Circle of Fire (22 page)

It wasn’t that weird—not if there was magic involved. “Do you know what has happened?”

Evan hesitated, then shook his head. “I remember waking, thinking it was really hot in the room. I was going to get up and open a window, but before I could, I saw a ghostly figure. Then something wrapped around me, and I can’t remember anything else.”

“How ghostly? Was it just mist, or a figure?”

He shrugged. “Bit of both. I couldn’t really tell if it was male or female, though.”

Meaning that Eleanor was either using the sylphs to kidnap the kids or using magic to get either her or Hank in and out of the rooms—and
that
was the reason the cops and the FBI had been unable to find any point of entry. Magic didn’t need an entry point, and neither did the sylphs. And while they couldn’t force flesh and blood through walls, it would be easy enough for one of them to open and close a window. But at least the kid had no memory of events after being taken—that was something to be thankful for. “Well, some bad people kidnapped you, but Maddie and I got you out.”

“But where’s Aunt Maddie now?” Evan sat straight up in bed, his face white with fear.

Jon wondered whether it was the normal anxiety of a kidnapped kid wanting to be safe in the arms of his family or the fear of a psychic who knows a loved one is in terrible danger.

What in hell is happening to her?
He swallowed a sudden rush of tension and walked across the room. Kneeling next to the bed, he placed a calming hand on the kid’s shoulder—even though calm was the last thing he felt himself. “She isn’t here. I have to go get her, as soon as we have some protection for you.”

Evan stared at him, his amber eyes dark with fear.
So like Maddie’s, Jon thought, and he knew he’d have to move soon, before the wait drove him mad. “They have her,” Evan whispered. “They’ll hurt her.”

If they did, they’d pay. He forced a smile, even though Evan was smart enough to see past it.

“I’ll bring her back. I promise.”

Evan stared at him, then solemnly nodded. “I believe you.”

Jon wished
he
believed it. “Evan, how long have you been dreaming?”

The kid shrugged. “Ages. Sometimes I dream about things in the future and sometimes about things in the past.”

“And you can’t do anything else?”

Evan frowned. “Like what?”

“Move things around with a thought.” Or light fires when he was afraid.

He shook his head. “Nothing like that—although it would be a pretty cool ability to have.”

Jon smiled. “Why haven’t you told anyone about the dreams?”

“Because they’re just dreams.”

“Dreams that sometimes come true.”

The kid shrugged. “Yeah, but who’s going to believe me?”

“Maddie would. She has a similar gift and would have believed you.”

He hesitated. “Yeah, but she’s in enough trouble with Dad because of it. I didn’t want to land her in more.”

A sharp knock at the door rattled the silence, making the kid jump. Jon squeezed his shoulder and went
quickly to the window. Mack and a bear of a man in a police uniform stood out front.

When Jon glanced back, the teenager had huddled down in the blankets. “It’s okay. Just the police,” he said, unlocking the door.

“This better be good, Barnett. I
was
enjoying a mighty fine lunch.” Mack dripped water onto the old carpet as he stomped past. “Ben Morley, meet Jon Barnett, the private investigator I mentioned earlier.”

Jon shook the big man’s hand, then closed the door once he’d come through.

“Mack, meet Evan. Evan, Mack’s from the FBI, and he’s trying to help the police. Why don’t you tell him what you just told me?”

Evan licked his lips, glancing quickly at the big man before looking back at Jon. “He’s okay?”

Jon smiled at Mack’s raised eyebrow, then nodded. It was odd that Evan seemed to trust him, even though they barely knew each other. But then, the kid had not only reached him when he was stuck down the well, but had guided his astral travels toward Maddie, as well. Maybe there was some form of psychic connection between him and the teenager. He’d learned long ago that anything was possible.

He crossed his arms and leaned back against the wall, listening to the harsh rasp of the kid’s voice. As anxious as he was to rescue Maddie, there was nothing to be done until Evan had told his story. The last thing he wanted was to rescue Maddie from Hank’s grip only to have her fall into Mack’s. At least this way she’d be free to go.

