The Isis Collar

15

Saturday was a strange day. I had nightmares all night, waking up screaming multiple times. I couldn’t remember the dreams, but I remembered the voice. The witch was there, taunting me, whispering to go out and hunt people. But I wouldn’t. I couldn’t.

Maybe after everything that happened yesterday, that was a good thing. Dawna had been in the waiting room, pacing. I changed into the new pants in the bathroom and not even her joking about my cut-up jeans being a hot new fashion statement could pull me out of dark and scary thoughts.

Worse still was the morning news programs, which stated M. necrose had broken out in Denver and Daytona Beach, two of the first cities where the bombs had gone off. They didn’t actually say the disease’s name but requested that children and school workers with “suspicious bruises” please check with their local doctors.

Crap. Children were falling victim now. There were special news bulletins on the radio and television, and the small units the CMDC had originally set up to deal with the few adults who’d been dying mysteriously were suddenly overwhelmed by the sheer number of victims. Parents of children from other schools were screaming for information. The press were having a field day. The authorities were managing to keep it contained enough that it wasn’t quite panic and pandemonium, but it was getting close.

Of course it was worse because it was kids.

Which was, no doubt, exactly why they’d been the target.

Rizzoli didn’t come by. He did call. He was madder than hell, too. His intuition told him to go back and talk to the security guard, but Jamisyn was missing. And since there was no hard evidence tying him to the bombs, or the outbreaks, it was only Rizzoli’s gut making him want to track Jamisyn down. Apparently, Rizzoli wasn’t able to convince the higher-ups to let him chase down that particular lead.

It was enough to make me sick. If the headache hadn’t already done it. I was incredibly grateful that the pain in my leg and arm was gone. But the headache stubbornly persisted. What I really wanted was a hot bath. Soak out the tension, wash the hair, and generally try to reverse my crappy mood. I took my phone with me so I could check e-mails and try to reach John. Although … calling John while I was naked and in bubbly water seemed to be inviting trouble. I might tell him and he might drive over and—

Oh, that could be fun. The kind of fun that made me shiver deliciously.

I gave myself a little mental slap. Okay, so I wouldn’t call John. But I did need to call Bruno. He definitely needed to be updated on last night. I’d left him a message after I been released from the hospital, but it just went to voice mail. No doubt the spell had taken longer than planned. I hoped nothing had gone wrong.

Of course, thinking about Bruno put my mind right back where it had been, because he and I had taken long, hot baths together. Very, very hot ones.

But … had he taken baths with evil siren princess Eirene, too?

Crap.

Was Bruno addicted to sirens? Could I trust anything he said since he wasn’t wearing the anti-influence charm I’d given him? I leaned back into the bubbles and decided that as much fun as it might be to invite one or the other over, it wasn’t a good time. Not in my day, or really in my life.

I needed to focus. I opened a new e-mail. Then I started typing with both thumbs while the heat from the water soaked into my neck and back. I typed up my e-mail to Drs. Gaetano and Jean-Baptiste, doing exactly what they’d suggested. I’d already taken copious vitamins, continued to break open memory charms, and waited to hear from John.

I was just up to the events in Levy’s shop—and had noted disturbing lapses of memory where I couldn’t remember all the details of an event—when the temperature in the room abruptly dropped. A presence entered the room; it was small and quick and agitated, flitting around in a frenzy of movement. A ricochet rabbit of energy. The lights above me began to flicker and spark, causing me to leap out of the water with a splash and a burst of bubbles. Wouldn’t that be an annoying way to die … electrocuted by a ghost? I looked up at the spirit while I moved to dry floor and wrapped a towel around myself. “Ivy? Is that you?”

The entity stopped moving but continued to flicker and quiver. The lights flicked off. Once, for yes. It must be her. She was using our old code, developed when we were children. It only worked with yes or no questions, but we could generally communicate. “Is something wrong?”

One blink.

