Southern Witch - Would-Be Witch Part 12

"Please." I walked over and grabbed his hands. "Can you just trust me? I need you to. I really need you to."

"I'm tired as h.e.l.l, Tammy Jo."

"Please. This once, please just trust me." I don't know if he could hear the desperation or the tears in my voice, but he sighed.

"I'll take a walk to the end of the road and wait for the help to arrive."

I leaned forward and gave him a quick kiss and then spun toward the factory. I raced inside, closing the door behind me. The people were flushed and had dry, cracked lips from dehydration.

"Oh boy. Oh G.o.d, I need help. I sure do need it." I rushed from one to the next, rubbing the henna paste on their foreheads. By the time I got back to the first of the group, Tommy Kane, he already looked a little better. His skin was less hot at least.

"That's real good. This is all going to work." Then I heard the sound of sirens. "Shoot. They're here too fast," I muttered, scrambling to light the candle. I got it lit and then ran around the group five times, waving the herb bundle over their bodies. I set the herbs on fire and wafted the smoke over them.

"Smoky fire to warm the earth, it receives their fever in her hearth. A blessing here surrounds this girth, dirt then water heralds calm rebirth."

I heard gravel crunch under the ambulance's tires. I clapped the fire out, preserving the hot ashes in my hands.

"Ow!" I whispered, blowing into my hands. I rushed out the back door, not wanting to get caught, and ran toward the stream. I was only about fifteen feet away when I slammed into something and fell down.

"Where the h.e.l.l are you going?" Zach's voice said in the darkness.

Amazingly, I'd kept my hands cupped, but my b.u.t.t wasn't happy about it.

"I need to wash this stuff off my hands," I said. "I need to hurry." I rolled onto my elbows and knees and pushed up, careful of my hands as I did. I got to the stream and realized I needed to be sure of which way the water was flowing, but it was too dark to tell. I put my foot in the water and felt it pus.h.i.+ng my pant leg, then bent over and released the ashes, letting them flow away from me. I stepped out of the stream, my foot squelching in my shoe.

"Did you step in the water?" Zach asked.

"I guess so, by accident. Doesn't matter. We're already so drenched, you know?"

The sprinkling turned into another hard rain, and we hurried back toward the factory. My hands stung, but I didn't care. We suddenly heard noise and shouts and broke into a run, rus.h.i.+ng to the door.

The Glenfiddle workers were sitting up and demanding water. Thank you, Earth, and thank you, G.o.d, for the power and the miracle. "Looks like the medicine worked," I said with a smile.

Zach slung an arm around my shoulder and planted a kiss on my cheek. "That's my girl."

Zach took me home, where I changed my clothes. I realized that I didn't have Bryn's cell phone number to call him at the vet, but I didn't have to wait long to find out what was happening. My phone rang just before I was ready to leave to drive there.

"He's okay. I'm bringing him home," Bryn said.

"Um, all right. Y'all be here soon?" I asked, glancing at Zach, who was standing in the living room waiting for me. He'd offered to drive me to the vet's, and although we hadn't really talked about all the details of the evening, because I'd said I was too tired and upset to talk, I knew Zach-he'd let things set only so long before he started an interrogation. And I'd be a captive suspect if he were driving me somewhere. On the other hand, I preferred riding in the car with him to having him getting in the middle of any talking between me and Bryn at this point.

"Yeah, I'm pulling up in your driveway," Bryn said.

Just peachy.

"All right then." I hung up the phone, trying hard not to grimace. I wished I'd had time to shoo Zach out before Bryn got there. The sound of a car door shutting drew Zach's gaze to the front of the house.

"That's Bryn Lyons. He's bringing Mercutio home. It was his dog that Mercutio got in a fight with."

"Is that so? And what were you and your cat doing at his house?" Zach asked, blocking my path to the front door.

The doorbell rang.

"I need to get that."

"I'm closer. I'll take care of it for you," he said with mock politeness, sweet as a honeybee right before it sticks its stinger in.

I frowned at him. "It's my house and my cat and my company."

Zach eyed me up and down and then turned and walked over to the door. I followed him, annoyed, but wanting to welcome Mercutio back.

Zach opened the door, and Bryn, with a sleeping Mercutio cradled in his arms, waited for Zach to open the screen door. Zach simply looked them over.

"Can you open the door?" I asked from over Zach's shoulder.

