Darker Days (17 page)

“Deep breaths,” I said softly. No sudden movements. No angry thoughts. I closed my eyes and let the contentment I felt for my life wash over him. The amazing relationship I had with my mom. Seeing my dad again. Meeting him… “You can do this.”

Slowly, the thickness in the air thinned, and Lukas’ breathing evened out. Our eyes met and he leaned close, wrapping both arms tight around me. “My mother was the only one who ever believed in me, Jessie. She would have liked you.”

I smiled and pulled away. “I’m sure I would have liked her, too.”

“What were you saying before? About it being good that Meredith was still alive? If she’s behind all this, that means all the chaos is her fault. I don’t see how that’s good.”

“Yeah, but it also means something else.”

“Oh?”

“
A chance for payback
. We’ll get her. She won’t get away with it this time. I promise.” Obviously at that moment, I would have said just about anything to keep him calm. But they weren’t just words. I meant them.

She was going down.

…

Mom called Kendra’s mom to tell her what happened. There was so much screaming, Dad and I could hear it in the other room. I half expected us to grow tails and start walking around on all fours. Mom assured Cassidy that we’d get her daughter back, but the witch wouldn’t take any chances. She would involve her coven. Not ideal, but we couldn’t blame her. After that, Mom and Dad left to follow a lead. A call came across the police scanner saying most of the town was down at Shaker’s bar tying one on. The bar had run out of food and was nearly out of beer and it was starting to get ugly. Mom was hoping to snag Gluttony.

So off they’d gone…but not before giving me something to occupy my time.

Since she didn’t want me going back to school and didn’t trust me to keep myself out of trouble if left to my own devices, I was handed a stack of case files as thick as an encyclopedia.

It was almost three-thirty and we’d interviewed three new clients, found a missing person—who wasn’t missing, only hiding to avoid an impending break up with the client—and did some recon for an insurance scam case.

I was bored to tears, but Lukas loved the fact-finding process and was actually a huge help when it came to interviewing. There was a good chance his bullshit meter was
better
than Mom’s.

We’d stopped at Didi’s, a small place on Main Street, for munchies. A seasonal store, they’d reopened early October and would be around until the last week of February dishing out the most amazing hot cocoa the world had ever seen. My favorite was the mint-spiked hot chocolate they’d introduced two years ago.

Lukas’ eyes drifted closed as he bit into his almond biscotti with a contented sigh. “Food has certainly improved since my day.” He waved the biscotti. “This is unbelievable.”

“Right? They have the best stuff here,” I said, taking a swig of my cocoa. “So… We have Sloth stashed in the basement, and Mom’s hoping to snag Gluttony. We’re gonna run out of room…”

He stopped mid-chew, eyes flying open. “Absolutely not.”

“What?” I said defensively. “You don’t even know what I was gonna say!”

He bit off another piece of biscotti and tried to hide a grin. “I do. And the answer is no.”

At the sight of his smile, my heart hammered just a bit faster. “As if you could stop me, Grandpa.”

He leaned forward, resting both arms across the tabletop. “I can try, demon girl.”

“Come on. It makes sense. Just one little peek around the church.”

“The box
won’t
be there.”

I grabbed his hand and pulled him up. “Then there’s no harm in going to take a look-see.”

Chapter Twenty-two

We took the bus across town to Saint Vincent’s. I was a little miffed that the driver wouldn’t let me bring my cup onto the bus. I refused to toss it, so I downed the entire thing in one gulp and dumped it in the trash at his feet before making my way down the aisle, Lukas following behind.

Halfway there, I thought the driver was going to pull over and kick us off because Lukas wouldn’t sit still. He kept hopping from side to side to stare at the scenery as we passed. This was the farthest into town he’d been in over a hundred years, so I guessed I could understand his excitement.

“Everything is so different,” he said as we made our way up the old cobblestone path outside Saint Vincent’s. He’d been virtually bouncing since we’d gotten off the bus. “There are so many large buildings!”

I turned the knob and pushed through the church doors. “You should see the new Stop-n-Shop. A real work of art.”

His enthusiasm was infectious, and it made me smile.

“Since I don’t see you in church on Sundays, Miss Darker, I’m going to assume this isn’t a sudden crisis of faith,” a voice said as the door closed behind us.