“Do you need my help?”

One blink.

“Is it about Mom?”

One blink.

Crap. There was nothing I could do for our mother. Ivy had discovered she could “haunt” someone in the family other than me when Mom wound up in jail after her third DWI. Mom’s a siren, too, and being in jail, away from the water, threatened to kill her. It had been a startling discovery. I’d appealed to Queen Lopaka and managed to get Mom relocated to the Isle of Serenity, where she could get treatment for her alcoholism and serve out her sentence near salt water.

I let out a sigh. “Ivy—” I paused. Okay, I’d give my little sister the benefit of the doubt. This was the first time she’d come to me since Mom had been transferred to the island. “Is she hurt?”

A pause and then two blinks. No.

“Sick?”

Apparently that was more complicated, because Ivy didn’t know how to respond. The light flickered wildly for a moment but then went dark. “Is she scared? Worried?”

Now a single definitive blink.

That’s what I was afraid of. I put the toilet lid down and sat. “Okay. Hon, listen to me. We both know Mom is sick. When she doesn’t drink, she hurts. The withdrawal hurts. You know that, right?”

A tentative single flick.

“That’s why she’s in a place where she can get help. Are they talking to her about her drinking?”

A single blink followed by a wild series of flickers.

“Ivy. Stop. Are they helping her, even if she’s sick?”

A blink.

“There’s nothing I can do, hon. I want to help her. I do. But even Gran can’t help now. She has to go through this all by herself and that will be hard. She’ll be angry and scared and will cry and rant before it’s done and she’s better. But you don’t have to watch. That’s too much to ask of you. Maybe you should not go back for a while. Would that be easier?”

It was hard to talk esoteric stuff with Ivy. Emotionally, she was stuck at eight years old, and her grasp of adult quandaries was limited. “Would you rather stay here with me for a few weeks until she’s better? We can play that video game you like.”

A long pause. Then the lights started flickering again, so fast it looked like Morse code on angel dust. The bulb finally gave out in a bright flash before going black. Then Ivy disappeared in a burst of ectoplasm. I’d never seen her do that before. It would disappear eventually, but the jellylike substance near the ceiling was a reminder that even a ghostly sister can stomp out of a room and slam the door.

I sighed and looked around for my phone, hoping to finish the e-mail before the battery died. I realized that my sudden exit from the water had knocked my phone into the water. Damn it. At least it was floating, screen side down, among the bubbles. Maybe the battery and memory card hadn’t been damaged too badly. I carefully plucked it out of the water and immediately put it facedown on a towel to pull out what water I could. When I carefully turned it on its side to get a look at the front, water dripped out and the screen was dark.

I let out a sigh and took it with me to the bedroom after sopping up the spilled water on the floor with another towel. It would be just my luck today to go to put on my makeup, slip on the spill, and crack my head open.

I was hoping that once the unit dried out it would work again. Otherwise, I’d have to buy a new one and reinstall my whole phone book. I hate it when that happens—I have a big list of contacts. Plus, I hadn’t pressed the send button on the e-mail I’d just typed. So that was probably gone.

And for the moment, I was down to my house and office phones until I either replaced the cell or it started working again. I’d heard you could put a waterlogged cell phone in a zipper bag with dry rice and the rice would absorb the water.

If only I had some rice. Sigh.

I knew Rizzoli would probably want me to stay nice and safe here at the estate. He hadn’t put any officers on me after the break-in at the office. Since she’d apparently gotten what she wanted—the book about demons—they weren’t worried. So there was no one to make me stay home. Besides, I knew that I’d lose my freaking mind from boredom if I just sat around waiting for the other boot to drop. And while it’s never a good idea to piss off a Federal agent, I really didn’t consider it my life’s work to make Rizzoli happy. There were people I needed to talk to. When I’d used the landline to call in for messages left on my cell phone, I’d gotten an earful from practically everyone in our crowd. But hey—not having the phone was a good excuse for not having to listen to it.

