Chapter 23
Isit at my desk, staring at a calendar. The more I look into it, the more it adds up. And the more it adds up, the more I know Gemma was involved.
And the stupider I feel.
Someone from Silver Living called Mrs. Green to come out and look at that house late at night.
The house was set up to look like a mass murder had gone on, and I was likely to be called out to investigate it.
Someone did something to Mrs. Green, trying to make her forget who she spoke with as well as get her to rattle me.
And the body stolen from the morgue? Guess where he spent his final days on hospice care. Silver Living. The night the fake baseball bat was planted was the night the hex bag was stuck to my car to attract the ghouls. I saw Marissa and Gemma the next morning, and they both looked shocked to see me.
I never told Gemma where I live, I’m sure of it.
Yet she knew my house is old and big. I lean back, pulling on a strand of hair.
The Memorial Day flyer! She saw it in my car and knew it was for my neighbor’s party.
That’s how she figured out where I live and what my house looks like…
and how Marissa was able to find it and snoop around…
which she did while Gemma and I were out together.
Gemma was on her phone constantly, probably talking to Marissa.
And that day I chased down the robber who stole Gemma’s purse. She saw me use my powers. She had to, and she’s known all along who I am. I clench my jaw, so angry at myself for not seeing right through this shit. Was I that desperate for a friend?
There’s only one way to know for sure. I grab my purse and storm out of the office to go to Gemma’s house. Fuming, I get into my car and try to calm myself down. I don’t want my hands catching fire and burning my car up. And maybe there’s an explanation for all this.
“Stop being stupid,” I tell myself, pissed there’s a small part of me that wants this to not be true. Gemma used me, and if she had anything to do with the ghouls…My fingers start to smoke.
Calm down…calm down…calm down. I inhale, hold it, and let it out. It does little to ease my anger. Jacques got hurt, really hurt, from the ghoul attack. I look up Gemma’s address, follow the GPS’s directions, and get to Gemma’s little house in record time. Her car is parked in the driveway.
Squeezing my fists closed, I get out, go up to the front door, and ring the doorbell. She doesn’t answer. If she suspects I know, she’s not going to answer. I ring it again and peer through the window, trying to catch a glimpse of her.
Instead, I see a knocked-over lamp and shattered glass. Oh. Shit.
I go to the front door and try the knob. It’s unlocked. I step in and see clear signs of a struggle.
“Gemma!” I shout, rushing through the house. The back door is wide open, and little drops of blood trail down the wooden deck. Cigarette butts litter the stone path going from the deck to the garden, and I know Gemma doesn’t smoke.
“Shit.” I push my hair back and get my phone, dialing Gemma’s number. I might be pissed at her, but I sure as hell don’t want her to become the latest victim in my investigation.
Her phone rings inside the house.
I rush back in, finding it on the counter. There’s one other missed call, and it’s from Marissa. From five hours ago.
If Gemma is alive, she’s living on borrowed time.
The killer must have gone into a rage of sorts after Anna got away and went for the next person on his list. He could have taken her right after he left the minimart. If that’s the case, she’s probably dead already.
I hold my phone in front of me, ready to call this in and get every available cop in the city to try and find her so we can catch this killer, but I hesitate. Calling this in will take time. Time we don’t have. We’re not any closer to finding the killer.
But there might be another way.
There is a location spell in the book, and if I can get it to work, I’ll know exactly where Gemma is.
But if I can’t get it to work…I’m wasting time.
Biting my lip, I make up my mind. I rush into Gemma’s room, looking around for her hairbrush.
I find it on her bed. Taking it, I rush out to my car and fire up the engine.
Whipping out my phone, I order my team to put out an APB for Gemma as I speed all the way home.
The moment I pull into the driveway, I spring out of the car and run into the house to grab the grimoire.
I don’t remember the specifics, but I do know Jac said this was a fairly easy spell as long as the caster can channel the energy correctly.
But I don’t have a map.
Mumbling obscenities to myself, I print out a map of the city spanning four pages, and tape them together. Using one of the crystal necklaces I got from Lyra’s today, I hold it in one hand and Gemma’s hairbrush in the other.
I close my eyes, lifting the necklace off the paper until the tip is barely brushing against the surface.
“Where are you, Gemma?” I whisper, and imagine energy coming in, wrapping around her brush, and going to the crystal. The chair starts to move, and the crystal goes to the right side of my paper like it’s being pulled by a magnet.
I print out a bigger section of just that area, hoping to narrow down the location further. It worked. I think.
At least now I have an address.