7. Seven
SEVEN
W e took separate vehicles. It didn’t even seem to be a consideration for us all to go in the same one. I was relieved because I could vent to Landon and Chief Terry.
“You don’t find this strange?” I demanded from the back seat, flapping my hands like my mother. “Because I find it strange.”
“What part do you find strange?” Landon asked blandly. He didn’t seem all that keen to encourage the rant. He also knew better than to cut me off.
“Why are they here?” I gritted out.
“Steve wants to be closer during this investigation,” Landon replied. “I know it makes things more difficult for us, but it makes sense.”
“How?” My annoyance was about to go through the roof. “How does it make sense?”
“Because this is the team that Steve wants to stake his reputation on. He wants this to be his legacy. I know you didn’t sign up for this, but he’s going out of his way to appease you. If you’re going to shut him down, maybe you should just do it now.”
I didn’t appreciate his tone. I also was embarrassed because I’d turned into such a Debbie Downer when it wasn’t warranted. At least not yet.
I pressed the heel of my hand to my forehead. I was starting to get a headache. “I don’t want that. I just … I’m nervous, Landon. I thought we would have more breathing room. We couldn’t even tell everyone about the footprint this morning.”
“The footprint from last night?” Chief Terry asked.
I frowned and glared at the side of Landon’s head.
“Fair point.” Landon bobbed his head, shot me a mischievous smile, then sighed. “We found a print outside the guesthouse from last night. Bay compared her foot to them. They’re longer and narrower. And whatever is out there doesn’t wear shoes.”
“Whatever was out there was staring directly at our bedroom last night,” I added.
“Geez.” Chief Terry kept his eyes on the road as he drove, his knuckles turning white as he gripped the steering wheel tightly. “I hate to say it, but it’s probably best that you didn’t drop that information in front of Steve.”
“Because he’s going to want to move in with us next?” I asked in a snotty tone.
“He doesn’t understand that you can take care of yourself,” Chief Terry replied. “His first instinct will be to protect you, whether that means putting armed men outside your home or installing cameras. Every shred of privacy you have will be gone.”
I hadn’t yet gotten that far in my thinking. I glanced at Landon.
“If this goes forward, Bay, we’ll have to come up with ground rules.” Landon’s tone was even. “There’s no getting around it. Terry is right, Steve’s first instinct will be to protect you. He won’t understand why that’s not my first instinct.”
“That is your first instinct,” I argued. “You always want to race to the rescue, boss me around, and question my choices when a fight is coming.”
“I would appreciate you not phrasing it like that,” Landon said petulantly. “Just because I question your choices occasionally does not mean I want to boss you around. I don’t want to lose you.”
“We’re not having this argument again,” Chief Terry warned. “Spencer and Steve are right behind us.”
“Eventually, if things go well on this case, we’ll continue to work together.
” I chose my words carefully. “He’s going to find out that we don’t swoop in, toss around a few spells, and save the day most of the time.
He’ll see that we screw things up and occasionally have to deal with enchanted clowns or Christmas decorations taking over the town. ”
“We also deal with the sort of monsters that come for the family with a purpose,” Chief Terry said. “You’re right, Bay, eventually Steve will have to know about that. We need to get through this to see if we can even get to that point.”
I grumbled but stopped arguing. It was a waste of time. “Just out of curiosity, do you think it’s weird for three guys to come up here camping—but in a cabin—in the spring?”
“You think they were doing something else,” Landon realized.
“I am curious. It’s a weird time of year for them to do something like this.”
“I don’t disagree.” Landon said. “We’ll figure it out. Just be yourself, Bay. If you’re concerned that maybe you shouldn’t say something, don’t say it. We can talk it out on a superficial level and bring up the deep stuff when we’re alone.”
I nodded. “I’m just a little nervous,” I admitted. “I can’t help but feel that I’m going to ruin things for all of us if this doesn’t go the right way.”
“Bay, you’re not going to ruin things for anyone,” Landon promised. “It’s going to be okay. We’re a team. We’re going to figure this out together.”
I hoped he was right. “It’s going to be okay,” I repeated. “We always figure this stuff out.”
STEVE AND SPENCER WERE RIGHT BEHIND us, so there was no waiting when we reached the cabin.
I immediately set out to circle the building, unfurling magic as I went.
It bounced against something dark, which had me walking into the woods searching for prints.
I found some, but they weren’t the same as those we found outside the guesthouse.
By the time I made my way back to the front of the cabin, Steve and Landon were arguing.