The only messages I was sorry I’d missed were the ones from John. “Hi, Ceil. I’ve got something. Call me.” I saved it and went to message two. This time his voice sounded more unsure. “I’ve tracked the caster, but it has to be a stalking horse.… We should talk. Call me ASAP.” Another save and on to message three. Tension and worry threaded through his words. “Unless something’s gone horribly wrong at your end, you really need to ca—” Then a mechanical female voice: “End of Message. If you’d like to listen to this message again, press five. To save—”

I pressed 5. I listened, then pressed 5 again. There was an odd sound on the recording, right at the end. I couldn’t make it out, even after repeated attempts. I saved the message, just to be safe. Then I pressed the button to return the call. It rang four times and went to voice mail. “John, it’s Celia. Sorry I didn’t call back yesterday. I know you’ll be shocked to hear that things went horribly wrong, but it’s all okay now. Call me and we’ll talk.”

I started to hang up, but no, I needed to try to reach him. If he felt it was important, it probably was. I dialed his office number. I knew he often stayed there, in a bedroom next to his ritual room. Four rings later, I figured he wasn’t there, and I was just about to press the end call button when I heard a voice on the other end. “… help you?” It wasn’t Creede’s voice, but it was kind of familiar.

“Hello? Is John there?”

The smoothly professional male voice responded, “I’m sorry, our office is closed today. I’ll put you through to Mr. Creede’s voice mail.”

“No! Wait. This is Celia Graves. John left me a message and said it was urgent I call him back. I can’t reach him on his cell. Have you heard from him today?”

The man’s tone changed slightly, becoming more friendly, and I suddenly realized I was talking to John’s assistant, whom I’d met at a party to launch a wine John had helped produce. “Oh, I’m sorry, Ms. Graves. This is Andrew. No, I haven’t talked to John yet today. I sort of expected him to be here already. He has his first meeting in a half hour and he’s normally early. I’ll let him know you called, and if you reach him first, would you remind him about the appointment?”

An initial client meeting on a Saturday was pretty common in our business. Most people who require bodyguards work odd hours and expect us to as well. Well, at least I knew where he’d be later. Because Andrew was right. John was always early … for work, that is. For dates, though? He might show up hours late, if at all. I swear the man is as much of a workaholic as me. “Will do. Thanks, Andrew. Bye.”

After the call, I tapped one fingernail on the edge of the screen. I’d thought of asking for John’s home number, but I doubt Andrew would have given it to me. Decent assistants don’t give out that sort of thing. Given what was going on between us, I probably should have John’s home number, but I’ve never asked. It’s probably just how I was raised, but I always thought it sounded sort of … needy to ask for a guy’s home phone number, even though it’s fine for a guy to ask the girl. There’s no rational reason, but there you go.

But that was only part of the problem. And I knew it. I promised myself that I’d discuss it with Gwen at our next appointment. In the meantime, I had other things to discuss—with other people. And I knew just where I wanted to do it. La Cocina is a wonderful little Mexican restaurant in an iffy neighborhood near campus. It’s been the traditional hangout for my friends and me since my first week of college. Rather than repeat myself over and over on the phone I sent a group e-mail on my laptop, asking a few key people to meet me there for lunch.

Unfortunately, a glance up at the clock showed me I was going to have to scramble to make it to La Cocina on time. Sighing, I stomped back into the bedroom to change.

I dressed all in black, which suited my mood, and added only the garnet earrings that had been one of Vicki’s last gifts to me, along with a new necklace that I’d had made to match. The original one had disappeared when I was turned. Slathering on the sunscreen, I started out the door.

I hadn’t made it more than two steps down the stairs when the phone inside rang, which caused me to scramble to get the door open again and reach the nearest phone. “Hello?”

“Is this Celia Graves?” I didn’t recognize the soft-spoken woman’s voice.

