A Wishing Moon (6 page)

* * * *

Arabella knew Rachel would call again and she did. How could she blame her? She would do the exact same thing—grasp at any and every straw she could find. Before leaving, Arabella checked the time. Just after ten in the morning, there was plenty of time for her to go the Townsend place before Evangeline and the others arrived.

Arabella climbed into her Jag convertible and drove the slight distance separating their homes. Only one neighbor lived between them and Arabella avoided Lyle Sessions like the plague. He had nothing to do with Arabella and she had nothing to do with him. She refused to have any outside cats because if they just happened to wander onto his property, he would kill them. Although he would never admit the heinous act to her face, he’d bragged to another neighbor how he shot her Siamese cat, Carter. Not ever wanting to risk their lives again, Arabella kept her animals indoors and carted a sandbox back and forth every day. She could have walked to Rachel’s house in a matter of minutes, but having to cross the old bricklayer’s property was just not something she could bring herself to do. He had warned her family not to cross Sessions’ land—it was forbidden to them. Mr. Sessions professed to be a born-again Christian. But Arabella seriously doubted even God would have anything to do with such a piece of human refuse. If this were colonial times, Mr. Sessions would have been ready to burn or stone Arabella in a heartbeat.

Several cars, including a police cruiser, sat in the driveway of the Townsend home. Arabella would rather not have an audience for what she needed to do. She had tried to tell Rachel it would be wise to wait until her Mother and grandmother arrived. Having Nanette and Arabella on this case would magnify whatever power Arabella had. Rachel wanted someone to do something right then and Arabella did not have the heart to say no, so she went on over to see what she could do.

When she exited her vehicle, she saw Rachel sitting on her patio with two men. She didn’t recognize either of them, but the younger guy wore a uniform and the other, a ruggedly handsome man, wore a trench coat. A twinge of knowledge or insight crept into her mind and she knew the older man to be a homicide detective. As she approached the group, she couldn’t help but overhear their conversation. The homicide detective was speaking. “I understand, Mrs. Townsend, but there is absolutely no evidence anything has happened to your daughter and granddaughter. We have put out an alert, and sent out pictures to all area stations. We have calls going out checking all hospitals and, uh, morgues to see if there is anyone out there who might have seen your family. But, at the moment, that’s all we can do.”

Rachel lowered her face into her hands and wept. Arabella moved up closer and just stood there waiting for an opportune moment to offer her services. Rachel would probably want to get rid of these men before letting Arabella walk the scene. She was quite sure Rachel would not want it advertised that she’d engaged the help of a witch.

She had worn her large quartz-crystal necklace and her black onyx ring, items designed to increase her psychic awareness. As she waited, she rubbed the crystal, charging it to do her bidding. To her surprise, Rachel announced her in a way she had not anticipated.

“
Oh, Arabella. Thank God, you’re here. Officer Myers, Detective Garrison this is my neighbor, Arabella Landry. She has a gift and I have seen her use it, effectively. I’ve asked her to come over and see if she can tell us anything more than we already know.”

Rachel actually got up and embraced Arabella. She was taken aback, amazed at how a person could change when faced with a devastating loss.

“
Are you a psychic?” Officer Myers asked with an audible sneer in his voice.

“
No, not exactly.” Arabella would not willingly explain her lifestyle to someone who dripped disdain with every word. Rachel had the good grace to look remorseful. After all, she had judged Arabella harshly in the past.

“
Well, I don’t see…” Myers began to speak but Detective Garrison held up a hand and stopped him. Garrison was obviously Myer’s superior.

“
Let’s leave these ladies to visit. Rachel, I‘ll get back with you just as soon as I have anything to tell you. Stay by the phone, it wouldn’t surprise me a bit if you didn’t receive a call from your daughter just any time.”

A sob tore through Rachel’s throat and Arabella knew Rachel prayed the detective was right. They watched the men get into their separate cars and leave. Rachel then took Arabella by the arm and led her into the house. It had been years since Arabella had been in the Townsend home, but as she entered, memories came flooding back. They were memories of more innocent times when the future had been anything they chose to make it. Arabella felt good about her life, and if she could help Kathy she would.

“
Walk around, Arabella, and see if you sense anything.” Rachel watched her with hope-hungry eyes.

Arabella did as she was asked. She walked through the kitchen, running her hands over the granite countertops. A child’s small cereal bowl sat on the counter and Arabella picked it up and held the little dish gently. She laid it down and walked over to the kitchen window, which looked out into the back yard that bordered the woods between their homes. As she gazed out the window, her vision blurred, as if for a moment she could see through eyes other than her own. She reached up and grasped the crystal, bringing the amulet to the center of her forehead. The colors in her mind muted and she could hear a voice, an angry voice screaming. ’You whoring bitch!’ Arabella jumped as if someone had hit her.

She turned to look at Rachel. “Someone came into the house; Kathy let a man into the house.”

“
Who?” Rachel demanded, anxiously.

“
I can’t see him, but Kathy opened the door, letting a man enter your home.” Arabella walked out the back door and onto the lawn. How she wished the yard was topsoil and not carefully manicured grass so thick and green it could have been deep, luxurious carpet. There was no way any footprints could be detected here. As she moved about the grounds, she began to sense something else. Arabella could feel Kathy, the panic and fear coursing through her body. But more than that, she could feel the fierce protectiveness the young mother felt for her child. “I can’t give you details, yet, but they did come outside.”