“Father Sanders.” I smiled. Father Sanders had been the priest in our church for as far back as I could remember. He loved going to the park on sunny summer afternoons and telling stories to the kids on the playgrounds. For a priest, he had one hell of an imagination. “What are you doing here?”

“I’m head of the historical department. You’d know that if you and your mother took more of an active interest in this community.” He inclined his head toward Lukas. “And who is this?”

“This is my cousin Lukas. His parents are thinking of moving to town so they sent him ahead to check things out.”

Father Sanders smiled and extended his hand. “Penance is a wonderful place to live. Welcome.”

Lukas took the priest’s hand and gave it a firm shake. “Thank you, Father.”

“So about that active community thing,” I said with a smile. “That’s actually why I’m here.”

“Oh?”

“Mom sent me over to have a look around. You were robbed earlier in the week, right?”

He bristled. “I don’t believe you could consider it a robbery. This is merely a historical landmark. There is nothing on the premise of value to steal.”

“So you’re saying nothing was taken?”

“I’m saying there’s nothing here
to
take.”

“Are you sure?”

He smiled and shook his head. “Ah, how I’ve missed your stubbornness. I’ve never met anyone with such a disability in regards to the word ‘no’.”

“Well, you know me. I aim to please. Mind if we just have a look around? If I go back too fast, Mom will accuse me of slacking. You know parents. And I totally heart this place. History is kinda my new thing.”

He didn’t look convinced—which made a lot of sense. His sister Ana Sanders was my history teacher last year. I’m sure he’d heard about my many forays into napland during class. “History?”

“Seriously!” I glanced sideways at Lukas and felt the heat rise to my cheeks. “History is looking pretty hot these days.”

OhMyGod…

“Really?”

I nodded, making sure to avoid Lukas’ gaze. I couldn’t believe I’d actually said that out loud! Clearing my throat, I said, “We have a report due, and it’s totally drawn me into the eighteen-hundreds.”

Father Sanders brightened. “We have quite a bit of memorabilia from the mid to late eighteen-hundreds. If you’re truly interested, I can leave word with Kelly at the historical society. I can’t allow you to leave the premises with any of the items, but you’re welcome to browse.”

“That’d be awesome.”

“Consider it done.” He glanced over his shoulder at the door. “I need to speak with Phil about the tulips. Just let me know when you’re ready to leave so I can lock up.”

I nodded and gave him a salute. “Will do.”

With a wave, he turned on his heel and disappeared through the door.

I waited until I saw him pass by the window and head across the grounds toward the tool shed. “Okay. If you were an ancient box, where would you be?”

Lukas scanned the room, frowning. “Not here.”

I contemplated flipping him off but decided the gesture would be wasted. He probably had no idea what it meant. Instead, I went to work. The main room was pretty straightforward. The old wooden pews had been restored and lined either side of the room. The podium at the front showed its age and obviously hadn’t been fixed like the pews, but it was still standing. I thought I remembered hearing something about an upcoming fundraiser for further restorations. Something about an ice cream social. Maybe Father Sanders was right. We needed to be more involved. And hey, if there was ice cream, I could totally be persuaded.

Lukas took one end, and I took the other. By the time I’d worked my way around the room, into the back, I was starting to get discouraged. We’d been searching for over an hour and had zilch. We couldn’t hang out much longer. We’d been there too long already, and pretty soon, Father Sanders was going to get suspicious.

“I can’t even figure out where the heck the box
was
, much less where it is now.” I leaned back and slid down the wall to the ground. “I mean, it wasn’t just sitting out in the open on a shelf. It had to be stashed away somewhere.”

“You mean in some kind of hidden compartment?”

“Don’t ya think? It couldn’t have been just stuffed in a drawer or box somewhere.”

“Maybe it was. Maybe whoever put it here had no idea what it was.”

“No way.” I shook my head. “I don’t believe that for a second. Why wouldn’t someone have opened it before now? Or thrown it away? No, whoever put it here had to know what it was. They had to have stashed it somewhere—but where?”

Lukas glanced around the room and shrugged. He hadn’t been expecting to find anything, yet he still seemed just as discouraged as I did. “There aren’t many places here to hide something.”

