Bloodstone (15 page)

“I plugged in the slow cooker to heat the chili,” Parker said, counting on his fingers. “Derek set the bowls down. We waited a bit, but you were late so then I was going to head to your office to grab your contact list. I wanted to call your grandmother, let her know Derek would be stopping by.”

I asked, “Did you see anything?”

Derek stood up and rubbed his neck. “Nothing. Didn’t see anyone, didn’t hear anything.”

“Someone had to have delivered that lump to your head. Which entrance did you come in?” I asked.

They had both come through the back door.

“Should make sure it’s still locked,” I said. Someone could have run out after we came through the window.

Parker stood. “No, don’t do that. What if someone is still here?”

Another good point. “Right.” I felt moistness on my arm. The cut wasn’t too deep, but I was bleeding. I reached for a paper towel to mop it up and went to examine Thor.

“Either of you have a phone? I dropped mine coming through the window.”

Derek looked at the gaping hole. “Holy shit. You did that? Who do you think you are, Bat Girl?”

“Actually Thor did that.” The dog had only minor cuts on the top of his head, thankfully. I hugged him and kissed his nose. He puffed his chest out and sat. “He thinks he’s The Incredible Hulk because Lolly dyed him green last St. Patrick’s Day.”

Parker said, “That’s gonna cost me a fortune.” He pulled out a chair, sat and laid his head on the table.

“Shea, are you okay?”

“Peachy.” He did not lift his head. I noticed he didn’t have a lump.

Derek reached into his pocket and said, “I got my cell phone.”

“Just call Leo, Derek. Don’t tie up the 911 system,” Parker said.

“Are you serious?” I asked.

“What? It’s not life or death,” he said.

“But what if there is someone still here?” I asked.

Parker looked at the window. Or rather, the lack thereof. “Pretty sure the Dynamic Duo scared off whoever it was.”

He got up and went to assess the damage. I followed.

“Do you need to go the hospital, Parker?” I asked.

“Nah.”

“You sure?”

He leaned over, whispered in my ear, “I fainted.”

I wrinkled my brow, “What?”

“I saw Derek drop and I fainted.”

I whispered back, “Did you see who did it? What he was hit with?”

Behind me, Derek said. “I can’t get Leo.” He walked over as Parker shook his head at me. “I’ll call the station. Try to reach Gus. What are you two looking at?” Derek asked as he dialed.

I looked out the window and just as I was about to say ‘nothing’, I saw it.

A white deer.

Ghost of the forest.

She paused, looked right at me and I felt a bolt of electricity run through my veins. The sun beamed right in my eyes for an instant. Then she was gone.

“Did you see that?” I asked.

“See what?” Parker and Derek both said.

I turned to face them. “That deer. She just ran across the open field.”

They didn’t.

When I turned for another glimpse, Ivy was in the truck bed. “Psst!”

I nearly wet myself she startled me so bad. I held up a finger, signaling her to be quiet for a second.

Derek was saying, “Not sure if anything is missing. We haven’t checked it out yet, thought we’d call you guys first. My camera and my wallet are still with me, though.”

Parker excused himself to use the bathroom and I turned back to the window. “What are you—” I jumped because she was now on the wall and we were nose to nose. “Stop that! What are you doing here?” I hissed.

“I deciphered the code, thought you wanted to know right away. It wasn’t easy I tell you, I think I should get extra credit or like a merit badge or something...” Ivy was still chattering away when I heard Derek ask Gus, “So what’s the story on the stiff they picked up over at the Geraghty House?”

“Shh,” I said to Ivy, “I need to hear this.”

Derek laughed, “Come on, man. You can’t be serious.” He paused. I felt Ivy tense. “He didn’t just get up and walk away.” Derek laughed again and then immediately closed his mouth.

Parker returned, wiping his hands on a brown paper towel.

Derek hung up the phone and stared at it for a couple of beats.

“Well?” I asked. “What did he say?”

Derek looked from me to Parker, back to me.

He put his phone in his pocket. “He said he just got up and walked away.”

No one spoke.

Then Ivy whispered, “Whoa. Dude’s a zombie.”

“There are no such things as zombies,” I said.

I made a mental note to confirm that with Birdie later.

I told Ivy to wait for me in the cab of the truck. And to look for my phone.

Derek was talking to Parker. “The body was still on the gurney when the medical examiner got paged. He went to answer it, hit the john and when he got back it was gone.”

Behind me, Parker said, “Stacy who are you talking to?”

I turned to face them. “Girl Scout.”

Not my finest moment. I would have made a terrible spy because I can’t lie to save my life.

“I’ll take a box of thin mints,” Derek said.

Parker said, “Really? I would have pegged you for a Samoa guy.”

“No way man, I hate coconut.”

“Guys! She’s gone. Forgot her cookies back at the orphanage.”

Derek looked confused. Parker just looked disappointed.

“What was she doing at the window?” Derek asked.

“Can we just get back to the runaway corpse, please?” I turned to shut the window because the room grew cold. Except the window was scattered all over the floor in tiny pieces.

I rubbed my shoulders. “Let’s go downstairs to my office and wait for the cavalry,” I said. “It’s freezing in here.”

Derek took the lead and flipped every light switch in our path. I tried to steady my mind, my body, searching for a signal. I felt nothing. No nausea, no tingling, no shivers down the spine. I was fairly confident it was only the three of us and Thor inside the newspaper offices. We were half-way downstairs when Parker said, “I’m starving. I’m going to grab the chili.”

