Jason walked around the sand and gravel parking pad near Charlie’s Honda Civic looking for footprints or tire tracks. Anything forensic he could grab onto. Sometimes all the psychic stuff gave him a headache. It wasn’t that he didn’t believe. It just wasn’t nearly as concrete as a fingerprint or a fiber from clothing or the DNA from a hair sample. What he wouldn’t give for some good old-fashioned evidence instead of communing with a dead chicken that he couldn’t even see.

  Something shiny caught his attention in the weeds near the edge of the driveway near the spot where the two driveways diverged and a little grove of trees made a triangle. Jason pulled his pen and a small plastic evidence bag from his pocket. Carefully he lifted a bracelet from the grass. Small charms, a pentacle, a couple of others with symbols he didn’t recognize and crystals wrapped in silver jingled against the rings of the bracelet. He’d never noticed Charlie wearing it, but he hadn’t really paid much attention to Charlie that way since he started dating Lisa.

  He slipped the bracelet into the plastic bag.

  Ben, Jen and Darius stepped onto the porch and closed the door behind them. Jen locked the deadbolt with a key and Tom headed toward them. Jason held up the bracelet.

  “Hey, Jen, is this Charlie’s?” Jason asked. He handed the bag to her.

  Jen looked over the piece of jewelry.

  “I don’t know, possibly. I know I’ve seen this before, but I thought it was Evangeline’s. Where did you find it?” Jen asked.

  “The weeds, over there,” Jason pointed to the driveway hidden behind the trees.

  “Let’s ask Evangeline. She might know why it was there,” Jen said.

  Lisa and Tomeka sat at the kitchen table with a spread of tarot cards in front of them. Daphne sat across from them watching the spread with concentrated interest and Evangeline put away the last breakfast dish. Jason was the first through the back door. He headed straight for Evangeline.

  “Hey, Ms. Ferrebee, Jen said she thought this was yours,” he said holding up the bag with the bracelet.

  Evangeline inspected it. “It is mine, but I gave it to Charlie to wear,” she said. “The clasp is broken. Where did you find this?”

  “In the weeds next to Charlie’s driveway.”

  “Can I see that?” Lisa asked.

  “Sure,” Jason said.

  Evangeline handed the plastic bag to her niece. Lisa took the bracelet out of the baggie, carefully lifting it by the broken clasp. She held her hand out from it just an inch.

  “Ben, do you still have that map we gave you? The one we used for Keeley?” Lisa asked.

  “It’s at the DOL. Sorry,” Ben said.

  “Crap,” Lisa muttered. “Hey, Jen, does Daddy still keep maps in his truck?”

  “Maybe. Lemme go check,” Jen said excitedly and disappeared through the back door. A few minutes later she returned with a triumphant look on her flushed face.

  “He does!” Jen said a little breathlessly. She put four folded maps of the South Carolina and the surrounding states of North Carolina, Georgia and Florida on the table.

  “Unfold that one, please,” Lisa said pointing to the North Carolina map. Jen quickly did as she asked, spreading it out in front of Lisa.

  Lisa laid the bracelet down in the center of the area they’d thought Keeley might be. “I need my wand,” Lisa said. Thankful she’d thought to put it in her purse before she and Jason headed over to her father’s. She quickly retrieved the wand, reverently removing it from the rosewood box where she kept it.

  “Tomeka, you’ll probably want to get your tarot cards. Jen, I’m going to need a gold candle, a white candle, a piece of paper, as well as the bracelet. Oh and we need to form a circle,” Lisa said.

  “What are y’all gonna do?” Jason asked, curious and fearful at the same time.

  “We’re gonna figure out where she is. We have something with her energy on it. Fresh energy, which is important,” Lisa said.

  “I’m still not following you,” Jason said.

  “I can track her energy using this.” Lisa pointed to the bracelet. “We’re gonna find her.” She met Jason’s uncertain gaze. “We’re gonna find her, and we’re gonna go get her. Now let’s get cracking.”

  Chapter 25

  Charlie heard a soft mewling coming from behind one of the cinderblock bricks of her cell. She took a break from trying to see down the hall to see if she could find the source.

