Chapter 23
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
I shook the mirror impatiently. “Stop with the histrionics and tell me exactly what you mean.”
“He went all over, and they followed,” the mirror continued in its melodramatic whisper. “They silenced me …”
I shoved the thing back into my pocket, knowing I wouldn’t get anything intelligible out of it for now. Either it was too afraid to be concise or had been compelled to tell me nothing.
“Is Carl asleep?” I asked. “I need to talk to him.”
Grandmother nodded. “Finally, you believe old people have something worth saying.”
“Do not include me with old people ,” Elena admonished Grandmother as she removed crisp, fried tortillas from the pan with a pair of tongs. “Carl is asleep but said he was an early riser. That is why I’m already making breakfast.”
“The sheriff’s grandfather is smart,” Grandmother said. “Probably more than is good for him.” She liked to say that about people, especially me .
“Thank you,” I told them both sincerely. They’d made me realize I needed to stop weeping and start acting. “If that’s migas you’re making, Elena, will you save me some?”
“Mmm.” Elena frowned at the pan, where her next batch of tortilla strips were spattering. “If you are here during breakfast hours.”
She would never let herself be caught doing anyone a favor. “You got it,” I said.
I swung around and headed out of the kitchen, hearing both women clucking in disapproval behind me.
I gave the mirror a soothing pat as I passed it in the saloon, then hurried into the lobby. Nash was still there, growling at someone on his phone to come and pick him up. From his tone, I’d guess one of his deputies. If he spoke like that to Maya, she’d hit him with a pipe wrench or dump him altogether.
I moved quickly past him into my suite. Once safely inside, I made myself peel off my muddy clothes and stand under the hot shower, letting the water’s warmth ease my muscles.
Tears leaked from my eyes as I rinsed my hair, but I washed them away. I didn’t have time to lose it right now.
I knew that the knots inside me wouldn’t unclench until I brought Mick home safely. Then, I wouldn’t let him out of my sight until we were wed. After that?—
I accepted in my heart that our life together would bring more of the same predicaments we were in now. We were dangerous people, and dangerous things happened to us and around us. Someone out there would always try to exploit our powers or want to kill us because of them.
With those happy thoughts, I finished my shower, brushed my teeth, dressed in clean clothes, and went back out to the lobby. Cassandra sat at her post, as neat and tidy as usual, the bowling bag at her feet, while Pamela ate breakfast in the saloon.
Elena had served the migas there, buffet style. Layers of eggs, peppers, cheese, and tortillas, warmed in a serving tray, and a stone bowl of fresh salsa reposed next to it. Both dishes were already half empty.
I scooped up a portion of migas and strode to the table where Carl sat, devouring a mounded plate of food.
“Spill,” I said to him as he munched. “When you took Mick’s bike, where did you go?”
Carl’s eyes brightened as I sat down. He swallowed noisily and took a loud slurp of coffee.
“Mick’s ride is nice,” he said. “Shame the cop caught me, though he turned out to be cool. I’d never have done anything to that motorcycle. It’s a piece of art.”
“You’ve ridden before?”
“Of course I have.” Carl snorted before he masticated another mouthful. “Had a Harley when I was about your age. It’s how I met Nash’s grandmother. Ellen. She was a beauty. All black hair and blue eyes, biggest smile you ever saw.”
He cleared his throat, blinking, and took a more subdued sip of coffee.
I’d love to have said something like Nash speaks fondly of her , but Nash had never mentioned his grandmother, or Carl, or even his own parents. I knew Nash had a brother because the first case I’d investigated when I’d come to Magellan had marginally involved him. Never met the man, though.
“I’m sorry she’s gone,” I said in sympathy.
“Not as sorry as I am, that’s for sure. Lost my kids too. I’m stuck with two grandsons and a granddaughter who all think work is the same as entertainment, and that entertainment is a waste of time. Nash had it bad in the war, that is true. But if you think he’s cold now … Shew .”
“So I’ve heard.” I pulled Carl back to the topic. “Tell me where you went on Mick’s motorcycle.”
He shrugged. “Up north somewhere.”
“How far north?”
“I wasn’t paying attention. Out in the middle of nowhere.”
“What did this middle of nowhere look like?”
Carl threw down his fork. His eyes flashed, and for a moment, I saw exactly where Nash came by his stubborn crankiness.
“I don’t know, sweetie. Why don’t you ask your tribal cop friend?”
Oh, I’d ask him, as soon as I figured out where he was. He was another person who’d not showed up to save us at the cute little park in Flagstaff.
