Hidden Magic (18 page)

Zander grasped her shoulder from behind her, too hard. “Do you not understand the danger you could have put yourself in?”

A kernel of trepidation took root inside her, but she reminded herself he wasn’t Jamal. He wouldn’t hurt her. She shook him off as the energy of the place rose up around her. She crouched to the ground, touched the grass and felt it. Yes, there were powerful vibes here, anger and sadness. Violence. A wave of nausea threatened, then it was gone. Standing, she wrapped her arms around her body. “She’s here.”

“Hannah?”

Something dark and sinister surrounded her. A wave of cool air made her tremble. She sank onto a boulder, afraid she might pass out. “There’s death here. Very close.”

“Jesus, are you sure?” He sat next to her and draped his arm around her shoulder. “You’re shivering.”

An unseen force beckoned her. She got up and started walking toward a stand of palmetto trees.

“Jilly, what is it?”

She couldn’t speak. She might lose the guide who led her. Glancing back at Zander, she motioned for him to follow. His footsteps behind her eased a fraction of her rising trepidation. At least he was there to share whatever lay ahead. He’d protect her.

Suddenly she was freezing. Every muscle in her body ached. She sank to her knees.

Zander crouched beside her but remained silent.

Her arm lifted on its own and she pointed straight ahead. She tried to pull in a breath but it was if someone had knocked the wind out of her.

She gulped and gasped. Zander shook her. “Breathe.”

She went limp in his arms. He held her until she found the strength to sit up. “She’s here.”

He helped her stand and they took a few steps in the direction she’d indicated. They came to a small mound covered in new grass and weeds.

“Oh no. It’s her, Zander. Hannah’s buried here.”

* * * * *

Jilly hugged her arms around her legs, numb and filled with dread as she waited for the police team to excavate the grave. They’d erected a canopy over the site when the rain had started a couple hours ago but after it stopped they left it in place.

A mosquito landed on her forearm. She watched it bite her and wished it would suck out the sadness with her blood. She’d risked everything only to learn Hannah was dead, buried in an unmarked grave. Well, she didn’t know for sure, not yet, but she would as soon as the cops finished.

Zander offered her a bottle of water but she shook her head.

“It’s like a hundred degrees out here. You’re going to get dehydrated.” He sat next to her and rubbed her back. “Listen, I want you to go home. This has to be done very meticulously and it’s going to take a while longer. I promise I’ll call you the moment we know something.”

“I want to stay.” She took the bottle from him and twisted open the cap. Maybe if she drank something he’d quit asking her to leave.

“You’re pale, sweetheart. You should go home and get something to eat.” He lifted her chin with his finger and turned her head toward him. “This isn’t a request. Officer Dumas will drive your friend’s car and another deputy will meet you at your cottage. So far the media hasn’t learned about this find but when they do and they broadcast it, you could be in more danger.”

She shrugged. “It won’t make a difference to Jamal if he already knows where I am.”

“We don’t know he was the one who attacked you.” He stood and pulled her up with him. “I need your cooperation. I’ve got enough on my mind. You should rest and I want to know you’re safe. Please.”

All the fight left her. “Fine, you win.”

By time she got home it was close to supper time. She ordered a pizza then gave most of it to the cop.

“Thanks for dinner.” Officer Dumas picked up the empty pizza box. “I’ll put this in the trash on my way out. If you need anything I’ll be in my car.”

“You’re welcome to hang out in here.” The notion of being with a stranger was preferable to sitting by herself.

“Thanks, but my post is outside.”

She locked the door as he left then checked her cell to make sure it was on. Why hadn’t Zander called yet? She crossed her fingers and concentrated all her energy on sending him a psychic message to phone her. As much as she didn’t want to believe Hannah was dead, she had to know for sure.

The cell buzzed to life in her palm. She didn’t have to check the display. It would be Zander. She braced herself for bad news as she answered. “Hey.”

“Hey yourself. How are you?”

His voice was a warm embrace but she knew what was coming. “I’ll be fine. Just say it, Zander.”

His deep exhale spoke volumes. “It’s not her.”