  She walked along the back wall, listening carefully, not sure exactly what was making the sound.

  The mewling got louder toward the corner of the room and she knelt down to find one of the bricks loose. She scraped her fingers around the edges, trying to get a hold of it. She wiggled it toward her a little bit at a time and the mewling got louder. Finally she was able to drag the brick out a couple of inches and a tiny black furry face appeared.

  “Oh my gosh,” Charlie whispered. She edged the brick out a little more and a black kitten emerged. She scooped it up and held it close. “Oh my goodness, sweetheart, how on earth did you get in the wall?” Charlie peered into the space. It was just wide enough for a small animal to pass through. The little creature’s claws dug through her shirt and she stroked its fur. She glanced around the room for something to hide the opening. A bucket in the opposite corner covered with a towel caught her eye and she quickly moved it in front of the hole. After a few minutes, as Charlie cooed and petted the frightened ball of fur, it stopped crying and began to purr.

  “Where’s your mama, sweet baby? Does she know you wandered off?” Charlie whispered to the kitten. It couldn’t have been more than four or five weeks old. Just old enough to get into trouble.

  Down the hall a door squealed on its hinges. Charlie peeled the kitten off her chest and placed it behind the mattress near the back wall. She moved to the cell door and found Jacob coming toward her cell with a white paper bag in one hand and a tall fountain drink in another.

  “I got you some food. You’re gonna need your strength,” he said. He passed the bag and the drink through one of the openings in the door. Charlie took them, her gaze never leaving his gaunt, colorless face.

  “What’s in here?” she asked, not really caring. Her stomach growled at the mention of food. She may have feasted yesterday, but she’d had nothing today except a couple of bottles of water that he’d pushed through the door.

  “Food,” he snapped. “Now be grateful.”

  Charlie made a scoffing sound. “I know why you take kids now. I thought it was because they were innocent and had a brighter life force than adults. But that’s not it at all is it?”

  Jacob sneered. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “It’s ‘cause kids don’t question you, do they? You threaten someone they love to keep them in their place. You dole out just enough kindness to make them think you might not be a monster. But an adult would see right through that.”

  “Shut up and eat your sandwich,” he said. “Rudy wants to see you.”

  Charlie tightened her grip on the bag. “Good. I look forward to it.”

  She stared into Jacob’s face, the rusting grid a frame for his scowl. She refused to break the connection with his eyes. She sensed it made him uncomfortable. Afraid of her. Finally he broke the stare and walked away. She took the bag and sat down on her mattress. The sandwich wrapped in green and yellow waxed paper looked singularly unappealing, especially when she opened the large hoagie roll and inspected the contents. Several slices of ham and Swiss cheese lined the bread along with some limp lettuce, tomato, and thin streaks of mayonnaise and mustard to dress it.

  Charlie took a bite of one of the watery, tasteless tomatoes and made a face. She had to admit that she was spoiled when it came to fresh vegetables. It had only been the last month that her uncle pulled up the last of his tomato plants and composted them because they’d stopped bearing fruit. Jen had taken what fruit was left and either canned it or sun-dried it in a contraption she’d made. Then she’d put the dried tomatoes in oil and had been using those on sandwiches and in pesto at her café.

  She tossed the tomatoes aside on the wax paper and gathered her little kitten foundling in her lap.

  “You hungry, little baby?” she asked, discovering the cat was female, which gave Charlie an odd sort of comfort. She tore a tiny piece of ham from her sandwich and held it in front of the kitten’s lips. She sniffed and touched her tongue to the meat before chomping into it with her sharp teeth. She growled a little but in a big gulp, swallowed the meat. Charlie smiled and took a bite of the sandwich and scratched the kitten behind her ears.

  “What am I gonna call you little baby?” she said. “I had a cat named Edgar Allen Poe when I was a little girl. He was black as a raven, just like you.”

  She tore off another piece of ham and fed it to the kitten. When they both had finished their meal, Charlie sat cross-legged on the mattress.

