The Spirit Tree (21 page)

“Tessa, stop. I believe you. How do you propose we get this guy to stop hurting Aaron?”

“We have to find Dr. Hicks and try to reconnect the bond between him and the conjurer, then Bryson and I can track him down.”

“Oh, yes, Bryson. How does he fit into all of this?” The skeptical look returned to his eyes. “He’s not your cousin.”

“No, he isn’t. He’s my bodyguard until this mess is sorted out. He can’t know I told you this. It would only put all of us in more danger.” I hadn’t considered Bryson, or what he would do if he knew I’d included Samuels in tribal business. This was a bad idea, very bad. “Bryson has magic, too. He can help keep Aaron alive while we find Dr. Hicks and the conjurer.”

“We?”

“I can’t do it alone, and Bryson needs to stay close to Aaron. Besides, how am I going to find Dr. Hicks without police help?” It made perfect sense. I didn’t like the idea of partnering with Samuels, but what choice did I have?

“I must be losing my damned mind. Yeah, okay. I’m in.” Samuels sat back in his chair, staring at me as if I were a specimen under glass in a laboratory.

When not visiting Aaron, I paced a path in the waiting room. The clock read six, almost supper time, and I hadn’t heard anything from Samuels since he’d left that morning. I second- and third-guessed myself, but I knew I’d done the right thing. But I wished I could convince my heart to stop pounding. Everything would work out—it had to.

“Are you hungry?” Bryson slumped in his chair. Lack of sleep and the energy expenditures of magic—which we did each time we were permitted to visit with Aaron—were taking their toll on him.

“A little. We can go downstairs for food after we see Aaron. It’s almost time.” I fidgeted with my phone—still no calls.

“I can’t believe you talked Samuels into helping us find Marvin.” Bryson folded his arms, watching me closely.

“Like I said, Aaron told him he was missing before he got sick. Maybe this is his way of helping Aaron.” The more I lied, the easier it got. Bryson would lock me in my house if he knew what I was up to. “Why don’t you go in and check on Aaron? I’ll call Samuels to see if he’s had any luck.”

Bryson narrowed his eyes as he stood. “I’ll be back in five minutes.”

“Thanks, Bryson.”

He kissed my forehead and headed out of the waiting room. My guilt took the form of a miniature Southern Baptist preacher in the back of my mind, ranting about liars burning in the pits of hell. I started to follow Bryson, to come clean about my deception, but my phone rang.

“Hello?”

“Tessa, this is Samuels. How’s Aaron?” Samuels sounded as tired as I felt.

“No change.”

“I have a lead on Marvin Hicks. His credit card is being used at the Motel 6 in Inverness.”

“Do you have a room number?”

Samuels said, “No. He’s using his credit card, so he’s probably using his real name. I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to go alone.”

“He isn’t dangerous, as long as he’s himself. I need to talk to him. Maybe he’ll agree to help us and we won’t have to force him to cooperate.”

“You shouldn’t go alone. I’ll have someone go with you.” Samuels seemed to be debating with himself. “Beecham is at the hospital. I’ll have him meet you by the main entrance.”

“He’ll clam up if I show up with the police.”

“This is nonnegotiable. If you leave without him, I will have you arrested.”

“What for?”

“Obstructing justice and being an overall pain in the ass.”

“I’ll meet him downstairs. Bye, Samuels.” I hung up. “One down, one to go,” I mumbled to myself. I doubted it would be that easy to convince Bryson that I could be left on my own for a short while. Maybe I should go now, before Bryson came from visiting Aaron? No, bad idea. He’d panic if I disappeared. I needed a plan.

Bryson returned to the waiting room and sank into the chair beside me. Dark circles had formed under his eyes. Keeping Aaron alive took more of his energy than I’d realized. Part of me wanted to stay with Bryson, but I knew our best shot at saving Aaron’s life was for me to hunt down Dr. Hicks.

“Bryson, Dottie called. They forgot to pick up Mae’s medication today. I need to run to the pharmacy, then to Mae’s. Can you stay here with Aaron? I won’t even get out of the car. I’ll run through the drive-through and have Dottie meet me in the driveway.” I slowed my speech and hoped he didn’t suspect I’d lied.

“I don’t like it.” Bryson glanced at the clock. “It’s getting late. I’ll go. Do you know the spell well enough to do it on your own?”

