Chapter 22
“Drew will find him,” Melissa said as she set a cup of coffee on the table for Dahlia. “He’s one of the best.”
“I sure hope so,” Dahlia said. Shortcake was sitting on her lap.
The pup hadn’t moved from her side since they’d gotten up and realized that Dutton had gone.
If anything, Dahlia thought that Shortcake might even be more worried than her mama.
“I can’t believe he just went off like that. What was he thinking?”
“He was thinking he wants to protect you,” Briggs said from his spot across from Dahlia. “If someone tried to blow up Melissa’s house, I’d be out there hunting them down, too.”
Melissa walked over to him and kissed the top of his head. “That’s one of the sweetest things I’ve ever heard you say, Briggs.”
“No it isn’t.” He rolled his eyes, but his lips curved up into a pleased smile.
Dahlia glanced away. It hurt to see the two of them together. They were so happy and had each other. Meanwhile, Dutton was out doing goddess knew what, and she wanted to punch him. Or grab him and never let go. She didn’t know which. Maybe both.
“I can’t just sit here any longer,” Dahlia said. She placed Shortcake on the floor and rose from the table. “I’ll be outside.”
Melissa squeezed Dahlia’s hand as she passed and gave her a sympathetic smile.
“He’ll be okay. Dutton knows how to take care of himself,” Melissa said.
Dahlia nodded, left her coffee on the table, grabbed her bag that she’d left by the door, and walked outside.
Shortcake followed closely. Dahlia took a seat in one of the chairs on the porch and pulled Gwynn’s journal out of the bag.
As soon as she opened it, she said, “No lectures today, okay Gwynn?”
No lectures, her fairy godmother scrawled. Are you all right?
“No. I don’t think so. I’m really worried. Do you know where he is?”
I don’t. Sorry, love. The one over here who knows him has been very quiet lately.
“What do I do?”
Have faith. That’s all you can do.
Dahlia let out a long sigh. “I suppose you’re right.”
The page stayed blank, and after a few minutes, Dahlia closed it and stood.
She couldn’t sit any longer. She looked down at Shortcake, who was at her feet.
“You’re going to need your leash, baby girl,” Dahlia said as she pulled one out of her hoodie pocket.
After she hooked Shortcake up, the two of them started walking around the property.
They moved through some of the trees as Shortcake took her time sniffing everything. Dahlia stared off into the forest, trying to put her mind at ease. She knew Melissa and Briggs were right. Dutton could take care of himself. But she just couldn’t get herself to settle.
The faint scent of smoke wafted through the air.
Dahlia stopped in her tracks and looked back toward the house, worried that Briggs’s house had been targeted.
But there was no smoke in that direction.
She took a few more steps, and the scent assaulted her as she watched the smoke drift overhead.
It was coming from the direction of downtown.
Dahlia reached for her phone but realized she’d left it back at the house. “Come on, Shortcake. We need to go in.”
Her dog looked up at her but didn’t move.
“Shortcake, I—”
“Hello, Dahlia,” a chilling voice said from behind her.
She turned and stared at a man who was wearing all black. He had bleached blond hair and a spider tattoo on the back of his right hand. There was also a jagged scar under his left eye. “Who are you, and why are you on Briggs’s property?”
“I’m Dutton’s brother, Grady. And let’s just say I’m here to collect.” He lifted his hand and sent a ball of fire right at her.
Dahlia let out a gasp and dove for the ground.
Shortcake took off after her assailant, barking and growling as if she were going to rip him to shreds.
“Call your dog off or I’ll—”
“You’ll do what?” Dahlia spat. “Turn her into a fireball? Over my dead body!” She shot back up onto her feet and lunged for him, ready to rip him apart with her bare hands.
It was stupid. Dahlia didn’t have the magic that other people did, but after the human trash had tried to blow up her house and threatened her dog, she was ready to rip him limb from limb.
His hand shot out again, but before he could throw another ball of fire, Shortcake bit at his ankle and latched onto his pant leg. She was growling and pulling, doing her best to defend her mother.
Dahlia grabbed at the man’s neck but missed and instead came away with a pentacle necklace.
Instantly a ghost appeared in front of her with her arms outstretched.