Carl’s aura, which was a clean gray with a few blue streaks in it, now had a more shadowy gray. I recognized the taint of a compulsion spell and sent him a little smile.
“Stay right here, okay?”
“I’m eating,” Carl snapped, sounding so much like Nash I flinched. “I’m not going anywhere ’til I’m done.”
I took a bite of Elena’s wonderful dish, nipped to the lobby, and beckoned to Cassandra. “Can you help me with something?”
Cassandra clicked a few more keys on her computer then rose without question. I grabbed the bowling bag, and led Cassandra to the saloon.
Carl was still shoveling in his food. Cassandra sat down at the table with us, her eyes widening as she regarded Carl. She was better at seeing auras than I was, so the spell must have been more obvious to her.
Carl swallowed his mouthful. “You sure are pretty, Ms. Bryson. I know I’m not supposed to say that to a lady, but that’s stupid. You are pretty. I’m old. I know nothing’s ever going to happen between us, so take it as truth.”
“Thank you,” Cassandra said graciously. “You are very kind. Do you mind if I just …” She lifted well-manicured fingers and carefully touched Carl’s forehead. Her brows went up. “Oh, my.”
“How bad is it?” I asked in a low voice.
“How bad is what?” Carl demanded. “Do I have a tumor, or something?”
“A spell,” I said. I wasn’t certain whether he’d believe that, but Carl deserved the truth. “Don’t worry. Cassandra will remove it.”
“Huh?” Carl took another sip of coffee. “Whatever.”
Cassandra closed her eyes and whispered a few words. Carl pretended to ignore her, but his gaze flickered to her in curiosity.
The darkness I’d sensed shrouding him suddenly flared high. Cassandra gasped and jerked her hand away.
“You all right?” Carl asked in concern.
“What happened?” I asked at the same time.
“It’s strong.” Cassandra drew a shaking breath. “It wasn’t one mage who put this on him, but a collective. They don’t want him telling you about something. I’m sorry, I can’t discern what.”
“Don’t talk about me like I’m not here,” Carl said in irritation. “I get enough of that from doctors when Ada takes me for checkups. What are you blathering about? ”
Cassandra gazed at him with her cool eyes. “Someone put a spell on you, Carl. They don’t want you telling us what you saw or did at some point the day before yesterday, when you went joy riding.”
“What are you talking about? I don’t remember anyone trying any woo-woo magic crap with me. I rode around until that cop caught me and dragged me home, is all. He’s a fun guy, I have to say. Nothing like my grandson.”
“Do you think Coyote did this?” Cassandra asked me.
I shook my head. “Doesn’t feel like him, plus I don’t know why he would. Carl, I suspect you met up with the Phantomwalkers. I’m guessing they tracked Mick’s bike, which has his aura all over it. The mirror won’t tell me where it went either.”
Carl stared at us, coffee cup hovering. “Phantom whats? Seriously, you are crazy, the pair of you. Good-looking, sure, but nuts.”
“Can you remove it?” I asked Cassandra.
She drew a breath. “Maybe. It will be difficult. These are serious powers at work.”
I knew a spell was bad when a witch as strong as Cassandra wasn’t sure she could break it.
“Where’s Nash?” I asked Carl.
He shrugged. “Maya just picked him up. Nash told one of his deputies to come fetch him, but Maya intercepted him. I like her . She’s nice to me and she doesn’t act insane.”
“You haven’t seen her when she’s really angry,” I told him. “I’ll call her. I think we’re going to need Nash.”
As predicted, Maya was not happy when I made my request for Nash to return to the hotel. I didn’t bother phoning him directly, because there was a good chance he’d reject the call when he saw my name pop up on his cell.
“He needs to sleep, Janet,” Maya snapped at me.
“Can’t he sleep after he helps his grandfather?” I asked. “I’m not sure what else to do.”
Maya became instantly solicitous. “Is Carl okay?”
“Someone put a nasty spell on him that even Cassandra can’t budge. Nash might be able to.”
“I’ll bring him over,” Maya promised. “I have to warn you, though, he’s livid about his truck.”
“I didn’t do it,” I said quickly. “Not directly, anyway. Wouldn’t he rather have his truck wrecked but his life saved?”
Maya unbent enough to chuckle. “With Nash? Probably the other way around. He gets things into his head, you know? We’ll be there.”
Maya hung up without a goodbye.
While waiting for them, I took stock of my resources. I tried to eat more of Elena’s breakfast, but my stomach was clenched, and I couldn’t tolerate the food. I promised myself I’d feast when we found Mick and brought him home safely.
