Chapter 16

Chapter

Sixteen

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

“ A re they still silver?”

We’d grabbed our sunglasses off the bench and hauled our disheveled selves to his truck. Now we were on our way to Sy’s apartment building.

“Yes. Keep the shades on while we talk to Calvin.”

“It’ll be weird. Like an affectation.”

“Nah, it works with your hot, goth, pinup girl look.” He made a sharp left into the visitor’s parking section of the apartment lot. “No one will think anything about it.”

“I like that you added the hot in there,” I said.

“Hotter than the door handle of my truck during a La Paloma summer.” He glanced at me, grinned. “We going to talk about what happened at the park?”

I pressed my lips together. “About your story or the wolf spying on us?”

“About that kiss.”

“Which one?”

“All of them, Betty. Every godsdamned single one.” He tacked a growl on the end of his statement, and I got goosebumps.

“I did mention not to be too hasty about declaring your favorite thing about me.”

It was a silly game we were playing, but it took some of the edge off. The sexual tension between us was still there, but it had ratcheted down a few notches, making us fit for public consumption, so to speak.

He laughed. “I stand corrected. Your scary side definitely ranks in the top three, though.”

Because I didn’t know when to leave well enough alone, I slid a sultry glance his way, said, “Soon it’ll fall out of the top ten,” and got out of the car.

Ronan got out on his side and shook out the legs of jeans like they’d ridden up on him. He rolled his shoulders back and cleared his throat. “You go ahead. I’ll catch up.”

“Sure,” I said, with a smug grin.

The gray-haired woman I’d seen in the garden, Jenny, was working compost into a bed of fresh soil when I walked past the community garden. The arguing couple was gone, and everything was quiet except for the sound of Jenny’s spade periodically scraping the side of a metal planter.

Some of the residents’ doors were propped open to allow in the cool afternoon breeze. A couple of people sat outside in aluminum lawn chairs enjoying the spring day before the unavoidable temperature hike that would come all too soon.

Ronan caught up with me at Calvin’s door.

“Where’ve you been?” I asked.

“Went for a quick run around the perimeter to get a feel for the place,” he said. “And to get my head on straight.”

I side-eyed him. “Yeah, jogging’s a real boner killer for me, too.”

“Damn it, Betty.” Ronan was still laughing when Calvin opened the door. He immediately sobered. “Hey, Calvin. Sorry we’re late.”

“No problem. I wasn’t up to anything important. Come on in.”

I excused myself to use the bathroom, and when I emerged, Calvin and Ronan were sitting at the kitchen table sipping cans of generic Dr. Pepper. A third frosty can sat in front of an unoccupied chair beside Calvin.

“You don’t think it’s someone from the pack?”

“I don’t, but I’m staying open to anything,” Ronan said. “Betty might have some ideas.”

“ Betty is stumped.” I took the chair by Calvin and scooted the soda can in front of me. “Like Ronan, I remain open to the possibility of the pack being involved, but so far, I don’t have any proof or reason—other than my intense distrust of the alpha leader—to suspect the wolves. I’ve talked to his lady friends and someone from the pack. Sy’s a beta. He’s sexually adventurous. Most of the women in town know what he’s up to, and none of them seem to care that he’s a serial dater. In fact, they consider it a plus.”

Calvin took a drink of soda and set the can down again. “Sy always says women like him because he’s a no-pressure kind of guy.”

“He’s not wrong. Although Sy has the kind of sex life you read about in a Jackie Collins book, none of his lady friends stand out as cold-blooded kidnappers or worse.”

“Would they? Stand out?” Calvin asked.

“Maybe not, but I used a truth charm when I talked to them, and nothing pinged my magic.” I didn’t tell him my magic had been weakening and had, in turn, affected my charms. I also had intuition and that hadn’t pinged either.

“What if it wasn’t cold-blooded? What if it was hot-blooded? A crime of passion?” Calvin tapped the table with an arthritis-thickened index finger to emphasize his point. “So many women. I told him one of them was going to get jealous and take him out someday. Either that or his heart would give out during one of his marathon sex sessions.”

“And what did he say?” Ronan asked.

“He said, ‘Calvin, Calvin, Calvin. Can you think of a better way to go?’”

We all smiled, laughed a little.

I cracked open my faux Dr. Pepper and took a sip. That was when the other part of what Calvin said hit me. … his heart would give out …

“Was Sy on cardiac medication?” I asked.

“Sure. He was on a beta blocker. He still took his, uh, ED meds. Doc said it was okay.”

“ED? Erectile dysfunction?” Ronan looked confused. “Nothing about Sy’s love life would indicate dysfunction.”

Calvin shrugged.

“Did he have his meds with him?” I hadn’t seen any prescriptions in the bathroom or his bedroom, and I’d looked.

“Sure. He kept them in a little gold box in his pocket.”

I pushed away from the table and went into Sy’s room, where I shoved my sunglasses up onto my head and took another look around.

I didn’t ask about his meds. What else did I overlook in my rush to believe the pack was behind his disappearance?