He was right. I’d searched along all the walls and under the pews, examining each and every crack. There were no visible seams hinting of secret hiding places, nor were there any of the other usual signs. Buttons, latches, oddly placed pictures, and rugs. We’d searched the building from top to bottom. Lukas was right. There was nothing here but a couple hundred years worth of dust and a
lot
of spiders.

I climbed to my feet and went to the window, looking out over the old cemetery.

“There’s one place we haven’t checked.”

Lukas balked. “We’ve turned this place inside out.”

“Inside.” I tapped the window. “But not out.”

“Surely you’re not suggesting we dig—”

“Eww! Of course not. But it can’t hurt to have a look around. If anything’s been disturbed recently, we’ll be able to see it.”

He didn’t look convinced but followed me out to the yard anyway.

There were only about fifty or so headstones, all ranging from 1712 to 1910. Most of the markers were crumbling, large pieces lying on the ground beside them, and in several cases, missing altogether. I tripped over a pale granite one that had cracked and fallen into the path. Strong arms caught me before I hit the ground, guiding me around the hindrance. It had been there a while, the brush and weeds growing up around it, nearly concealing the stone from view. Lukas let go, cheeks slightly flushed, and we started forward again.

We wove between the poorly manicured rows searching, but nothing appeared out of place or disturbed. At the back of the lot, there was a single stone mausoleum. I started forward, thinking I might have some luck inside, but stopped after realizing Lukas had fallen behind. When I turned, I saw him kneeling in front of a headstone several rows over.

“Sarah Scott,” I read out loud as I came up behind him. “Your mother?”

Lukas pulled away some of the overgrowth in silence, then ran his hand over the stone’s smooth surface.

Across the top, a thick vine with tiny white flowers spilled down the side and twined around the stone beside it. I bent down to pull them apart, but Lukas grabbed my hand and squeezed.

“No,” he said, nodding to the second stone. “Leave it. They’re finally together.”

I brushed a pile of leaves from the front of the second stone and bit back a gasp. “Simon Darker.” Under his name was his birth date and date of death—1845 to 1910—as well as a single sentence. One I was familiar with. It was the same thing Mom had printed on Grandpa’s headstone. “A bright light along the path that grows darker.”

Lukas climbed to his feet with a slight smile on his lips and pulled me up. “It gives me peace to see them together.”

“You’re saying Simon had a thing for your mom?”

Lukas nodded. “He loved her—and she him. It was just never meant to be.”

Never meant to be. More evidence that my family was destined for heartbreak. I didn’t understand how their rotting in the ground next to each other could be construed as peaceful. To me, it seemed depressing. But it made Lukas happy for some reason, so I refrained from my usual commentary.

I took a step back and turned back to the church. “Come on. There’s nothing here.”

“You’ve given up on the box?”

“Hell no. But this gave me another idea.”

“Oh?”

“Well, the box isn’t here—that much I’m sure of. And since neither of us knows what it looks like, much less where it could be—I suggest asking someone that might.”

“Who would possibly know where the box might be?”

“Simon Darker, of course.”

Chapter Twenty-three

By the time we got to Paulson’s, Lukas was excited about the idea of seeing Simon again. A little weirded out at first, he was worried Paulson would be summoning an actual corpse and not a spirit. Rotting flesh and smelly bone. The guy had a lot to learn.

On the way over we’d stopped by Zeets, the small family-owned candy store on the edge of The Pit, and bought a box of white chocolate-covered pecans. His Scooby Snack. Paulson would do just about anything for them, and I had a feeling he’d need buttering up.

Especially after what happened last time he did me a solid.

He opened the door wearing a huge grin. Strong arms wrapped around me, and I caught the scent of sandalwood and pine. “It’s been too long, Jessie girl.”

I returned the hug and pulled away. “Same.” Pulling Lukas closer, I said, “Paulson, this is my friend Lukas. He’s kinda why we stopped by.”

Paulson nodded in acknowledgment and eyed the box in my hands. “Are those what I think they are?”

I held out the chocolates. “Made this morning.”

He waved us inside and gestured to the sofa. Flipping open the lid, he popped one of the small candies into his mouth and sighed. If he didn’t finish them before we left, I’d be surprised. “Klaire don’t know you’re here, does she?”

“You automatically assume I’m doing something I shouldn’t be.” I pouted.

He said nothing but held up the chocolate and gave the box a slight shake.

“Okay, so I
am
, but still. Benefit of the doubt, please?”