Zach's movements were slow, drawing the process out, making things tense in that way Zach does so well. Bryn stepped inside and pa.s.sed Zach on his way into the house. I followed my cat, which Bryn laid carefully on the sofa. I immediately sat next to Mercutio, examining him.

"He's okay. He's got some st.i.tches and a few punctured muscles, but Mac gave him a sedative and a painkiller. He should be back to normal in a week or two. Mac sent these," Bryn said, setting a couple bottles of medicine on the counter. "Antibiotics and pain medicine."

I leaned over and gently hugged Mercutio. I looked up at Bryn then. "Your dog's a menace. He needs to be tied up and neutered before he attacks any other innocent cats."

"He's a dog. It's his job to attack cats," Bryn said, but added more gently, "I suppose it's better in general if you don't bring Mercutio when you come over."

"Well, that won't be a problem in the future. Thank you again for helping me get the medicine for the Glenfiddle workers. They woke up and are doing fine."

"Are they? Well-done."

"Yeah, so it turns out the medicine was strong enough."

"Good."

Zach leaned against the wall, arms crossed against his broad chest, eyes boring into Bryn's back.

"There are a few things we need to talk about," Bryn said to me and paused.

"Go ahead," Zach said at the same time I said, "It's not a good time."

Bryn's eyes flicked to Zach for a moment and then focused on me again. "The unexpected visitors that came to the meeting are not satisfied with the results of their effort. There's reason to believe they plan to follow up on their objective."

I blanched at the reference to the vicious werewolves coming to town.

"I think you should consider staying at my house until the business is concluded. I can chain Angus outside; Mercutio can stay inside with you."

Zach cleared his throat, drawing my attention to him. "Is that something you're interested in doing? Staying at Lyons's house, Tammy Jo?"

Bryn didn't acknowledge the question. He just went on talking. "This isn't a matter you can rely on your ex-husband for help with. Don't let your anger cloud your judgment."

"Oh, I never do that. It's my red hair that interferes with my good sense. All that color so close to my brain, it plum disorients me most days. I'll stay at my own house, thank you."

"Tamara-"

Zach interrupted him, voice hard as granite. "She answered you. The answer was no. Now, it's been a long day. Why don't you take yourself back across town."

The edges of Bryn's mouth curved into a sardonic smile, and he walked over to the fridge. He lifted the erasable marker and wrote a phone number on the whiteboard I use for my grocery list.

"For when you change your mind," he said without bothering to look back at me for acknowledgment. He recapped the marker and let it drop to hang from its string, then walked down the hall and out of my house.

Zach walked over to the board, curling his hand into a fist.

"Don't," I said, but he ignored me and rubbed the number off the board. I sighed. I wasn't planning to call Bryn, but my life was so crazy these days, who knew?

"Who's coming to town, and why is that your problem?"

I sighed. Zach and I had broken up, but we were still all in each other's business. And it would really p.i.s.s him off for some other guy, a guy he liked about as much as paying taxes, to know more about my life than he did.

"It's-" I put a hand to my head, shaking it slowly. I felt Zach close in on me.

"C'mon now. You got a problem, I'm your go-to guy, darlin'." He put his arms around me and hugged me against his warm, hard body. "Tell Big Zach about it."

When I'm worried or upset or even just under the influence of female hormones, any comfort makes me cry more than onions, and I was really close to tears at the moment. I looked up with swimming eyes. "It has to do with the ghost in my locket. I know you hate that subject."

Zach whistled slowly. "And Lyons is saying he believes in the girl in the locket, huh? C'mon, Tammy Jo, you know he's s.h.i.+ning you on. His interest in helping you get your necklace back is to get close enough to get you into his bed."

"Could be."

"Not 'could be.' Is. And you don't need to worry. I'll get the locket back when this case gets solved."

"Are you close to solving it?"

He frowned. "Well, I been a little busy today, being quarantined without a radio."

"Right. Sorry."

"But everyone at the station is on this. We'll get it solved."

"I need it to happen soon."

"Why?"

I gently pulled away from him. "It has to do with the ghost."

He nodded silently. I was glad that he didn't yell and start us to fightin'. Edie had been a source of contention for a long time. I'd done things, bought things, and tried things that Zach didn't like because of her influence while we were married. Zach didn't believe in ghosts, so he felt like I'd created her because I didn't want to take responsibility for the stuff I did. And I probably shouldn't have listened to Edie, but it had been hard not to take her advice when I was fighting with Zach.