“Yes. Who’s calling?”

She breathed a sigh of apparent relief. “Oh, thank goodness. This is Gillian Paige. Did John stay there last night?”

My jaw dropped and I stammered, “Ex . . excuse me? Who is this again?” Her name didn’t ring a bell at all.

Her voice was bright and friendly, except with an edge of worry. “Gillian.”

Another long pause from me because I didn’t know anyone with that name. The silence made her add, “John’s Creede’s sister? I’m sorry. I know we haven’t formally met, but I’ve heard so much about you. I wouldn’t normally call, but I haven’t been able to reach John and I’m hoping … well, maybe that he just forgot our breakfast. Except he’s never forgotten before, and we’ve had breakfast together every Saturday for six years. So … um, oh Lord, now I feel awkward … but have you seen him?”

John’s sister. I didn’t even know he had a sister. Or that he had breakfast with her every Saturday. So that made me wonder if she really was his sister and if this was a digging expedition? “Um, no. Unfortunately, I haven’t. I’ve been trying to reach him, too. I was supposed to get a call from him, but I … lost … my cell. Where else have you already tried?” If this really was his sister, she’d know who she should call first. Like I did.

She sighed, not in frustration for me asking but more that she’d already done everything she could think of. “The office and the winery were my first calls. Andrew said he talked to you and that John never showed up for his conference call. And I talked to Pam at the winery, but he hasn’t been up there for more than a week. No surprise since the vines are barely starting to leaf out. I was just hoping … he normally keeps me in the loop and I know you two have gotten closer lately.”

I didn’t know what to say, so I didn’t say anything.

She sounded really odd now. “Um. Well, sorry to bother you. But if you hear from him, could you have him call me? I’ve been worried ever since he had to go to the ER for the food poisoning last month. It just didn’t feel right. You know what I mean? He’s so careful about what he eats and he does have enemies.”

Food poisoning significant enough to go to the hospital? John hadn’t mentioned that. A fluttering started in my chest that made me take in a sharp breath. A powerful practitioner, capable of setting up a stalking horse, whom John was tracking. A talented witch, capable of blowing up a bomb inside a grade school, whom I was tracking. Damn. “Yes, he does. Hey, tell you what. Let me get your number. I’ll look around and see if I can track him down. Then one of us will call you.”

“Oh, could you? That would be wonderful. John was right, you are a doll. Thank you so much. I live far enough away that I can only make it up once a week. But I’ll come if you think I need to.”

“No problem. Happy to do what I can.” I took down her number, because even if nothing came of this, I’d like to meet her. I knew all of Bruno’s family. I’d met most of Dawna’s extended family and had the lowdown on all of Emma’s cousins. So why did I know next-to-nothing about John?

Because I hadn’t let him get close enough.

Because I was scared?

That bugged me. A lot.

I made it down to the car with no further delays. I would be a few minutes late, but only a few, if I hurried.

“Going a little fast there, weren’t you, ma’am?” I let out a sigh and kept my hands on the steering wheel as the khaki-uniformed officer approached my window.

“I thought I was going the speed limit. Isn’t it thirty-five here?” Okay, I’d been going thirty-eight. But most cops won’t bother you unless you’re six or more over the limit. La Cocina was tantalizingly close—just a block away.

“It is. But you were going nearly fifty. Could I see your license and registration, please?”

“What?! Fifty? No way.” I reached into my purse to retrieve my license and opened the glove box for my registration and insurance card. It wasn’t until I had both of those items in my hand and was passing them out the window that I actually looked at the cop. Gran had taught me to be respectful, keep my eyes averted, and answer questions honestly.

When I looked up into the face of the officer, even though it was shielded by his cap’s visor, I recognized him. The last time I’d seen him, he’d been lurking in an alley behind the PharMart store, hoping to either frame me for murder or simply stake me. “Officer … Danson. I’ll need your badge number, please.” My voice might have sounded cold. I know I certainly felt a flash of anger at having to run for my life as he sent bullets flying after me. Go figure.

