’ve never seen them in action, but I would bet, if they knew Calypso or anyone had their book, they’d see that as a threat.”
“And they’d want it back,” Melanie said as she and Ben locked eyes. “That makes it all that more important to find the sisters before someone from that coven does.”
Ben wiped his brow. “Let’s hope we’re not too late already.”
Chapter 31: The Montoya Sisters
I waited until everyone had walked out the door before I stopped Juliana. “Wait. Let them go.”
She yanked her arm from my grip. “Why? I thought you wanted to help find Calypso and her sisters.”
I nodded toward our mother. “What about Dad? He’s on his way. Did the plan change?”
“How am I supposed to know? Every time I blink, something else happens. Ask Mom.”
My mother glanced in my direction. “What’s the bickering about now?”
“What about Dad?” I asked.
She pursed her lips.
“You forgot already?” Juliana rolled her eyes. “See what I mean? This is way beyond our scope. If there really is a rogue witch out for blood, that has nothing to do with us. We didn’t take the book. We have our own problems to solve.”
Melanie stopped when she noticed we weren’t behind them and nudged Ben.
He turned to ask, “Is everything okay, ladies?”
I nodded and forced a smile. “Yes. Yes. Great. We’re right behind you.”
My mother waved at him. “I didn’t forget about your father. Unfortunately, my brain won’t let me forget him. Call me crazy, but I can’t help but think all that’s happened is somehow connected. I can’t explain it. I might be completely wrong, but my gut tells me, you girls were collateral damage in a bigger scheme.”
She hated when we rolled our eyes at her, but some occasions called for a gigantic eye roll.
“You can’t be serious?” It was all I could do to contain my outrage.
She lifted a brow at me. “I’m always serious.” She looked around to make sure no one was close enough to hear our conversation. “Listen. We have to do this quickly.” She looked around again. “Here’s my theory: you were kidnapped because your father wanted to prove how much you needed him. I told him one day his inflated ego would get out of control. I think what’s her name caught wind of it and decided to ratchet things up. I don’t know how she knew you’d be here. I’m not sure how the car theft plays into it, but I have to believe it’s related. Now, the Jinx sisters are gone. We found a book that belongs to another coven. That coven is known for its questionable tactics. They practically have the monopoly on shady business dealings with Hollywood insiders and those who wish they were a member of Hollywood elites like Amanda.”
“What?” I wasn’t sure I followed. “I thought they were from Florida?”
She nodded. “They are now. This coven is a group of washed-up actresses, who couldn’t get hired to perform in a school play after all the nonsense they’v
e pulled in their day. They’re nobodies. That’s why they do the things they do. They crave recognition and fame. They couldn’t get it on the big screen, so they turned to other means. Sometimes, they recruit others – people with vendettas of their own – to join them for special projects. If this works for them, they will have pulled off the greatest witch kidnapping in recorded history. They’d be famous – infamous. I can’t help but believe your father was gullible enough to believe they’d help him look like a hero. He probably put a call-out for two-bit actors for that ridiculous reality show and ended up with a band of jealous and manipulative witches and ill-intentioned normal to do his dirty work.”
“You got all that from a spell book?” I asked. “Wow. I never knew the world of witchcraft could be so treacherous.”
Melanie grew more and more impatient with every minute. “Are you with us or not? We don’t have much time.”
“I still don’t get it,” Juliana said. “Daddy hired rogue witches to kidnap us and the Jinx sisters?”
I didn’t have the time or the patience to explain it to her. Lucky for her, Ben interrupted us before I said another word.
“We have room in my car if you want to ride with us.”
I looked at my mom. “This is your show. What do you want us to do?”
She took a deep breath and then, let her body language speak for her.
Ben’s eyebrows cocked up at the sight of her slumped shoulders, knock ‘em dead pout, and the forlorn look in her eyes. “Why don’t you stay here in case they come back? How does that sound? You don’t look like you feel well.”
She made a whimpering sound as she clutched her stomach.
“What in the world?” I muttered.
She shushed me. “Relax. We need to get them out of here, so we can set the stage.”
“What stage?” Juliana asked.
Ben opened his car door. “Are you okay?”
She waved him off. “Yes. Yes. We’ll stay here. Please, let us know the second you hear anything – good or bad.” She took a step back towards the front door and waited until they started to drive away.
“What was that?” I asked.
She wagged her finger in my face. “That, my dear, wasn’t even my best work, but, hey, it worked on them. They’re gone.”
“What about everything you just told us?”
“I know what I told you.” She winked. “The Jinx sisters will be fine … for now. I can only concentrate on one aspect of this giant puzzle at a time. We need to worry about how to handle your father and the Bride of Frankenstein when they get here. As soon as we have them secured, we’ll concentrate on cleaning up the rest of this mess he’s gotten us into.” She clapped her hands and barked orders as we stepped back inside the house, “You need to make another call. See where he and what’s her name are. If they’re close, we’ll have to work twice as fast. If not, that will give us more time to put things into place.”
“What things?” I asked.
She smiled. “You, of course. You told your father you were kidnapped. We have to make it look like a kidnapping. Which one of you wants to get tied up first?”
I backed away from her. “What? You want to kidnap us again? Is that even possible? We’re your daughters.”
Juliana giggled. “No. Don’t you get it? She wants to make it look like a kidnapping. I’m in, but first, tell me where you plan to hide us? I hope it’s a nice hotel because I’m tired of roughing it.”