Just then, something clanked and crashed. Parker grabbed my arm right where the cut was and I bit my lip to keep from crying out.

We froze in place for a full twenty seconds.

Then Thor trotted out from the conference room, red sauce all over his face.

“Dammit, Thor!” Derek said, “You almost made me crap my drawers.”

I was in the middle of him and Parker. I glanced from one to the other, said, “Sorry. I forgot to feed him this morning.”

“Maybe we can order some sandwiches,” Parker said and we turned to head to my office.

When we got to the door, I remembered I had no key. “Parker do you have a key to my office? Mine is...at home.” Hopefully. Maybe Fiona put everything in the garage. Maybe the attic. I was still kicking myself for rushing off without asking her about it.

Parker fumbled in his coat pocket and I asked Derek what else he knew about Sayer.

“There was mud on the floor around the gurney and a set of footprints trailed out the door. That’s all I know. Gus said he’d be right over. Maybe he’ll tell us more.”

“So he wasn’t dead? But he had no pulse. He wasn’t breathing,” I said as Parker slid the key into the lock.

The buzzer sounded at the front door.

“That’s probably Gus. I’ll let him in,” Derek said and left.

Parker opened the door and flipped the switch.

“What in the world?” He said.

I couldn’t see beyond his 6’4 frame. “What, what is it?”

He stepped aside and I gasped.

“Oh my gods,” I whispered.

IVY GERAGHTY’S PERSONAL BOOK OF SHADOWS

by Ivy Geraghty

Entry #14

While my sister attends to trivial matters I am planning our attack. I know what steps must be taken now to re-claim our mother and our Birthright! Enemies be Damned! Dark forces are no match for the Geraghty Girls—past, present or future! I await to join her in the Battle of our lives. Our army will assemble and march on to Victory! (But first I’m totally jonesing for a cherry Coke and a basket of fries. Off to my Lair.)

-Ivy Geraghty,
Junior Apprentice
Warrior Goddess (in training)

FORTY-SIX

My office had been ransacked. Drawers toppled, papers strewn about, pictures ripped off the walls. The destruction was vast, no corner unturned. Luckily my laptop was back at Chance’s house so that was still in one piece, but it would take weeks to organize all the paper files. I couldn’t tell what—if anything—was missing. Or what the hell the purpose was for that matter. What were they were looking for? Or was it just vandalism for the fun of it? Seemed unlikely.

I felt helpless. This was my space, the only space to call my own at the moment. I didn’t have my car, didn’t have my keys and my freaking home was being rented without my permission.

My keys! But...the office had been locked. I saw Parker unlock my door.

Whoever did this must have my keys.

“Are you okay?” Parker asked.

The picture of my parents—of me when we were all together, happy—lay on my desk, the frame split. I choked back a sob, closed my eyes and leaned my head back.

When I opened them, I saw it.

Strung to the ceiling fan, waving around like a streamer was a doll with red hair, green eyes and a cape.

Was that supposed to be me? Because if it was, the idiot who constructed it should know I have never kept a cape clean in my life. Plus, I do not wear blue eye shadow.

Helpless? Screw that. That sensation evaporated like steam.

Now I was pissed off.

Quickly, I centered myself, cast a circle of protection. I opened my desk drawer and filtered around for my herb sachet to strengthen it. Gone.

I slammed the drawer shut and said, “Parker, would you please get me that salt shaker you keep hidden in your desk?”

“Stacy you know the doctor said I—”

“Get it!”

He left.

Derek had brought my things to the cottage after the fire, so I didn’t have the three muses sword Birdie had given me as a homecoming present. A letter opener would have to suffice. The White Out was on the floor so I reached for that and traced a closed pentagram on the desktop. There was still water in the mini fridge so I grabbed a bottle, uncapped it and dipped the letter opener inside, imagining white light all around the space. I held it up toward the sky.

The vibrations were strong already.

Or maybe I was shaking because I was so damn angry. I did not have time for black magic bitches.

Parker snuck in, handed me the salt and I told him to leave.

When I heard the door click shut, I sprinkled the salt all around the room and then into the water bottle. Took a swig, then climbed on top of my desk and chanted.

“Magic of white, surround me with light.”

I doused the water all around me, turning a full 360 degrees.

When I closed my eyes, she was there in my head. The white deer. Prophet. Protector. Messenger.

The sign of which meant,
get ready, something is coming.

She was still with me as I continued the spell.

“Magic of black, I thwart this attack!”

My grip was strong on the letter opener as I held it skyward. The lights glared bright, then dimmed. I heard a crackling and the bulbs on the fan started shaking. I jumped down, took cover under the desk and one by one, the bulbs burst, showering the office with sparks.

When it was over, Parker came in. “You okay, there kiddo?” Years of working with my father and dinners at the Geraghty House taught him not to ask too many questions when it came to magic.

I nodded. Felt great, actually. Even the pain in my leg was gone. My shoulder too. I looked down at my arm, hand still gripping the letter opener, and noticed the cut had stopped bleeding. It was healing.

I sighed and picked up the doll from the floor where it had landed after the light show.

“Is that a Voodoo doll?” Parker asked.

Derek and Gus came in at that moment.

“Oh hell, no!” Derek said, backing up. “I got an aunt that’s into that shit, freaks me the hell out.” He stepped out of the room and said to Gus, “Come on. I am not going in there. I’ll show you where they hit us first.”

I smiled at that, knowing Parker wasn’t actually struck by anything, but had passed out.