That’s supposed to be an automatic thing. If a citizen asks, they’re supposed to provide the information. “That’s not pertinent. You were speeding. In fact, I think I’ll need to search your car. You’re acting … suspiciously.”

I hadn’t been kidding when I talked to Harris. Most of the local cops are still pissed off that I hadn’t been sentenced to life in prison for mentally manipulating a couple of them to help me a few months back. I regretted doing it, but I would have felt worse had the demon I was fighting gotten loose and destroyed the city. The judge had reluctantly sided with me, but some of the police had declared a vendetta. All I could do at this point was accept the ticket and make sure the dashboard camera in the car behind me picked up everything that happened. I raised my voice until it was a medium shout that should be able to be heard on the recording. “Officer Danson. Please give me your badge number. And the name of your supervisor. I believe you’re harassing me.”

A second cop got out of the passenger side of the patrol car, a concerned expression on his face. “Is there a problem, Bob?” Okay, Bob Danson—maybe Robert. Good to know.

I spoke again, just as loud, while keeping my hands on the wheel and staring straight ahead. I wasn’t going to make any sudden moves. “I don’t believe I was going fifty, Officers. I dispute that reading. There wouldn’t have been time to reach that speed after the red light at Fourth and Aspen. Please give me your badge number and your supervisor’s name.”

The new cop was taken aback. I could see his confusion in the rearview mirror. “Fifty? Nah, Bob. We got her at thirty-seven. What’s up?”

Danson spun to his left and hissed at his partner. “Shut up, Ryan. Just get back in the car and let me handle this.” I couldn’t believe it, but my peripheral vision told me he had his hand on the butt of his weapon. And he was looking at his partner.

Okay, I was in serious trouble.

I lowered my voice again so that only Danson would be able to hear me, but I didn’t look at him. Face forward and hands on the wheel, I nearly whispered my threat. “Officer Danson, if your intention is to make my life a living hell until I break and do something aggressive that will justify you staking me, you’re in for a long wait. Give me the ticket. I’ll take it to court and make you justify your actions. I’ll subpoena the film from every dash cam and street cam. I’ll call your partner as a hostile witness. All by the book and allowable. Eventually, someone will find you out. You’ll slip up and forget to erase a tape or mess up the radar and then you’ll be out on your butt. I’m part siren and I inherited money. I’ll live a very long time and can afford to keep up the pressure. How far do you want to push this?”

He let out a growl that was worthy of a werewolf on the full moon. “Wait here.” He stalked away. His partner looked after him with a baffled expression on his face.

I wasn’t going to let him—or any of the other cops—get to me. If I did, I’d start to actively hunt them. I can’t help that they fear me. I can help to make sure they don’t act on that fear.

It was the other cop who returned my items as Officer Danson climbed back into the patrol car. “We’ll let you off with a verbal warning this time, Ms. Graves. Please watch your speed.” He seemed honestly befuddled by his partner’s actions, but it wasn’t up to me to be the bearer of bad news. Danson was nuts. Either this young kid would be dragged down with his partner, or he’d figure out how to avoid the nuts. I just smiled sweetly with my lips closed and reached into the sunshine to take back my items.

“Thanks. I will.”

I didn’t start the car until both officers were in their seats. I didn’t need this crap and knew it was going to get out of hand again fairly soon. But today I had other things to think about. Soon the scent of cumin and peppers and oniony meat claimed my attention and I didn’t worry about it anymore. Except that I set my car alarm and sprinkled both door handles with a special residue that would capture fingerprints.

Not that there should be any. Right?