Mack glanced at him once the kid had finished, and motioned toward the door. “We need to talk.”

Jon nodded and glanced at Evan. “We’ll just be outside, okay?”

The kid nodded, and eyed Officer Morley warily. He didn’t seem afraid, however, and after a moment’s hesitation, Jon followed Mack out the door.

“Do you believe the kid’s story?” Mack said the moment Jon had closed the door.

“Yeah, I do.”

“But ghosts? I mean, come on—it’s not a ghost that’s kidnapping and killing these kids.”

“No.” It was more likely a sylph, but he wasn’t
about
to mention that. “But he was half asleep at the time, remember. What he might have seen was a gray-clad figure coming at him.”

Mack grunted. “What about the other kid? Did you spot her?”

Jon hesitated, but there was no point in lying. “Yeah, but I didn’t have time to get her out.”

“So both Eleanor and Hank were there?”

“Hank was.”

Mack swore. “Damn it, Barnett, why the
fuck
didn’t you call me? I should haul your ass down to the station and charge you for impeding an investigation.”

Jon grimaced. “Maddie found them, not me, but given her psychic talents are somewhat raw, I wasn’t about to waste your time until I knew for certain we’d found the right place.” He hesitated, then added in a low voice, “There’s one other problem, Mack. They took Maddie hostage when I was getting Evan out.”

“Isn’t that just great.” Mack’s gray eyes were hard with anger. “You haul a civilian into a crime
investigation and end up losing her. Real smart move, Barnett.”

He ran a hand across his mouth. What Mack had said was true. If he’d made her stay here, as instinct had told him to do, she’d be safe. But he’d given in to the plea in her eyes, and now she was paying for his weakness.

“Where’s the cabin?” Mack continued roughly.

“The place is called the Malkin Cabin. It’s off 202, about fifteen miles out of Jewell.”

“Is there a chance that they’re still there?”

He shrugged. Hank wasn’t a fool, but there was always the chance he couldn’t move quickly. It would depend on the type of ceremony Eleanor was preparing. “Maybe.”

Mack shook his head. “I’ll get warrants out for Eleanor Dumaresq and Hank Stewart. But you and I
will
sit down and have a serious talk after all this is over.”

He nodded. Mack had to catch him first. “If we move now, we might still find them.”

“I’ll get the ball rolling. And you’d better hope like
hell
nothing has happened to that other kid. Or the psychic,” Mack growled, then spun and stalked toward his car.

Jon pushed away from the wall and walked inside.

Evan stared up at him, eyes wide and full of a fearful desperation. “You have to go now. Aunt Maddie needs you.”

He squeezed the kid’s shoulder again. “I made you a promise. I’ll bring her back.”

Or die trying
, he thought bleakly, and turned away.

M
ACK GLANCED UP AS
J
ON WALKED OUT THE DOOR.
“B
EN
’
S
staying with the kid, and I’ve organized more local help. I’ll meet them up near the cabin.”

Jon pulled up his coat collar to stop the rain from dribbling down his neck. “I’m coming with you.”

Mack studied him for a moment, gray eyes hard. “Give me one good reason why you should.”

“Eleanor’s a sorcerer.” He gave Mack a bland smile. “I know magic. You don’t.”

It was hard to tell whether Mack believed him or not, simply because there was no reaction from the man. But after a moment of silence, he nodded. “Get in.”

Mack climbed in and started the engine. Jon got into the passenger side and glanced at his watch. Two and a half hours gone. Maddie and Hank could be anywhere by now.

“Anyone would think from your behavior that you cared for this woman,” Mack commented. The rear tires squealed as the car sped off.

Jon smiled grimly. “I barely know her.” Which was both the truth and a lie. He probably understood Maddie better than he understood himself.
And he sure as hell liked her more than he liked himself.

Mack lit a cigarette and took a long puff. “That’s not what I meant,” he said, exhaling.

Jon glanced across at him. “Just drive, Mack. I’m not in the mood to have my life analyzed right now.”