She sank into a chair, her head spinning with questions. “What? Are you sure? How…”

“You were right about there being a body here but wrong about the identity. It’s not Hannah. It’s a man. We haven’t identified him yet but the coroner estimates he’s been dead three weeks.”

“What about Hannah? I felt her presence there so strongly.” Hannah could still be alive. Jilly offered up her gratitude to the Goddess. But the find meant her powers were somehow off.

“I suspect we might have just found Ricardo.”

Of course. But if Ricardo was dead, had Hannah killed him? Or could it have been the third man from her vision? Suddenly she didn’t quite trust her powers. She wanted to check the area again. Maybe she’d get a clearer picture if she could spend more time. “I want to go out there.”

“Absolutely not. We’re finishing up here and it’s getting dark. I’ll come over as soon as I can, but it might be morning by time I wrap up the paperwork.”

She rubbed away the beginnings of a headache from her forehead. “Zander, how did he die?”

“Can’t be positive but his head is bashed in so that’s a real possibility for the cause of death.”

She heard a woman say something to him she couldn’t quite make out.

“Listen, I’ve got to go. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

She said goodbye but he’d already hung up. Her fingers shook as she pressed the disconnect button. She thought about one of the visions she’d had at Gideon’s Pond.

Hannah and Ricardo, the other man coming upon them wielding a stick or pipe. Maybe it wasn’t Hannah he’d intended to kill, but Ricardo.

Or perhaps both of them. Maybe he’d also killed Hannah but buried her elsewhere. But why had she picked up Hannah’s vibes so strongly near the power plant?

She closed her eyes.

Where are you, Hannah? What happened that night the other man came upon you and Ricardo?

She waited for an answer but none came so she asked again, beseeching the Goddess to carry her message to wherever Hannah was. But it was no use. Nothing was working.

She took a shower, changed into a nightgown and went to bed. As she waited for sleep to come, she asked the Goddess to bring her a prophetic dream, a dream that would help Hannah. Then she closed her eyes and let sleep carry her off.

A subtle wave of emotion pushed into her head.

Hannah was laughing. She and Ricardo were at a fair, walking the midway, holding hands. Her necklace broke and fell to the ground. Ricardo picked it up, monkeyed with it and managed to fix the clasp.

“Here. Be careful with it. It might not hold.” He fastened it around her neck. Then he kissed her.

She’d never been so happy. “Let’s go to the pond.” The spot where they’d made love the last time.

His handsome smile lifted the corners of his mouth and her insides turned to mush. “Okay. Race you.” They ran toward the parking lot, laughing and grinning like Cheshire cats.

They’d both driven their own car so they parted ways in the lot and she followed him for the twenty-minute drive to Gideon’s Pond.

When they got there Ricardo retrieved the old blanket from his car and spread it on the ground in the clearing. She sat, took his hand and pulled him down with her. His kiss was magical, as always.

The hum of a car engine nearby caught their attention.

“It’s nothing,” she assured him. “Kids come here to…you know. Just like us.”

He grinned then starting kissing her, touching her breasts, rubbing her through her panties. She looked up at the stars. There were millions of them.

He kissed her again. She took off her underpants and he his jeans. “There’s a condom in my purse.” She reached for her bag but heard footsteps. Looking up she saw the last person she’d ever expect—her father. And he was holding something over his head—a tire iron.

“Oh God, no. Daddy, no!”

The dream disintegrated as a scraping sound filled the air. Forcing her eyes open, she grasped to figure out what the hell was going on.

The noise was coming from her window. Then it was sliding open. She tried to find her voice to scream but she was too hoarse for anyone to hear.

The cop! Where was he? She grappled for the knife she kept under her pillow but couldn’t lay her hand on it. She jumped off the bed and raced from the room. Spotting the police car outside, she banged on the front window to get his attention. But the vehicle was dark. He wasn’t in there.

Her head grew dizzy.

My phone!

She’d left it on the night table.

A thump from the bedroom. Footsteps.

Goddess protect me.

A scream caught in her throat.

Run!

She made her leaden feet work and took off for the front door. He was right behind her. Sounds magnified and everything happened in slow motion.