I walked up to La Cocina y Cantina and was reminded again why only locals eat here. It’s sort of a dive. The adobe coating is falling off the walls in chunks that reveal the skeletal rebar underneath. The sign is from the sixties and the turquoise paint is so faded it’s hard to read. But the owners weren’t worried about the outside. They concentrated on the inside. I knew the kitchen had shiny new equipment and high-end refrigeration and all ingredients were Grade A, top-of-the-line. Stepping through the door, I reveled in the heavy dark wood punctuated by gleaming white tablecloths and red bowls of homemade corn chips. I headed straight for the partitioned room at the back, which holds a large, circular table where a group can sit and share family-style meals. One of the owners, Barbara, saw me. She gave a cheery wave with her free hand and then motioned for me to wait before I joined the others. I paused in my tracks while she put down the plates on the table she was serving, then trotted over and gave me a big hug. “Celia! It’s been too long. You’re too busy lately.”

“Actually,” I said, laughing, “I haven’t been in because I’ve been too lazy. I took a couple months off and have just been hanging out at home. But I should have come by.”

“It’s okay. We’ve been busy again since you chased off those bad vampires. How about a Sunset Smoothie on the house? As a thank-you for your hard work.”

I smiled. Barbara and Pablo had created a very tasty drink for me, full of cheese and sauce and beef broth and lots of spices. “Well, I’ll definitely take the smoothie. But I’ll pay for it. It’s my thank-you for sticking around for those of us who can’t come in every day anymore.”

She beamed, then turned to take the order to the kitchen. “I’ll make sure it comes out with the other orders. Go. Sit. Talk to your friends. There’s a pitcher of margaritas on the table.”

I hoped everyone in the room was my friend. I took a deep breath and opened the door.

I smiled at the occupants and took the chair next to Bruno. On my other side was Dawna. Rizzoli was here, and Dr. Sloan. I wished John were here, but of course he wasn’t. A year ago, there would have been one more chair—for Vicki—and we all would have been laughing and having a fine old time. Now, the mood was … tense. They’d been talking before I walked in, but now all was silent.

“So … what’s up? Who has news, because I sure do.” All eyes turned my way expectantly. But no. “You guys first. I need to know how my news fits into yours.”

But nobody spoke up. Finally, Dawna let out an exasperated breath. “For heaven’s sake. Just go alphabetically by first name. Dr. Sloan, why don’t you start?”

Aaron Sloan nodded and pushed his glasses a notch farther up his nose. “Very well. As you know, Bruno assisted me in examining the table from Mr. Rizzoli’s office. It was quite fascinating! Basically, we learned it contained neither demonic nor angelic residue, but only standard magical traces from a practitioner with impressive skill.”

“But that entity at the ceiling … how would that—?” I turned my head to look at Bruno. He looked tired, like he used to after long nights of studying. It looked strangely good on him, because he was happiest when he was mentally exhausted. “Could you do something like that? Did you see the tape?”

He nodded and I could see a certain level of frustration there. “Could I do it? No, probably not, at least consciously. I don’t think this was a spell, per se. I think it was more an out-of-body experience by a living being. That’s not something I know much about. I’ve always considered magic to be tied to physiology, starting at the cellular level. Even if a mage can ghost, the magic should stay with the body, not travel with the spirit. I can’t explain what I saw on that tape. At least not yet.”

“Can you identify the caster?”

He nodded. “With time. There’s no spell here, no physical being to follow. All I have is residue. It’s like searching for a head of hair somewhere in the world when you only have one hair to work with.”

I nodded. “So, a needle in a haystack.”

“Worse.” His lips twisted in a wry smile. “It’s looking for the haystack with only the needle as your guide.”

Ouch. “Okay, so we have an unknown caster who might have unintentionally come to the FBI building, and for an unknown reason.”

Rizzoli spoke up after taking a sip of iced tea. No midday alcohol for the Fed. “Actually, that’s not quite true. We have several clues and I think it all comes down to you, Celia.”

That forced me to look at him. “Huh?”

“The facts are quite clear.” He raised one finger. “You were called in to aid in an interrogation.” A second finger went up. “You were in emotional distress, which Ms. Long informed me has always brought the spirit of your sister to you.”