For help, I had Gabrielle and Colby, who were still in the bedroom Cassandra had given them at the top of the house. There was Cassandra for strong magic and Pamela if I needed a good fighter. I had the mirror, which was likely also fighting a compulsion spell to keep me from seeing Mick. I had Nash, who maybe could negate the spell on both the mirror and Carl.
I returned to the kitchen to check on the other two resources I had. Grandmother was still there, sitting in a chair at a small table, daintily nibbling on breakfast, while Elena chopped more peppers with fierce precision.
As I entered, Elena scraped up the sliced peppers with her knife and dropped them into a bowl. “Still here, are you?” she demanded.
I bit the inside of my cheek and held on to my patience. “If I need your help rescuing Mick, can I ask it of you?”
Grandmother’s fork rattled to her empty plate. “Of course we will help. Your Firewalker has proved himself to be a good being, many times over.”
“Not you , Grandmother,” I said before I could stop myself. “This is way too dangerous.”
“Do not tell me what to do, Janet Begay.” Grandmother used the hard tones I so well remembered.
Elena said nothing, but her glare spoke volumes.
I fumbled for an explanation. “These Phantomwalkers don’t seem to be hurt by Earth magic. I don’t know if you could hold them off, Grandmother.”
“I didn’t intend to fight them with magic,” Grandmother said indignantly. “That is not my way. But I can do other things. We will find Mick and bring him home, as we have done before.”
Not her way, she claimed. I recalled how, not long ago in Las Vegas, she’d helped a Beneath-magic goddess banish an entity back into the oblivion it had come from. Before that, she and Elena had closed a vortex in the middle of a hotel room in New Mexico.
I decided not to bring up either instance. “Please, stay safe. And keep Dad and Gina safe too.” I knew Grandmother would only stay home if she chose to, but she did feel an obligation to protect others .
“What about the egg?” Elena asked. “It remains here?”
“No.” I’d thought long and hard about that as I’d showered. “I’ll have to behave as though I’m truly willing to exchange it for Mick. They knew I wouldn’t bring it to the first drop, so they didn’t bring Mick either. I have to be sincere. That’s why I’m asking for help. It’s not just for Mick.”
“We will help, Janet,” Grandmother said. “Now, stop fussing and get on with it.”
I opened my mouth to argue, then decided to save my energy. I nodded at them and scurried out of the kitchen.
Dad and Gina were breakfasting in the saloon. The bowling bag, which Gina must have retrieved from where I’d left it with Cassandra, sat firmly under Gina’s chair.
I started toward them but before I reached their table, I spied Maya’s shining white pickup pull up out front. I waved to Gina and Dad and headed for the front door.
Maya hopped out of her truck, clad in shorts, a loose T-shirt, and sneakers with thick socks folded at her ankles. She preceded Nash, who looked as though he’d had time to shower and iron his jeans, into the lobby.
“Where’s Carl?” Maya greeted me.
I gestured her into the saloon, where Carl was finishing up his meal. He’d gone back for seconds of the migas as well as a heaping portion of roasted potatoes.
“Maya,” he sang out. “There’s my girl.” He stood up and enfolded Maya in the hug she offered him.
“You all right?” Maya rubbed Carl’s shoulders as they came out of the embrace. “Janet says you’re under a dark spell, but she’s always spouting that kind of bullshit.”
Carl cackled with laughter. “She told me that too, but I’m just fine. Good food here.” He rubbed his belly .
Maya had at one time been a huge Unbeliever, one of the few in the town of Magellan, where the paranormal was real. She’d come around after witnessing things she couldn’t deny, as well as helping me win a few battles. Now, I read worry in her eyes as she tried to reassure Carl.
“Nash,” Carl called to his grandson. “You look terrible.”
“Thank you.” Nash glowered at him. “Sit down. If Janet says something’s wrong, then it’s wrong.”
High praise from Nash, who also had been one of the biggest Unbelievers around. Small wonder he and Maya had fallen for each other.
“You both are nuts.” Carl plopped into his chair and folded his arms, his smiles gone.
Nash turned to me. “What do I do?”
“Touch him,” I said. “That’s probably all he needs.”
Nash took the seat I’d previously occupied. He studied Carl, while Carl gazed stubbornly back at him.
“He looks fine,” Nash said.
“Yes,” I agreed. “But trust me.”
Nash’s quick scowl reminded me that his most recent favor had dropped him in mud and wrecked his new truck, but I could see he believed me. He reached across the table and laid a hand on Carl’s arm.
Carl regarded Nash’s hand, tanned and scarred, without concern.
Then Carl gasped. His body jerked, his face twisted, and then he released a scream of unimaginable pain.