The heart meds were a no-brainer. Sy was a senior, for gods’ sake. I should’ve asked what meds he was on right at the start. With the mandrake issues, my new stalker, and the buried hex bags, I hadn’t been as focused as I should’ve been.

Damn. Maybe Ronan had been right to fire me.

I glanced at the betta’s aquarium. The water was cloudy, and the fish was resting at the bottom of the tank.

“Calvin, what’s going on with Angel?”

Ronan strolled in. “Tank’s dirty. Small one like this needs regular water changes.”

“I’ve been using a cup to change the water, but I started too late. It really needs a full water change.” Calvin tried to rotate one of his shoulders. Winced halfway through. “Arthritis. I’m afraid to lift the tank for fear of dropping it. Can you imagine? All this magic in our world, and a spot of arthritis in my shoulder takes me out.”

“Can you shift and heal it?” I asked.

“Nah. I can’t shift anymore, and it wouldn’t do me any good if I could,” Calvin said. “This kind of arthritis doesn’t go away—even my fox form has it.”

“I can help you with the inflammation and pain,” I said. “I’ll get you a charm.”

Calvin shook his head. “Thanks, but I can’t afford it.”

“I’ll work with any budget.”

“Not one as tight as mine. I asked the coven about purchasing one, and their prices were so far out of my price range it made my head spin.”

As if I needed another reason to despise the La Paloma coven. “How many elders here are suffering because they can’t afford the coven’s prices?”

“Most, I guess. We’re all on fixed incomes. Social security doesn’t go far these days, and not many of us have pensions or other income. I certainly don’t, which means I can’t pay two thousand dollars for a pain relief charm that I have to have recharged every other month.”

“Those greedy fucks .”

Calvin shuffled several steps back. Apparently, I’d said the epithet out loud, instead of thinking it as I’d intended. Geez, was the man that sensitive to cursing? Not like it wasn’t appropriate to the situation.

Ronan gave me a curious look then leaned over to speak into my ear. “You might want to step outside, bright eyes. Your magic’s getting to Calvin.”

My magic was getting to someone? Mine ?

I dropped my sunglasses back over my eyes and gave the elder shifter a sheepish look. “Sorry about that. I have a strong dislike for people who take advantage of seniors, and I guess my magic does, too.”

His smile was wary but kind. “No harm done. I’m just glad you’re on my side.”

I let Ronan finish up with Calvin and took the steps down to the garden area where Jenny was working. I needed to think, and gardens were my favorite thinking spots. I pushed open the iron gate, wincing at the squeak announcing my entrance before I could.

“Hi, Jenny,” I said. “I’m Betty.”

“I know who you are,” she replied without looking up.

I couldn’t help but notice that her fingers were swollen and twisted with arthritis. They shook as she made divots in the soil and dropped in tiny seeds.

“What are you planting?”

“Chamomile,” she said, no inflection in her voice. “I’m all out, and the tea helps me and some of my friends here sleep.”

“Have you tried willow bark tea?”

“No. Would that help me sleep?”

“It helps with inflammation,” I said. “I don’t have a tree myself, but I forage in a couple places. Have to be careful doing that, though. People use the most godsawful pesticides these days. I can tell you where to look.” When she didn’t say anything, I continued. “Two teaspoons of bark in a ball, boil for ten minutes, steep for thirty. The tea tastes better with a little cinnamon, which can also help with inflammation. Ginger tea helps, too. I do grow that.”

“We do, too.” Jenny lifted her head, pushed a lock of gray hair behind her ear with a dirty hand, and regarded me with thinly veiled fury. “Calvin didn’t have anything to do with Sy’s disappearance, you know. In case that’s why you and the wolf are here. He’s a good man. The best .”

Ah. Now I understood her animosity.

“We know that,” I said. “Ronan and I are here to give him an update—such as it is. We don’t have much to go on.”

“The women,” Jenny said, sounding tired. “Look into Sy’s dates.”

“I did that. They all seemed genuinely concerned that he’s missing.”

“And you believed them?” She rolled her eyes.

“I don’t see a reason not to. At least, not yet. None of them set off my truth charm.”

“You don’t need a charm to find a liar. Open your damn eyes. Dig deeper.” She made another divot in the soil and dropped in a seed. “Not that it matters. By now, he’s got to be dead. And who cares about a dead old person?”

“Me.” I stood on the opposite side of the planter from her. “Do you know something? If you have any information, please tell me. I won’t tell a soul where I got it. You have my word.”

“And your word is worth something? Most of the coven don’t give a rat’s ass about us.”

“ I am not part of that coven ,” I said, unintentionally putting power into my voice. A lot of power.

“Sorry.” Jenny ducked her head. She looked ready to show throat.

What was going on? I’d gone from having no power to brimming with the stuff. And now I was scaring the people I wanted to help.

I glanced over my shoulder to find Ronan standing against the railing outside Calvin’s door, watching me, his expression blank.

“No, I’m sorry.” I adjusted my sunglasses, making sure they were covering what I was sure were bright silver eyes. “What I meant to say was I don’t associate with the La Paloma coven. If you knew anything about me, you’d know that.” I dug in my bag for a peace charm and held it out to her. I had a pain charm in there too, but I wanted to give it to Calvin.