I shot a glare at her. “We’re not roughing it. Look around. This house is phenomenal. I could do without the drama, but other than that, it’s a nice place to stay after you’ve already been kidnapped.” That’s when it occurred to me what her big plan was. “You want to make it look like the Jinx sisters kidnapped us? Why?”
She shrugged. “That wasn’t part of the plan, but now that you’ve mentioned it, it might actually work.” She motioned for us to follow her down the front hallway. “Let’s get you in the basement. Hopefully, they don’t have any critters, but if they do, don’t scream until I give you the signal.”
“What signal?” Juliana asked, excitement in her voice; thus, proving which one of us was more gullible than the other.
“You want to tie us up and leave us in a basement? You’re our mother. Isn’t that the textbook definition of child abuse?” I asked.
She scowled. “I’m a good mother, and no, it’s not child abuse. You’re adults. Don’t you understand. Your father and his sidekick must be stopped before they do something we can’t reverse. We must up the ante and make him and his pint-sized minion confess to what they did. If that means you have to hang out in a …” She paused as she opened the door to the basement and started down the creaky stairs. “Stay in a dirty, dingy, slightly creepy basement for a couple of days, so be it.”
“For a couple of days? No! Absolutely not!” I refused to go along with this.
“Do you mean hours?” Juliana shook her head. “I’m sorry. I’m all for setting traps, but that’s too much. I can’t stay in a damp place. Do you know what that will do to my hair and complexion? Besides, won’t the sisters get in trouble for this?”
“Not if it’s not real,” she said.
I watched as she assessed the basement. “It stinks like death.”
“Another reason why you shouldn’t put human beings in the basement. What has gotten into you? Do you hate Dad so much you’d torture your own flesh and blood to prove a point? Why do you have such a vendetta against him? Marriages fall apart. People fall out of love all the time. What makes you so special?” I instantly regretted asking my last question as she winced at my words.
Juliana whispered, “Why do you have to be such a jerk? That was harsh.”
I took a deep breath before continuing, “All I want is to go home and forget any of this ever happened.” I wanted to cry. “What about Calypso, Lyra, and Calliope? Are we supposed to pretend like nothing happened to them?”
She shook her head. “No. We do what we have to do to rein in the chaos. We start with the obvious piece of the puzzle.” She placed her hands on her hips and cast her eyes away from me. “This isn’t a vendetta against your father. Believe it or not, I’m trying to help him.”
“How?” Juliana asked.
She leaned against the wall with a sigh. “He doesn’t know how any of this works. He never listened to me when I told him one day he’d run into a witch who was actually evil.”
A memory snapped in my brain. “He used to say you were evil because you’d pull tricks on the neighbors, remember?”
She nodded with tears in her eyes. “I remember. He was always afraid of it. People get like that when things they don’t understand happen.”
“And now you think he’s gotten mixed up with rogue witches who want to use him for their own purposes?” I asked.
She looked me in the eyes. “I think they already have. I don’t know the connection. I could be wrong, but somewhere between him wanting to be a hero and them wanting to erase the Jinx sisters, he stumbled upon something bigger than all of us. Now the trio is missing, and your father is on his way.” She swallowed a lump in her throat. “If anything happened to him, I don’t know what I’d …” Her words trailed off as tears trickled from her cheeks.
“You still love him?” How did I not see that before?
Juliana asked, “How do you think they would’ve met those people? Are they a part of a secret society? Is Amanda a witch?”
“No. At least, I don’t think she is.” She moved down the stairs and out of sight. “Why don’t you girls come all the way down? This place looks like a museum of oddities. I swear if it wasn’t for bad taste, they’d have no taste at all.”
Juliana and I exchanged glances.
She hit my arm and said, “Tag. You’re it.”
The sound of a piece of furniture being dragged across the floor startled me as I made my way into the dimly lit basement.
“What is that?” I glanced at Juliana.
“I t
hink she moved something,” she said.
“Mom, did you move something?”
She didn’t respond.
“Hello?” I called as I scanned the area for a light switch. “Answer me, so I know you’re alive.”
No response.
Juliana nudged me. “What happened to her?”
We froze in place, clutching each other.
“I don’t hear her,” I whispered.
She nodded. “Let’s go that way.” She pulled me toward an open door, then, stopped in the doorway and gasped.
“What?” I asked.
She backed away, her hands shaking.
Chapter 32: The Jinx Sisters
“I have an idea,” Calypso said after several agonizing minutes in the darkness with no idea what to expect next.
The woman hadn’t returned. The man who’d made ominous threats didn’t make another appearance. The sisters sat alone in the darkness with no way out of their predicament.
“This is it, isn’t it?” Calliope whimpered. “This is how we die.”
Lyra squeezed her hand. “No, it isn’t. Not if I can help it. I’m sure the police must be looking for us. Consuelo would’ve told them everything.”
Calypso huffed, “You trust them? Now I know we’re doomed. There’s no way on earth that Isaac has time to take on a new case. He’s in over his head and you know it. After my car got swiped, he didn’t know what to do.”
Lyra corrected her, “No, that’s not right. He and Renee have done everything they can to find out who took your car.”
“Why has it taken so long then?” she shot back. “I don’t recall there being an arrest. Do you?”
Calliope shushed them. “I don’t want to hear any more about the car or who did what and when. None of it matters. Look around you. We’re in a box.”
“We can’t see anything, remember?” Calypso pointed out. “Hold on. Did you hear that?” She craned her neck to follow the sound. “It’s footsteps. Someone is in here with us.”