She had long, wavy blond hair, was wearing a summer dress with strawberries on it, and slippers as if she’d just come home, slipped off her heels, and put on her house shoes.
“Grady Brock! What happened to you? You are not the boy I raised.”
“M-mom?” he stuttered. “What? How?” His face had gone completely white.
“I know about everything, Grady. Every last thing you have done to worship that awful man who calls you his foster son. And I watched you allow him to corrupt your beautiful soul. This… Attacking innocent women? Starting fires around town? Hurting people? I’m ashamed of you.
” Her voice broke. “And you did it all while wearing my protection necklace. The pentacle your father gave me and the watch I gave him.” She swiped at it, but since she was a ghost, she got nowhere.
Dahlia ran over and grabbed his wrist, making sure she held on with everything she had.
Grady tried to struggle, but when another ghost appeared, this one a man with a stern expression, Grady froze, staring up at him with wide, fearful eyes.
Dahlia used her moment to yank the watch from his wrist. She took a step back and picked up Shortcake’s leash. The two of them stepped away from what she could only call a family reunion.
“Grady,” the tall man who was wearing a suit said, his voice grave. “You have made mistakes, son.”
Grady swallowed hard. “I—I didn’t have a choice, Father.”
“That’s an excuse,” the man said. “We always have choices. Your mother and I have watched from the other side with disappointment all these years. We hoped when you were finally free from the foster family situation that you’d find a new path, but instead, you stayed loyal to Benny. Why?”
Dahlia was riveted, watching Grady’s parents dress down their son. She suddenly wondered what had happened to them. Obviously, they’d both passed on while Grady was still a child. They seemed like decent people. What could have become of him if he hadn’t ended up in Benny’s care?
“I had no one,” Grady whined. “Benny, he was my only family. He… I had no choice.”
His mother looked at him with pity. “That excuse would have been acceptable when you were still a boy, Grady. We understand that he was abusive and you were just trying to survive. You have no idea how much I grieved for you and prayed that you’d find your way out of that situation, but later, when you were on your own, you still chose to visit him in prison.
You gave him money. You made promises you never should have kept.
And now you’re here, terrorizing this woman. Why?”
“Dutton needed to pay for what he did! Don’t you understand? I lost everything. You two first. Then I was put in a foster home that was too horrible for words.”
His mother blanched.
“I see you didn’t miss out on that experience either,” he said, his voice full of disdain.
“And then I was placed with Benny. I just needed to collect payment from people and mind my own business unless I wanted a beating. At least he gave me a place to live. A family. And then Dutton messed it all up. He refused to do his job, testified against Benny, and suddenly I had nothing and no one again. Benny’s getting out of prison soon.
I’m doing this for him. He wants Dutton to suffer.
And so do I. This is who I am now. Live with it.
” Grady let out a bark of humorous laughter.
“Or I guess you can’t. So get out of the way.
He took something from me. Now I’m going to take something from him. ”
“You aren’t this boy,” his mother said, sounding broken.
“I’m sorry we died that night. That we even got in the car.
If we’d just stayed home, that drunk driver would’ve never had the chance to hit us.
We were taken from you far too early. You know your father and I would’ve done anything for you. This is never what we wanted for you.”
Grady looked away, tears rolling down his cheeks. “You left me nothing.”
“That’s not true,” his father said very softly. “There was insurance. And an inheritance.”
“What?” Grady turned back around to stare at his father.
“Benny stole it,” his mother said. “Every last penny. I was there when he had the accounts transferred to him. I watched him take everything from my only son and then listened as he told you that he knew you had nothing, but it didn’t matter because he’d be the one to take care of you.
He lied to you, Grady. He manipulated you and stole from you. ”
Grady turned his head up toward the sky and let out an anguished scream. “Noooooo!”
Dahlia’s heart hurt for the man. As angry and horrified as she was by what he’d done, she couldn’t ignore the fact that Benny had emotionally abused him and manipulated him into becoming the man he was today.
That didn’t absolve him from his crimes, but it did help her understand why he was so loyal to a man who, by all accounts, was the scum of the earth.
“I’ve got to get out of here,” Grady said, turning and starting to run.
“Stop!” his father ordered.
Grady did as he was told and turned to look at his father.
“You must own up to your mistakes, Grady. You can’t run from this.”