The big man gave him a sharklike smile and planted his foot to the floor.

T
HEY
’
D MISSED THEM
. J
ON KNEW IT THE MINUTE
M
ACK
pulled the car to a halt. Though why he was so sure, he couldn’t honestly have said. Ignoring the stares of the local police, he walked across to the road leading up to the cabin. The heavy rain had quickly turned the mud to slush, but it was still thick enough to capture the imprint of a tire that had slid in the turn onto the road. He ran a finger around the outline of the track. They’d missed them by about ten minutes, if not more. The rain was beginning to wash the deep prints away.

Mack squatted down beside him. “Recognize them?”

He shook his head. “No. But they’re recent.”

“So our quarry has probably flown.” Mack stood up and studied the muddy driveway. “We’ll go check, anyway.”

“They might have left something for us.” Jon rose to his feet, hoping like hell that that something was a ransom note and not a body. Either way, he had to know before he gave chase. “We’ll have to walk, though. I doubt if the cars will make it up the hill in this rain.”

Mack nodded in agreement and motioned for the local officers to follow. Jon led the way, listening to the wind whistling through the dripping pines. There was no sign that Eleanor was still in the area. When the cabin came into sight, Mack pulled him to a halt and Jon bit back his impatience. The man was only doing his job. He stood in the shadows of a pine and watched the cabin. There was no noise or movement to be heard. The place had to be empty—or at least empty of life.

His gut clenched painfully. Maddie had to be alive. Surely Eleanor wasn’t stupid enough to get rid of a potential hostage?

“Stay here,” Mack ordered, checking his gun.

Jon nodded. Until he knew if Maddie was okay, he would obey. He watched the four men run across the clearing to the front of the cabin. He watched as they smashed the door open and tumbled inside. When no gunshots or snarls met their appearance, he walked down to join them.

Mack glanced up as he entered the cabin. “Our birds have flown, but they left us a note.” He offered the sealed plastic bag to Jon.

He scanned it quickly and frowned. They wanted an exchange—Maddie for Evan. But that didn’t make sense. Why not just go find another kid if they needed two? Why did they need Evan back? But at least it meant there was a chance that Maddie was still alive. At least she wasn’t dead on the old worn floorboards. The relief he felt was frightening.

He handed back the note and tried to remind himself it didn’t mean she
was
still alive. “Let’s go find the bastards,” he muttered, and spun around.

Mack caught up with him as he strode down the steps. “Leave this to the experts, Barnett.”

He wrenched his arm from Mack’s grip. “In this case, that’s me. Eleanor is something you’ve never seen before, something you have no experience in handling.”

“I wouldn’t bet on it,” Mack stated grimly. “I’ve seen a lot of strange things in my twenty years of service.”

Jon smiled impatiently. He’d bet his life Mack had never seen the likes of Eleanor. Or him. And maybe he needed to see it.

He glanced around. The other officers were inside the cabin and no one appeared to be taking any notice of them. In many ways, what he was about to do meant his life now rested in the FBI agent’s hands. At the very least, Mack could make his life hell with the knowledge he was about to give him.

“Maybe.” He studied Mack a moment longer. Maddie and Seline were right. He couldn’t handle Eleanor and Hank alone—at least when Maddie was around to get caught in the middle. “Have you got a spare cell phone handy?”

Mack frowned, but dug a small phone out of his pocket. “You know my number.”

Jon nodded. He’d called Mack less than a handful of times in the ten years they’d known each other, but he knew the number by heart. Once it had even saved his life.

Maybe this time it would save Maddie’s.

He shoved the phone into his pocket, knowing it would change when he did—though the how and why of it escaped him. It was just a part of the magic
that enabled him to shift shape. “I’ll call when I find them,” he said, and stepped away from Mack. “Damn it, Barnett—”

The rest of Mack’s comment was cut off as Jon made the change. With a flick of his wings, he flew skyward, ignoring the rain, the wind, and Mack’s startled curse as he began his search for Maddie.