“
So, do you sense they were forced to leave with this man?”

“
That’s what I’m getting, Rachel.” Arabella wanted to tell the grieving woman more, but she wasn’t confident in her ability to interpret everything her mind could see. “In a matter of hours my family will be here and I am positive that, together, we can help you. I promise I will bring them over just as soon as they arrive.”

“
All right. I don’t guess I have much choice. The police, they think Kathy and Lea have left with someone, voluntarily. You, on the other hand, see Kathy allowing a man to come into my home and then you see them leaving. You also feel the man became violent, that he attacked my girls. Why can’t the police find any evidence of this? Why won’t they go and look for Kathy and Lea?”

“
Maybe they don’t have any substantial leads. I hate to keep repeating myself, but when mother and grandmother get here, they’ll be able to tell you more than I have. Please believe me, they will help.”

* * * *

Arabella left the distraught woman and returned to Wildflower Way. She wasn’t surprised to see her grandmother’s car already sitting in the driveway. The doors had not been locked, so she knew she would find them already making themselves at home. Despite the serious circumstances, Arabella couldn’t help but be excited at the prospect of seeing them. She literally ran up the walk and bounded up the steps. “I’m home! Where are you guys?”

“
In here!” Evangeline answered. The two cousins hugged with glee and Nanette and Angelique were there to embrace Arabella as soon as Evangeline turned her loose.

“
I am so glad you are here. Mother is on her way. I talked to her a few hours ago.”

“
Let me look at you.” Nanette took her hand and twirled her around. “You look beautiful, cher.”

Nanette saw an Arabella the mirror did not reveal, always telling her she was an angel. She never thought of herself as beautiful. Slightly taller than Evangeline, Arabella stood five-eight. Her hair was full, straight and hung to her hips, its color almost black with hints of burnished copper. Eyes, a shade of brown reminiscent of European dark chocolate, were framed by lashes, thick and long. High cheekbones and a graceful mouth were set in an aquiline face granted to her by her French ancestry.

“
Who is he?” Nanette asked out of the blue.

“
What?” Arabella was incredulous. How fortunate she wasn’t actually trying to keep her sleep-time mystery a secret.

“
You look loved,” Angelique said quietly.

Evangeline’s eyes held a million questions, and Arabella couldn’t wait to get her alone so she could answer them.

“
I saw love in the cauldron last night,” Nanette announced as she headed back to the comfortable chair by the fireplace. “I didn’t know if it would be you or your mother. Her energy is still highly associated with this place.”

Arabella did not know what to say. She knew this hadn’t been the revelation that sent her grandmother across the river into Texas. Her silence didn’t deter Nanette in the slightest.

“
Are you involved with a man?”

“
Not in the conventional sense.” Arabella took a deep breath and was ready to plunge into an explanation. There was no use trying to keep anything from this bunch. Before Arabella could elaborate, Elizabeth breezed in.

“
Now the festivities can begin.” Elizabeth made the rounds, properly, greeting each one with a hug and a kiss. “Are you talking about Arabella’s lover?”

My mother has absolutely no manners
.

“
I am replete with manners, my dear.”

“
Mother, stop reading my mind!” She wished she could get mad at her mother, but she couldn’t. Elizabeth was just too cute, by far. Maybe, she would feel better if she just laid bare her soul. “All right, all right. Somebody make some coffee and I will explain everything.”

At her suggestion, Angelique headed to the kitchen. They all followed her and gathered around the round oak table, which served as the center of the French Country kitchen. Someone had put on a pot of gumbo. The smells were out of this world.

“
Did you bring that heavenly concoction with you?” Arabella asked.

Angelique answered, “I started the roux yesterday and when Nanette decided we should come, I packed it up and finished after we arrived.”

“
The cats came too, I see.” Elizabeth noted the two fat black tomcats lounging on the floor in front of the stove. They weren’t alone. Arabella’s two cats were there also. Amos and Butterbean were Tabbies. Amos, an orange tabby was twice the size of the brindle colored Butterbean. They were as spoiled as the rappers. They all settled down to talk once the coffee was made. “Spill it.” Elizabeth did not waste words.

“
For the past two nights, I have been seeing someone—in my dreams.” She looked around from face to face. No one looked shocked; they just waited for more information. “If I have ever met him before, I don’t remember it. And he is not the type of man one forgets. Yet, he is very familiar to me. It saddens me that I have no idea who he is. You see, I haven’t been able to…find out any information…because, when we’re together…”

“
They can’t keep their hands off of each other long enough to talk,” Elizabeth drawled the completion of her sentence.

“
Do you feel like you’re dreaming, Arabella?” Angelique asked her seriously.

Arabella knew exactly what she meant. “No, my experiences are more than a dream. I can tell the difference. I’m meeting him at Enchanted Rock—not too far from here.”

“
I know E-Rock,” Her mother commented as she stood up to stir the seafood stew. “The place is enchanted, just like the name says. The huge dome sits on a ley line and the entire thing is made of crystal quartz. That mountain is magick personified. There isn’t a more sacred and powerful place in the South.”

“
So you think the man is more than just a fantasy, not just someone you, literally, dreamed up?” Evangeline asked. “I think the whole thing sounds incredibly romantic.”