"Well, I ain't gonna say I believe in her when I don't. But I'm also not going to let Bryn Lyons move in on you without a fight. So you cozy up to him with that in mind."

I nodded. "Will you call me tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow? You kicking me out?"

"I need to pay attention to Mercutio and to shut my eyes for a while. I'm exhausted." Both things were true, but I also wanted a little time to myself to think about what was happening and what I would need to do about it. Edie and the locket were still missing, and I had to make a plan to rescue her. So I needed Zach gone, because I didn't want him scrutinizing my every facial expression and asking questions I couldn't answer.

"All right. I don't need to write my number on your fridge. You know how to get me when you want me."

I smiled at him, and he stepped forward.

"Gimme some sugar."

I leaned into him and kissed him. He held me tight for a few moments before he let me go. He didn't say anything else; he just winked at me, then turned and left.

Chapter 13.

Sleep always makes trouble seem not as bad, so when I woke up on Tuesday, I was downright hopeful about things. After all, I'd returned Mrs. Barnaby to her grave and saved a bunch of people's lives, not to mention ensuring that the production of Glenfiddle whiskey would continue, thereby preventing a Duvall economic catastrophe.

"I'm a hero," I announced to myself in the mirror as I pulled my hair back. "Good for me. I deserve a super cake mixer and a nice pair of sandals."

I pinned my hair in a smooth knot at the nape of my neck. And you can buy them, right after you rescue Edie and get a job.

Unlike with witchcraft, when it comes to confection, I'm talented as all get-out. So despite Jenna's threats, I was sure that someone in town would hire me to bake. She might have pull, but I make Irish Cream chocolate truffles that melt in your mouth like I stole the recipe from Lindt's. Unfortunately, things had to be: find Edie first, find a job second.

I'd been tossing and turning in bed, putting together a plan. I needed to do some old-fas.h.i.+oned detective work, I'd decided. Trouble was, I knew nothing whatsoever about detective work. Still, I didn't see how that should stop me. I didn't know too much about being a witch, and I'd done all right at that. Sort of.

My first order of business was to put on a Sunday church dress and pumps and go see Councilwoman Faber. Her Jag had been stolen, which might have just been a coincidence, but it was a flashy car, and it hadn't been recovered. I couldn't see thieves driving around in it for too long before getting caught, so they must have had a plan to hide it or sell it to a chop shop or something. Also, it was strange that they'd robbed the sheriff and a councilwoman. Robbing high-profile people would make it a high-priority case. Was that part of the point? Did they have something against the town government?

I would ask Mrs. Faber if she had any idea who they were. Then I was going to see the Deutches. Maybe someone had been admiring that big ring of Mrs. Deutch's. I also wanted to see Georgia Sue. Maybe someone at the party knew something about the thieves but was too embarra.s.sed to tell the police. By now Georgia Sue would have called everyone on the guest list to talk about what had happened. She could be quite the source of information. Speaking of that, Johnny Nguyen might have some news. Yep, it was going to be a productive day, and I wouldn't even have to worry about casting any spells.

I b.u.t.toned up my periwinkle suit and slipped on my shoes. Then I hurried down the stairs. It was time for Mercutio's medicine, and I wanted to get it into him while he was still groggy. He hadn't much liked the taste of it the night before.

As I stepped off the bottom step, I spotted Merc. He stood at the door to the backyard with his head c.o.c.ked.

"Good morning, Mercutio," I said.

He ignored me, but I attributed his rudeness to being wounded and medicated.

"You want to get a little fresh air?" I walked over to the door and opened it. "h.e.l.lfire and biscuits," I gasped.

The four spots where I had cut symbols into the ground were blackened and the usually lush tangle of green plants and bright flowers had turned brown and died overnight. The yard was barren, eerie, as dry and cracked as a southwest desert.

"Aunt Mel is going to kill me." I slapped a hand over my mouth and shook my head, heart racing.

Mercutio gave a speculative meow, and I could tell he was upset too, but this was no time for him to have palpitations. He was in-firmed and needed his strength.

"It'll be all right," I told him. "I just need some topsoil and some seeds."

Mercutio c.o.c.ked his head at me.

"A big heap of topsoil," I added. "We'll go on by the nursery right after we find the locket. Or after I do. You're going to stay home and eat some tuna with your medicine."

The doorbell rang, and I jumped. What now? "Oh, a visitor. Isn't that nice, Merc? Some company."