That was true and she would know it well. I’d told her about a class project involving Ivy when I was in college. We tried various stimuli to see if she would manifest. I’d told my sister about the experiment and asked her to try to stay away unless I specifically called her. Only when I was in actual mental distress did she come without being summoned. “Okay, I get where you’re going. But why?”

Rizzoli shrugged. “You wanted answers. The entity offered to help.” He held up his ring finger. “And he knew your name. There was conscious thought and playfulness. Toying with you by making you guess. So it’s likely a mage you know, at least well enough to banter with.”

“I know a lot of mages.”

“Yes, but only casually. Name five that you can talk to any time you want … who have enough power to pull it off.”

I shrugged, suddenly frustrated. “Okay, fine. Bruno. John Creede. Bubba—though he’s not much of a mage.” I thought again. “Um, wow. Who else? Terrance Harris, with the police. No, that’s too casual. Iv … no, he’s dead. But wait. Could it be a recently deceased mage? A powerful one? Could someone like that hold their magic together on the other side?”

Bruno and Dr. Sloan both looked at each other; then Bruno shrugged. “I would have said no until today. It’s uncharted territory, I’m afraid, Celia. Who died?”

“His name was Ivan. He was the personal guard of King Dahlmar of Rusland. He was killed just before Christmas. He had the oomph to pull off an illusion like the rubber tree one you did in my office. Once, I truly thought he was a newspaper vending box, complete with papers inside.”

Dr. Sloan thought about it seriously for a moment, then shook his bald head. “I’m going to say no. Perhaps if he’d died last week. But no, that’s far too long. Let’s concentrate on the living.”

“I know who it could be.” Dawna’s voice surprised me, but she was very clever and knew a lot of things by osmosis of knowing most of my life history. “And you’d know, too, if you thought about it, Celia. You amuse him. He said so at the mall.” Her lip turned up in a smile that reminded me immediately.

I sucked in a sharp breath. “Jones. John Jones.”

Bruno looked confused, but Rizzoli swore under his breath. “Of course. He’s just crazy enough to try it. Just for fun or to make a point. He gathers people, like a collector. He’ll find your weaknesses and use them against you for his own purposes.”

I let out a chuckle. “That’s already happened. More than once.” Jones had sort of blackmailed me into helping him get Kevin out of prison when Kevin had been illegally and secretly captured and held there. There was something in Rizzoli’s eyes in that moment—something of some old relationship with the mage still hiding, waiting.

Dr. Sloan. “So, for the moment, we’ll say we know the identity of the entity. I agree that Jones is a likely candidate. I’ve heard of him. He’s a very powerful mage.” He turned to face my side of the table. “Bruno, what happened at the hospital today? Were your tests clear?”

He shrugged. “I gave Dr. Gaetano a saliva sample this morning. But it’ll be a few more hours before I know anything. Other than that, I’ve been working with you on the table. How about you, Celie?”

Wow. Where to begin? “Um, Rizzoli, how much can I tell them?”

He looked thoughtful. “There’s not much they don’t already know, with the exception of Ms. Long, and she knows all but a few details. Okay, you’ve all heard the news about the outbreaks?” Everyone nodded. “Well, we think they’re connected to bombings at schools all over the country. Unfortunately, we don’t have any suspects. We’re looking for some people to bring in for questioning, but they’ve disappeared.”

“Not just them. Creede’s gone missing, too.”

You could’ve heard a pin drop for about ten seconds; then all of them started talking at once. Dawna’s comment came through clearest. “You’re sure he hasn’t just gone off to do his thing like he does sometimes?”