Latching onto her nightgown he dragged her to a stop. Then he threw her to the floor as if she were a ragdoll.

“No, please!”

He moved on top of her, pinning her down and shoved something into her mouth, fabric that tasted dusty and damp.

“You should have minded your own damn business, bitch.” He slapped her face, so hard her teeth rattled. The room started spinning. Focusing on the box that held her tarot cards, she willed herself to think. She tried to raise a magical shield around herself but it was too late. She’d escaped a violent fate once, but it wasn’t going to happen this time. Just like her mother’s, her life would be cut short.

I’m going to die.

* * * * *

Zander parked next to the patrol car and the hair on the back of his neck prickled. Why the hell wasn’t the officer around?

Something’s wrong.

Jilly! His chest tightened. He unholstered his Glock, turned on his flashlight then exited his car as fast and quietly as he could. Halfway around the house he found Tommy Dumas facedown on a mound of mulch.

He checked Tommy for a pulse—which he thankfully found—then called for backup. But he sure as hell wasn’t waiting for it to arrive.

He ran to the back door and tried the handle, which didn’t budge. Peering through the glass, he caught a glimpse of movement.

He used his Glock to break the glass and unlock the door. Once inside, he immediately heard a commotion from another room. Leading with his weapon tucked in close, he barged though the kitchen into the living room. Jilly was on the floor fighting for her life against a masked man.

“Get off her or I’ll fucking kill you.” He closed the distance between them.

The intruder had her pinned to the floor and a knife to her neck.

“Let her go!” Every muscle in his body pulled taut.

The man faced him, only his green eyes showing through his ski mask and Zander could swear he’d seen those eyes before. The intruder pressed the tip of the blade harder to Jilly’s throat.

Her eyes pleaded with Zander to save her.

He squeezed the trigger. And again. The shots reverberated in the small room.

The masked man’s eyes opened wide, met Zander’s. Then he slumped and fell on top of Jilly.

She shoved him off and reached her arms out to Zander. He checked the perp for a pulse but he was dead. Thank God. He lifted her away from the man’s body and held her close as the whir of sirens grew louder.

She was crying, shaking and muttering unintelligibly as he pulled her into the kitchen. It killed him that he was partly to blame for this. He should have stayed the hell away from her when he felt those first stirrings of attraction.

But just like his father had, he broke rules and someone almost paid the price. He shook off the thought. No time to dwell on all that shit now. “Officer Dumas is wounded outside. I need to check on him. Come on.” He couldn’t bear to leave her alone inside the house as he tended to the deputy.

The officer was sitting up, trying to stand.

“Don’t, Tommy,” Zander ordered. “You’re hurt.” By the time he’d ascertained that Dumas had a gash on the back of his head, the cavalry had arrived.

“He’ll be fine,” an EMT assured him.

Dumas scrubbed a hand over his face. “I’m sorry, Detective. I was doing a perimeter check. He hit me from behind. Must have knocked me out.”

Zander couldn’t help but wonder if the officer was at fault, not paying attention as he should have been. He led Jilly away. “Was it your ex? God, this is all my fault. I should have turned the case over to someone else.”

She smoothed her hair away from her face. “No, it isn’t Jamal.” Sobs racked her body. He’d seen this sort of thing before. He couldn’t press her to speak right now.

Grabbing her hand, he took her inside despite her hesitation. The dead man was surround by cops and crime scene techs.

Sheriff Van Horn crouched next to the body and peeled away the mask. “Well I’ll be damned.”

A collective gasp filled the air as they all looked down at the face of Lee Saxon, Hannah’s father.

Jilly grasped Zander’s sleeve. She leaned against him and he hung onto her, afraid she’d fall. “It was him. He came at Hannah and Ricardo that night. He killed him.”

Zander helped her into a chair. He kneeled in front of her and cradled her cheek in his palm. “At least your nightmare is over. Thank God you’re okay.”

She covered his hand with hers. “We still have to figure out where Hannah is, but you’re right. I don’t have to worry about that sicko coming after me.”

“Did he say anything.”