“Maybe, but every time I go in there, my brain goes blank. I don’t think I can do it by myself.” My lower lip quivered. I needed to hurry and get to Inverness or Aaron would never get better.

“Fine. Go, but be careful.” Bryson drew me into a hug. “If anything happened to you, I would never forgive myself.”

“I’ll be fine.” I felt guilty for lying, but I knew what I had to do.

It took every ounce of self-control for me to walk, instead of run, to the main entrance to find Beecham. I looked over my shoulder several times, expecting to see Bryson following me.

“Tessa Lamar?” A tall man dressed in plain clothes approached.

“Yes?”

“I’m Officer Beecham, but you can call me Greg. I’m off duty.”

“Nice to meet you.” I shook his hand and headed for the exit. By the time I reached my car, my hands were shaking, and I could barely get the key into the ignition. “It’ll take an hour or so to drive to Inverness without traffic.”

“I’m yours for as long as you need me. Samuels said it was important.”

I nodded, wondering how long before Bryson would blow up my cell phone. Thankfully, Officer Beecham, Greg, remained quiet during the drive. The silence gave me a chance to think about what to say to Marvin. I figured I had one chance to get him to help, so I needed to get it right. After a lengthy mental debate, I decided to go with honesty and good old-fashioned guilt. I’d tell him Aaron was fighting for his life, and Marvin was his only hope of survival. He had to know the conjurer’s name and where to find him.

My cell phone rang so many times I turned the darned thing off. I would have to face Bryson sooner or later, but there was no sense in giving myself a heart attack every time the phone rang.

“Avoiding someone?” Greg motioned to the phone.

“I don’t like to be on the phone while driving, especially with a police officer in my passenger seat.”

Greg chuckled. “Good point.”

“There’s the hotel. Do you mind waiting in the car while I go upstairs?”

“Samuels said not to let you out of my sight.”

“Of course he did.” I pulled into the hotel parking lot and drove around the building, hoping to find Marvin’s car.

Not only did I spot his car, but I spotted him. He stood in a doorway paying a pizza man. “See, nothing to worry about. Luck is on my side. That’s him.” I angled into a parking spot and waited until the deliveryman pulled away.

“I’m still going with you.” Greg and I went up the stairs to Marvin’s room.

I knocked quickly before I could chicken out. Marvin opened the door and immediately tried to close it again. I shoved my foot into the open space and saw stars when Marvin crushed my foot between the door and the frame. “Ow! Dang it! Marvin, please let me in. I need to talk to you.”

My foot smarted when I put weight on it. The move always worked in movies; never once did the hero get his foot crushed in the door. I pounded on the door. “Marvin, I think you broke my foot. Let me in. I need ice.”

He opened the door a fraction and looked out as I rubbed my foot. My flip-flop hung precariously from my toes. Before Marvin could slam it shut again, Greg threw his shoulder against it and pushed his way into the room.

“Who is this? How did you find me? You need to leave.” Marvin glanced outside, shut the door, and locked it.

“People are worried about you. Didn’t you think someone would file a missing-person’s report when you disappeared? You used your credit card to pay for the room.” I sat on the edge of the bed closest to the door and inspected my foot.

“What do you want?” Marvin glanced from me to Greg to the door.

“Greg, would you please wait outside? I need to ask Marvin some questions.”

“I’ll be right outside.” Greg frowned and stepped out.

Marvin went into the bathroom and turned the water on. I assumed he needed a minute to collect himself.

“I need the name of the conjurer and an address. One of my friends is in the hospital. His magic is making him sick. I wouldn’t ask, but the guy’s a cop and, well, I would hate to get his cop friends involved in all this.” I looked up at the exact moment Dr. Marvin Hicks clocked me upside the head with a short, yet surprisingly heavy, glass from the bathroom.

I stood with my hand on my head. “Jesus, Mary, and Joseph! Why in the hell did you do that?” I pulled my hand away, thankful I wasn’t bleeding.

Marvin darted for the door and tried to wrench it open. I tackled him before he could turn the knob. Surprised by my strength, I had him pinned to the floor, straddling him before either of us knew what happened. In the course of the struggle, Marvin split his lip, his teeth watery-red as he growled. Only then did it occur to me that he could easily shift into a giant bear and rip me in two.

I did the only thing I could think to do—I slammed my fist into his nose with everything I had. My eyes widened when I realized his nose sat more to the right than it had been before I punched him. “You stupid jerk. People are dying because of you. Tell me his name.”

