Chapter 20 #2
The curtains snapped outward. Papers launched off the dresser like they were attempting an organized escape.
A puff of bright purple dust erupted from the windowsill and expanded into a cloud large enough to qualify for its own weather system.
It rolled across the room with surprising enthusiasm, swallowing furniture, people, and possibly several laws of physics.
Dolores staggered backward, waving her hands in front of her face. “Ruth! I said a pinch!” She coughed. “Not enough powder to repaint the room!” She disappeared briefly into the purple haze and emerged looking like she’d lost a fight with a glitter factory.
A string of colorful curses emerged from somewhere inside the purple fog. Based on the vocabulary alone, I was fairly certain it was Dolores. Possibly Beverly. Maybe both.
I blinked as glittering particles drifted through the air and settled over everything in sight, including Dolores’s hair, Beverly’s shoes, and half of my jeans. Even the stuffed banana in my lap now sparkled faintly.
Then came a sharp, delighted clap.
“See?” said Ruth.
The dust cloud was still floating around her head, making her look like an enthusiastic lavender ghost. She bounced on the balls of her feet and pointed triumphantly at the windowsill.
“Told you it would work. Gotcha!”
A set of enormous purple prints now covered the sill. They glowed faintly through the haze like neon signs.
Before anyone could respond, Ruth launched into what appeared to be a victory dance with some hopping, a spin, two enthusiastic arm flaps, and a movement that suggested she was either celebrating a solved mystery or attempting to communicate with migrating geese. Knowing Ruth, both remained possible.
“I found evidence!” she sang.
“Congratulations,” said Dolores flatly, picking purple powder out of her long braid. “You’ve also found a way to dust the entire second floor.” She looked around the room. “And possibly three neighboring properties.”
Iris, Ronin, Beverly, and even Dolores all gathered around the window looking at what Ruth was pointing at. The argument about glitter terrorism was forgotten.
Naturally, I had to see too. If they’d found even the smallest clue about Darian, I wanted it.
“What?” I asked as I squeezed in between Iris and Ronin.
Ruth pointed at the ledge. “There. These aren’t human fingerprints, and they’re too big to be Darian’s,” she said, crouching beside the windowsill.
“See how wide the ridge patterns are? And there are palm prints too. Whatever came through this window was using its hands for support. Wereapes do that.” She tapped beside one of the marks.
“And look at the spacing. Strong upper body. Agile. Definitely climbed.”
I stared, open mouthed at the purple glowing prints. Ruth was right. They weren’t random smudges. They were clear. Distinct. Real. Suddenly this wasn’t just a fear anymore.
“She shifted, climbed up, and took Darian,” said Dolores. “But you never heard a struggle?” Her voice had lost all traces of irritation. Now she sounded thoughtful, calculating.
I met her gaze. “No. She must have done something to him.” I couldn’t bring myself to say the words, but it was clear.
Addison had sedated my son, my boy, and had stolen him.
The thought hit harder now that the evidence was sitting right in front of me.
Physical proof. She’d been here. In my house. In my son’s room.
I’m not sure what it was, maybe just seeing the evidence with my own eyes, but some sort of primal rage erupted in me, so violently, that I started to shake.
My magic stirred beneath my skin, hot and restless.
Not witch magic. Not exactly. Something bigger.
Something that wanted to solve this problem in the most direct way possible.
“Easy. Down, tiger,” said Ronin, clearly having seen my reaction. “We’ll find him.” His voice was gentle for once, which somehow made everything feel more serious.
“She’s dead,” declared Marcus suddenly.
I turned toward him. His face had gone hard, focused, predatory. Every trace of warmth had vanished from his eyes.
“I’m going to find Addison, and I’m going to kill her.” The chief was gone. The alpha of the wereapes had just entered the room. Even the deputies lingering in the hallway suddenly looked nervous.
“We all want to find Darian,” began Dolores, giving Marcus a worried look. “But we still don’t know where she took him.” Her tone was careful, and measured, like people used around explosives.
“It has to be close by,” interjected Iris. “Somewhere close enough that she took Darian in a car and drove there. Maybe here? In Hollow Cove?” She looked around hopefully, as if the answer might be hiding behind a bookshelf.
Marcus shook his head. “I’ve scanned every inch of this town.
She’s not here.” The certainty in his voice sent another chill through me.
Because if Marcus couldn’t find Addison in Hollow Cove, she had planned this and planned it well.
That meant she was already several moves ahead in a game I hadn’t even realized we were playing.
“We’ll start a search over to the next paranormal town,” said Dolores. “We can get the whole town involved.” Her voice had that mayor tone now, organized and efficient. She used that tone right before assigning twelve committees and accidentally creating three more.