“Yes, I can.” He bolted through the trees.
Dahlia, still holding the necklace and the watch, ran after him. Shortcake followed, and the two of them chased Grady until he was standing in front of Briggs’s house, staring at it, his face contorted in pain.
Before she could do anything, he raised his hands and sent a bolt of fire at the porch.
“No!” Dahlia yelled.
The fire hit the small table next to the chair where she’d been sitting and talking with Gwynn.
The fire hit the journal, and Dahlia let out an anguished scream.
Her lifeline to her godmother was in that journal, and now it was on fire.
She ran toward the porch, but before she could get there, the journal crackled and exploded, making her duck as paper remnants flew toward her.
But then suddenly there was a bright light. The fire vanished, replaced by a very familiar, elegant woman with long dark curls, a handkerchief dress, and the most ornate witch boots Dahlia had ever seen.
“Gwynn!” Dahlia cried and ran toward her.
Her godmother gave her a wide smile and opened her arms in greeting.
Of course, when Dahlia flew into them, all she did was hug air as she wrapped her arms around her own body, but she didn’t care. It was the first time she’d seen Gwynn’s face in over three years. “You’re free of the journal. I don’t understand. Why? Was fire always the answer?”
“I don’t know,” Gwynn said with a laugh. “Maybe. Who knew?”
Dahlia laughed again. It was Gwynn’s own spell that had trapped her in the journal.
She’d wanted a way to speak to anyone after her death whether they were a medium or not.
So she spelled the journal while she was still alive, hoping for the best. Unfortunately, it made it so she could only communicate through the journal, and it only worked with Dahlia.
No one else. Not even any other mediums. It had backfired spectacularly.
Movement behind Gwynn caught Dahlia’s attention. Another ghost was standing there with a scowl on his face.
“Who are you?” Dahlia asked, more curious than anything else.
Gwynn turned and said, “That’s the man from Dutton’s past. He won’t tell me who he is, but I think he’s connected to Benny.”
“He ruined my life.” The tall, lanky man muttered a curse and started to fade. “I warned you that he’d bring trouble to everyone you love.”
Gwynn gasped. “I thought you meant Dutton. You said the one who burned down your building would bring trouble to Dahlia.”
“Benny ordered the fire. He brings trouble to everyone.” The ghost vanished.
Gwynn turned to Dahlia, her eyes wide and her mouth open in shock. “I’m so sorry, Dahlia. I… I messed up.”
“It’s okay, Gwynn,” Dahlia said. “I understand.” She wanted to hug her, show her physical affection, but all she could do was give her a patient smile. Dahlia wasn’t mad. Gwynn had just been looking out for her the best she could.
Shortcake started barking.
Dahlia glanced down and saw that she was barking at Gwynn. “Can you see Gwynn, Shortcake?”
The dog tried to jump up on Gwynn’s leg but missed… since she was a ghost.
Gwynn leaned down and mimed petting her. “You’re a good pup.”
Shortcake tilted her head, indicating that she was listening, making Dahlia’s heart melt.
“At least that’s one good thing you’ve done,” Grady’s father said. “With time, maybe you can make amends for your misdeeds.”
“Misdeeds?” Melissa cried.
Startled, Dahlia turned and spotted her standing with Briggs right behind Grady, who appeared to have his hands tied behind his back.
“This man tried to burn my fiancé’s house down. Not to mention Dahlia’s and a bunch of structures in town. Those aren’t misdeeds. Those are crimes.”
Grady squirmed as if he were trying to get away, but Briggs yanked him into place.
Dahlia had been so consumed with seeing Gwynn again that she hadn’t noticed Briggs and Melissa’s arrival.
Though it was hard to imagine they hadn’t heard the commotion.
All she knew was that she was grateful. They were safe and so was their house.
She prayed that hers and Dutton’s were too, but in that moment, the thing she cared about the most was seeing Dutton alive and well.
Melissa had her phone out and was dialing the sheriff’s office.
Dahlia ran into the house to get her phone, saw the message from Dutton, and closed her eyes for a long moment as she took a deep breath. He was with the sheriff. That was something. She quickly typed out a message. Everyone here is safe. Come home soon, please.
The reply was almost instant. I’m on my way.