“What’s that?” Jenny asked.

“It’ll help you sleep, but it’s fine to wear during the day. It won’t make you sleepy, just lower anxiety.”

She shook her head. “Kind of you to offer, but I can’t afford it.”

I walked around to the other side of the planter and draped it over her head. “It costs one chamomile seed.”

“One seed?” She looked unsure.

“One.” I held out my hand, and she dropped a single fragile seed into my palm, along with a generous pile of healthy soil.

The soil immediately heated then vaporized and absorbed into my skin. Power dumped into my blood and pumped through me.

What is going on?

“Whoa.” Jenny whistled. “Neat trick. How’d you do it?”

Hell if I knew. “Perk of being an earth witch.”

“Some perk,” she said, fingering the charm. “You sure this only costs one seed? That doesn’t seem like nearly enough.”

“Seeds are good currency. If I bury a gold bar, at the end of the growing season, I’ve got a dirty gold bar. If I bury a chamomile seed, I’ve got a delicious tea and a useful medicine. And it’s a self-seeder, so I’ll have the plants for seasons to come.”

“Hadn’t thought of it like that.”

“Earth witch logic.” I wrapped my hand around the charm and sent a pulse of magic into it to get it working.

Magic fired out of me. Power started in the center of my chest and rode my bloodstream to my fingers where it sizzled like sparks from a kid’s firework. The metal charm seared my hand.

I gritted my teeth and held on. If it was burning me, it might hurt Jenny, and her skin was much thinner and more sensitive than mine. Thankfully, the chain didn’t seem to be conducting any heat, only the charm.

Once the charm had cooled, I let it fall against her chest. I pressed my palm on the cool soil in the chamomile planter and the burn immediately subsided. When the soil began to evaporate beneath my palm, I jerked my hand back. I’d lost the seed, but that was okay. We had some at home.

Jenny closed her eyes and tipped her face to the sky. “ Wow .”

“It works best if you wear it against bare skin,” I said.

“Mmm. Feels pretty nice now.” A sublime smile lifted her mouth and crinkled the skin around her eyes.

“Oh. That’s, uh, good.”

Peace charms were very tame. It wasn’t supposed to be like taking a cannabis edible. “Uh, maybe wait for the skin contact until you’re ready for bed.”

“Will do. Thanks, Betty.” She snapped back to herself and returned to planting the seeds, looking a whole lot more comfortable. “You know, Sy’s car was a recent model Toyota Corolla. Blue. It’s missing, too.”

“I checked to see if it was impounded. Nothing came up.”

“Then it’s probably still near the kidnapper.” Another floaty smile drifted across her face. She finished with the seeds and dusted off her hands. “Goodness. I’m going to go take a nap. I haven’t felt this relaxed in years.”

Shoot. I really had overcharged the charm.

“Definitely keep something between your skin and the charm for now. Apparently, I gave you the extra-strength version.”

“And I appreciate it.” She blinked a few times then let out a little gasp and pointed to the planter. “Did you do that? Of course you did. You must have, so I … thank you .”

Every chamomile seed had sprouted, including the one Jenny had paid me with. Vibrant green wispy plants grew through the soil like a time lapse biology reel sprouting tiny white flowers with vibrant golden centers.

I looked from my hand to the chamomile and back again. My magic did that. Tears clouded my eyes, and I blinked them back.

“You’re some earth witch,” Jenny said. “Come by anytime.”

I cleared my throat before daring to speak. “Thank you.”

The elder woman studied me while I pulled myself together.

“Witch Betty, you helped me today, so I’m going to give you some professional advice, if you’re open to it.”

“Sure.” I was open to pretty much anything. My entire body was reeling from the impact of the magic I’d just done with no effort at all .

“Years ago, I worked as an insurance investigator. Nine times out of ten, when there was deception afoot, my team and I found it in whatever person or place we’d immediately discounted at the start of the investigation.”

I dragged my focus away from my magic and back to Sy’s disappearance. “ Ninety percent of the time?”

“Yep. Sounds ridiculous, doesn’t it? Don’t get me wrong, we still conducted a full investigation. We researched and analyzed every angle. Our team was as thorough as they come, and even if we had our suspicions, we didn’t act until we had solid proof. Still, it was uncanny how often we ended up right back at the beginning.”

She ran her fingers over the fragile white petals of a chamomile flower and shook her head. “Some people thought it was because our team had extraordinary initial instincts.”

“Maybe you did. You could’ve been picking up subconscious clues that your brain needed time to process before acting on.”

I’d definitely had moments where my body knew something my brain hadn’t yet registered.

“The thought had occurred to me,” Jenny said.

“Do you believe that’s what it was?”

“Doesn’t much matter what I believe. Whatever it was, it worked.” She shrugged. “We often felt like we were getting nowhere at the start of an investigation. Sometimes we’d even say things like, ‘This is going to be one of the rare ones.’ But it didn’t pan out that way much.” She gave me a head shake and another shrug. “Circles. Just seemed like we were always working in circles.”

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