“You can’t let her wander around by herself,” Steve insisted. “It’s not safe.”
Landon was annoyed. “She’s the most capable person I know. If she didn’t think it was safe, she would have asked me to go with her.”
“That’s all well and good, but she can’t be hurt on my watch. How would that look? My favorite agent’s wife has to go to the hospital?”
A muscle worked in Landon’s jaw. “She’s stronger than the rest of us combined.”
“How do you figure?”
I cleared my throat, drawing Steve’s attention. “I don’t want to interrupt the flexing,” I started.
Spencer snorted, then collected himself when Steve pinned him with a look. “What?” he protested. “She has a point.” He exhaled heavily when his boss continued to glare. “Landon is right—and I know you don’t want to hear it—she is the most powerful one here.”
Steve worked his jaw. “I’m not being sexist,” he said, “but you’re not an agent.”
“That’s true.” I kept my voice even. “I am, however, a witch.” To prove it, I conjured a ball of magic. “Find the darkness,” I whispered before sending it off into the trees. It squealed as it careened out of sight.
“What was that?” Steve stood straighter.
“A locator spell,” I replied. “Something has been here. Something bad.”
“And you’re trying to find it?” Steve glanced around, as if expecting monsters to attack. “May I ask why?”
“Because they’re monsters, and three men are dead.” I started for the door to the cabin. “The spell will tell me if they’re still around.”
“How do you know if it’s more than one?” Steve looked genuinely curious.
“Just a feeling. There are prints, too.” I glanced at Landon. “Not like anything I’ve seen. I’m not sure what they belong to.”
Landon gave me an almost imperceptible head bob. “Okay, let’s check the cabin while the spell is working.”
Steve gestured toward Spencer. “You’ll probably have to pick the lock.”
“That won’t be necessary,” Chief Terry said, making room for me.
I gave the handle a quick jolt of magic and pushed the door open. I was the first through, and I didn’t like what I found.
“What in the hell?” Steve was flabbergasted as he took in the mess. Things were strewn about, and a thin inky film covered the entire contents of the cabin. Clothes, counters, appliances. All of it was covered in some sort of black oil.
“Don’t touch anything,” Chief Terry said.
I was already reaching out to touch the oil and there was no stopping me. I lifted my fingers to my nose and sniffed, rubbing the substance over my fingers. When I glanced over, I found Chief Terry glowering. “What?” I protested.
“What did you hear when I told you not to touch anything?” he demanded.
I shrugged. “I was already reaching.”
“It’s like when you were a child and you were told not to touch the cookie sheet when your mother was baking.”
“That was Thistle,” I argued. “I never burned my fingers. She was the one who couldn’t stand when someone told her what to do.”
He exhaled heavily, collecting himself. “What is this, Bay?”
“I’m not sure.” I moved to the counter.
“Are those prints?” Landon asked as he moved next to me.
There were marks on the countertop, and if you tilted your head, they did look like prints. “They’re handprints,” I replied.
Landon balked. “Those don’t look like hands, Bay.”
“They’re not human hands,” I said. I looked around the cabin. It was one general living area with bunk beds built into the walls. There was a bathroom off to the side, a toilet, an old shower, and a sink.
“These cabins have been here a long time,” I said. “They’re cheap. If our guys were here—and I don’t know why else they would be up here, especially at this time of year—they weren’t spending much money.”
“You seem adamant that this isn’t a good time of year to camp,” Steve noted. “Do you know something we don’t?”
“I know the seasons up here. We’re still weeks away from peak tourist season. I don’t see any fishing gear.” I looked around again. “Was there any in the truck?”
Steve shrugged. “I have no idea. I didn’t think to look for it.”
“They could be morel hunting,” Chief Terry offered.
I stilled. “I didn’t think of that.” I nodded. “It’s early in the season, but a dedicated hunter would be able to find enough to sell.”
“Morels?” Steve’s forehead creased. “You’re talking about mushrooms?”
I had to hide my smile. “The sort people up here go crazy for,” I replied. “They sell for like sixty bucks a pound. You have to be good at hunting them to be able to make a profit. They’re hard to find.”
“You sound like you’re speaking from experience.”
“Aunt Tillie.” My grin widened. “Every year she spent three weeks forcing us into the woods to find enough mushrooms to sell. She likes them for her spells, too.” I added the second part before thinking it through.
“I mean … she likes to use the morels for various things.” I shot a worried look at Landon.