  “Little Poe,” she whispered. The kitten nestled into the crook of her knee on her lap and fell asleep. Charlie closed her eyes and concentrated on Keeley Moore, using the image from the photo she’d stared at for the last three weeks. The girl’s face appeared in her head.

  Charlie pictured the girl in a cell similar to her own, lying on a thin mattress, too tired to move. The connection with the girl felt stronger than it had during any of her previous attempts to ‘find’ her. Keeley’s thoughts slipped into Charlie’s head.

  Jacob would be coming soon to take her outside to recharge her energy, but she didn’t even care anymore. What if she refused to do it? Would she end up like the ghost boy who came to visit her? Would they kill her? She didn’t even have the energy to cry. Maybe being dead would be better. At least then she wouldn’t hurt.

  Charlie’s eyes flew open and she set the kitten off her lap gently before jumping up and running to the cell door.

  “Keeley Moore?” Charlie said. “If you can hear me,” she called down the hall. A face appeared in the cell door across from hers. “You can’t give up. Do you hear me?”

  “You should be quiet,” the girl’s voice down the hall whispered. “He’ll come if he hears you. Then he’ll make you sorry.”

  Charlie searched as much of the concrete dungeon as she could see for a face, heartbroken that it had come to this.

  “Let him come at me, sweetie,” she called out. “Help is coming. I know it in my bones. Help is coming. You can’t give up. None of you can give up. There are people who love you out there wondering what happened to you. Crying over you because they miss you. Hold onto that. Help is coming.”

  “You promise?” a small voice pleaded attached to a child she couldn’t see from down the hall.

  “Yes I do,” Charlie said.

  Lisa set up the table with the maps of the target states so they overlapped a little. She placed the bracelet across the center of Charlotte and the surrounding area, pointing it in an east and west direction. To the north, she put the poppet of Keeley that Charlie had made. At the south point Lisa placed a Herkimer quartz crystal.

  “Okay, Daphne, you take Cardinal North,” Lisa instructed. “Evangeline, you take South, I’ll take East and Jen you take west.”

  “Where do you want me?” Jason asked.

  “You and Tomeka on either side of me, and Darius and Tom on either side of Jen,” Lisa said. They all took their places. Evangeline passed out white candles to each of them along with a couple of lighters to share.

  “Wait,” Tomeka said.

  “What is it? Do you see something?” Lisa asked.

  “No. Nothing like that,” Tomeka said. “I just want to add a little extra insurance.”

  “Okay,” Lisa said drawing out the word.

  Tomeka dug through her bag until she found her deck of tarot cards. She quickly filtered through them and pulled two cards out and put the rest of the cards back into her purse.

  “You told me that when you did a reading on Keeley, that she kept coming up as the Sun.” Tomeka held up a card with the drawing of a child on horseback with a bright yellow sun in the sky behind her.

  Lisa smiled and nodded. “I did. And she kept coming up when we were trying to figure out which direction her abductors took her.”

  “Exactly,” Tomeka said. She laid the card on the table next to the poppet. “Every time I did a reading about Charlie, she always came up as the High Priestess.” She laid the card down on the table next to the bracelet. “Maybe these’ll help make the intention a little clearer.”

  “Your cards might get ruined with this spell,” Lisa said.

  “I know,” Tomeka said. “It’s okay, I’ve got other decks.”

  “All right then,” Lisa gave her an appreciative smile. “Let’s do this. Everyone light your candles.”

  The sound of lighters flicking and scent of flames catching filled the air until all the candles were alight.

  “So you don’t think Jack’ll be mad?” Daphne asked.

  “Nope,” Lisa said. “I’ll buy him a whole set of new maps if this works.” Lisa scanned the faces of each person at the table. “Y’all ready?”

  Everyone nodded.

  “Repeat after me,” Lisa said. “Goddess to the north, hear our plea. Goddess to the east, hear our plea. Goddess to the west, hear our plea. Goddess to the south, hear our plea.” The voices of those in the circle echoed hers. “Blessed goddesses, hear our plea. We beseech you to show now, where those lost to us, will be.”