Greg pounded on the door. “Tessa? Are you okay?”

“I’m fine!”

Marvin struggled beneath me, and I hit him again. “Tell me or I’ll shift and light you up like a campfire.”

“I can’t say his true name; it may summon him.” Marvin stopped struggling, and the energy around him changed. He was trying to shift.

Panic rose like bile in my throat, yet words danced through my mind in a swirling pattern that reminded me of the spell Bryson had spoken over Aaron. I opened my mouth, and the syllables fell from my lips. The voice that came forth sounded nothing like my own.

Marvin stilled beneath me. If his eyes grew any wider, they’d pop out of his head. “How?”

“Tell me his English name and where to find him.” I leaned closer, and the smell of blood in the air made my stomach growl.

Marvin must have gotten the hint because he started talking. “Paul Woods. His name is Paul Woods, and he lives in unincorporated Ocala.”

I climbed off Marvin and shook out my hand. Punching someone in the nose actually hurt both the punchee and the puncher—who knew? Marvin rolled to his side, his fingers probing his nose. I shook my head as I stepped over him and opened the door. “I’m sorry about your nose. All you had to do was tell me his name.”

I walked to the stairs with Greg close behind.

“What happened? Are you okay?” He set his hand on my shoulder.

“Other than my foot getting slammed in the door, I’m fine.”

“Your knuckles are bleeding.”

“It’s not my blood.”

Greg shook his head and didn’t ask any more questions.

Part of me felt like a badass, but the saner part of me wanted to vomit. I made it to my car, willing my tears not to flow. I’d never hit someone before. My foot and hand took turns pulsing in time with the beat of my heart. The wisest thing to do was get the heck out of there, except it was a bad idea to be behind the wheel in my current state. I could ask Greg to drive, but then he’d know I was hurt.

If I didn’t get us out of there, Marvin would shift into his animal form. The thought of being eaten galvanized me. I didn’t dare risk using magic to stop him from shifting twice in one night. I didn’t want to face the consequences if the spell didn’t work.

I drove a few miles and parked in front of the Russell Stover candy factory. What I wouldn’t have given for a couple of pounds of chocolate right then, but adding breaking and entering to assault and forced entry was probably not a good idea. “Would you mind driving?”

“I wondered when you’d ask. Your foot has to be killing you.” Greg opened his door.

“Thanks for not insisting on driving. I needed time to cool off.”

“I’ve been married almost twenty years. I know when to push and when to back off.”

I smiled. “I appreciate it. I need to make a call.”

“I need to take a leak. Be right back.” He climbed out of the car and disappeared into the darkness.

I pulled my phone from my bag and called Samuels. My muscles felt like rubber. The adrenaline rush of beating the snot out of Marvin had left me exhausted. “This is Tessa. I got a name and city.”

Samuels whispered, “Are you all right?”

“Oh no. Are you at the hospital?” My fatigue disappeared as another shot of adrenaline coursed through my veins.

“Yes, sir,” Samuels said louder.

“Paul Woods. He’s in Ocala, probably in the country somewhere. I doubt he would want neighbors.” I hesitated, collecting my thoughts. “I got my foot slammed in a door and hurt my hand on Dr. Hicks’s face. Otherwise, I’m safe. Beecham and I are on our way back.”

“Roger that. What time is the meeting tomorrow?”

“Meeting?” It dawned on me that he was pretending to speak to someone from the office. He wasn’t alone. “Uh, an hour or so? Is Bryson with you?”

“Yes, sir. I understand the situation is hot.”

“Great. How’s Aaron?” Tears fell to my cheeks, and for once I didn’t try to stop them.

“There’s no change in Detective Burns’s condition. I’ll keep you posted.”

I hung up without saying good-bye. I sat in the parking lot as gallons of pent-up tears spilled down my face.

The screen on my phone told me I’d missed sixteen calls and had half as many voice messages, along with a handful of texts. I scrolled through several texts from Bryson, each growing in urgency. The voice mails were more of the same. Mae had left two messages. “Great.” I put my forehead on the steering wheel and closed my eyes.

“Tessa, where in the hell are you?” Bryson roared through the phone.

“I’m in Wildwood.”

“What are you doing in Wildwood?” His volume decreased to a more civil level. “Are you all right?”