“Maybe.” I thought about that last message cutting off. But I knew he had a special charm—one he could break to call in all his people in an emergency. Nobody at the company knew anything was wrong, so he hadn’t broken it. Were his sister and I getting worked up over nothing? Yeah, he really had a sister and her name was Gillian. I’d done a Web check before I drove away from my house. He’d mentioned in an interview meeting Gillian every Saturday for breakfast and the area code of her call was the town where John had said she lived.

The door to the room opened just then and mind-blowing scents arrived moments ahead of trays full of steaming food. Barbara set my smoothie in front of me before any of the others were served and I took a happy sip through the straw. She watched me as she put down plates with a warning they were hot. I would have complimented her, but it was too good—my lips wouldn’t release the plastic tube. So I gave her a thumbs-up and she smiled.

Talking stopped for the next ten or so minutes while everybody dug in. A waitress came and went, removing empty plates and replacing drinks. I got a refill of my “drink,” for which my stomach was grateful. And I remembered that there was something else here I could eat. They had flavored honey sticks to use on the sopapillas. I loved letting those melt on my tongue. I ordered a sampler of them, but the waitress said they only came with the dessert. So I ordered a dessert. Someone would wind up eating it.

About halfway through my second smoothie, Bruno raised his finger. “I’ve been thinking about it. If Creede isn’t using the ritual room in his office and isn’t at his house, then he probably has a hidey-hole somewhere. Most of us have a safe place where nobody knows to look for us. If so, he’s probably fine. Just intent on his spell.”

Actually, John did have one of those. “His sister said she called there. They hadn’t seen him.” Although, realistically, he could have as many as he wanted.

Rizzoli spoke through a mouthful of enchilada. “He has the money and power to have a dozen hidey-holes all over the state. No help there.”

We were interrupted by my ringtone, coming from inside the bag of rice in my handbag. The stop at the grocery was just before the police pulled me over. Thankfully, nobody saw me do anything but pull it from my purse. I didn’t want to have to explain a bag of rice.

I pressed the button to take the call. “Celia Graves.”

“Good afternoon, Celia.”

My therapist, Gwen Talbert, sounded … odd. It made me frown. “Hey, Gwen. What’s up?”

“It’s nearly two o’clock. I have you down for an appointment today.”

She did? Of course, I couldn’t check my calendar, but if she had it down … oops. “I’m sorry, Gwen. I didn’t have my PDA until just a minute ago. I’m sort of at the other end of town. Can I switch with someone?”

There was a long pause. “I don’t do many Saturday appointments, Celia. But, yes. My three o’clock is here. He always arrives early. But please try to be on time in the future. People count on their appointments starting promptly. I’ll see you at three.”

I rang off and gave the group an embarrassed shrug. “Sorry. Forgot I have a doctor’s appointment right now. I’ve gotta roll.”

Dawna had started frowning again. “You’ve been forgetting an awful lot lately. You sure you’re okay?”

“Honestly? No. Maybe when I find out what sort of spell is on me—” It’s not something I wanted to think about. “But John’s working on that. If I can just find him, he was sure he could find the answer.”

Bruno let out a little growl at nearly the same time Rizzoli did. It was Rizzoli who spoke. “Did you start to write a journal like the doctor asked? Could it be you know where he is and forgot?”

I made a scared face without intending to. Oh, crap! I hoped not. “I wrote notes but couldn’t e-mail them to Dr. Gaetano and Dr. Jean-Baptiste before my phone went dead. But I do know there are definitely some gaps in my memory.”

At least two people opened their mouths to comment, but I stood up in a rush and picked up my purse. “I’m sorry. Can you all wait an hour or two to finish this discussion? Because I really need to keep this appointment.”

When Gwen Talbert had gone back into private practice and become the director of Birchwoods, she’d agreed to treat me, but she’d made it very clear that she wasn’t going to be at my beck and call. It was hard work to run a facility that size and her schedule was tight. But she’s the only one I trust to deal with … well, everything. And with the door open again on the night Ivy died, I was going to need Gwen more than ever. I was hoping I could convince her to make some of those memories disappear.