  When the last voice had said the spell Lisa took her candle and held it to the edge of the map until it caught fire.

  “Light it up,” Lisa instructed and each person held their flame to the edge of the map in front of them. The flames jumped up at first, the smell of old paper burning and smoke tickled Lisa’s nose. They all stood back, holding their breath watching and waiting for an answer. The fire burned away states, counties, cities and streets that didn’t meet the criteria. When the flame finally died, it had burned its way past the crystals, and then just stopped, leaving two-inch circle with blackened edges around a rural area north of Charlotte. The only major roads were those leading north to Greensboro.

  Lisa picked up the scrap of scorched paper and inspected it. She felt a little defeated.

  “This just looks like farmland,” she said.

  “Sure, on the map,” Jason said. “We can find out who owns it through tax records. If I can’t find it, Cameron can. He’s still at my apartment. Give it to me and we’ll go see what we can find.”

  Lisa handed Jason the paper and he put it in an evidence bag for safekeeping.

  “What do we do in the meantime?” Jen asked.

  “We head there,” Ben said. “We can stop at the DOL and get supplies and reinforcements if we need them.”

  “I’d like to come, if y’all don’t mind,” Darius said.

  “Of course,” Daphne said. “We absolutely could use you. None of us can see spirits like you and Charlie can.”

  “You’re welcome to come too, Tomeka, if you’d like,” Jen said.

  “Thank you, I’d like that,” she said.

  “I’m gonna stay here and clean up this mess,” Evangeline said. “Then go check in on the café to see how it’s going this afternoon.”

  “Thanks, Evangeline,” Jen said.

  “All right,” Jason said. “I’m going to dig into the tax rolls and assessor’s records. I’ll call you with what I find out.”

  Chapter 26

  The door at the end of the hall squealed, and Charlie bolted awake, her pulse thrumming to the sound of footsteps. She sat up listening, trying to sense him before he passed her cell. It wasn’t just Jacob this time. He had friends with him, at least two and from the weight of their footfalls on the concrete floor, men.

  Charlie scooped Poe off her lap and put the kitten behind her on the mattress.

  “Now you stay put,” she whispered. The sleepy little fur ball made a pitiful meowing but didn’t argue, but curled up next to her backside.

  Jacob appeared at her cell door. His large ring of silver keys jingled and clanked against the metal lock, and he pushed the door inward and stepped inside. Charlie saw the silhouettes’ of two men behind him.

  Still dressed in his dull gray pants and hoodie, he said. “Rudy wants to see you.”

  Charlie got to her feet. “Fine, I want to see him too,” she said. The little black kitten startled and jumped to its feet, crying after her.

  “A kitten?” Jacob said. “Where did that come from?”

  “I don’t know. I didn’t exactly bring it with me,” she argued.

  Jacob sneered and snapped his fingers. “Catch it and kill it,” Jacob said. One of his companions, a tall thin man, stepped out of the shadows his right side stepped forward.

  “Hey — there’s no need for that,” Charlie said. She moved quickly, putting herself between Poe and the men.

  “Get out of my way, witch,” the man said. He grabbed Charlie by the arm and the little kitten growled and hissed, charging at the man’s feet.

  “Poe, run,” Charlie said, pushing against the man’s heavy hands. The man screamed angrily and kicked his foot away. The little kitten went sailing in the air, headed toward the hard concrete brick wall.

  “No!” Charlie yelled, jerking her wrist out of the man’s hand. She stretched her fingers toward the little cat, her heart fearful and overflowing with panic. The air crackled with electricity. A pulse of energy left her fingertips, stopping the cat from hitting the wall. The kitten hovered for a second in mid-air with his fur standing on end, making him look larger than life. Charlie’s breath caught in her throat and she drew her hand back. What just happened? Poe dropped from the air and landed on all fours near the wall. He cast one glance over at her and meowed before running back into the hole in the wall where she’d found him.

  The man grabbed her and quickly tied a thin piece of rope around her wrist. The prickling in her fingertips died. He took her other wrist and tied it, too.

 

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