“Let’s get something straight right off the bat—no promises. I got in a heap of trouble last time. Your mama didn’t speak to me for months.”

I nodded and held my right hand up. “It’s simple this time, I swear. I just need to talk to a relative of mine.”

“I assume you mean on your mama’s side,” he said dryly. Paulson was mom’s oldest friend. They’d known each other since grade school. He was the only of Mom’s friends who knew about Dad and my semi-human status. He’d never approved of Mom’s choice in men, but he’d stood by her regardless, sitting on the couch for hours as she cried herself to sleep in those first days after Dad made the decision to stop coming around. They didn’t know I knew—and I had no intention of telling them—but Paulson was as loyal as they came.

“Of course.”

“Do I get to ask why?”

“Will telling you it’s a long story get me off the hook?”

“I know you, Jessie. Saying you want me to summon
a relative
is specifically vague. Which one?”

“One that has a shared history with Lukas’ family. There’s an item—I need to ask him about it.”

“That sounds innocent enough.”

“Yep.”

Paulson narrowed his eyes and popped another chocolate into his mouth. “Which is exactly why it’s not. Fess up, Jessie girl. What’s the deal?”

I groaned. “Seriously. That’s all, I swear.”

“Then why don’t Klaire know you’re here?”

“She kinda asked me to stay out of this one.”

He set the chocolate down and jabbed a finger in my direction. Yep. The box was more than half empty already. I should have brought two. “And heaven forbid she knows what’s best?”

“Of course not. She’s just being over-protective. Like usual. I swear—it’s just a simple Q and A.”

“There’s no simple with you, kid.”

“Please,” I prodded, sticking out my bottom lip just a hair. The
pretty please pout
. Paulson had been a sucker for it since I was five.

For a second I was worried. I knew a few other necromancers, but none of them were what you could consider
trustworthy
. Paulson dragged it out a few more minutes, but when he rolled his eyes and folded his arms, I knew I had him.

Yeah. I was
that
good.

“Fine,” he said. “But I’m
not
leaving the room this time.”

I nodded, feeling a little bad. Mom was going to kill him for this. Last time I’d come to him for some
secret help
, fifteen people had been hurt, and I’d ended up with a broken arm.

Mom would find out this time, too. If I was right, Simon would have some important information to share. I’d just have to double up on the chocolate covered pecans next time and up the charm.

Paulson went to work gathering his supplies. Silky bags, small wooden boxes, and vials of oddly colored liquids. “You remember that movie you, me, and your mama went to see?”

I laughed. “Oh my God… What was it called?
The Bone Whisperer
, right?”

Paulson snorted. “All it takes is a sprinkle of some
special dust
, the right words, and a few old bones and you, too, can summon a spirit from the great beyond. What a load—”

“Mom wanted to kill you for talking through the entire thing. The rest of the people in the theater, too. I thought they were going to jump us in the parking lot.”

Paulson pulled aside an old area rug and drew a chalk circle in the middle of the room. “I was simply stating how fake the whole thing was. You’d think Hollywood would at least put a little research into it…”

I watched as he sprinkled some kind of bluish powder around the outside of the circle. He was setting up here? “Don’t you need to do a summoning at the person’s grave site?”

He chuckled and capped the blue powder, setting it aside. Next, he picked up a small, oddly shaped jar and poured clear liquid into the center. It hit the air and filled the room with the smell of bleach. “So cliché. Nope. As long as you have a purified area, you can summon anywhere.”

“Purified?” Lukas asked, examining one of the jars. He twisted off the cap and took a whiff, wrinkling his nose.

Paulson reached for the small white pouch beside him and dumped it upside down. Several yellowing bone fragments fell out, bouncing across the scuffed wooden floor. “Spirits leave a sort of residue in the air. It gets in the way of summoning.”

I reached across the couch and stole one of the chocolates. “How can a necromancer’s house be purified? Aren’t you always complaining spirits pop in constantly? Wouldn’t there be residue all over the place?”

Aside from being able to summon a specific spirit, necromancers were a natural draw to wandering ones. Like a hopped-up metal rod in a lightning storm, Paulson once said necros put out a sort of energy that drew spirits in.

He glared at me. “All that disgusting residue floating around? I purify at least once a day. Sometimes twice, depending on traffic.”

I shot him a look of mock surprise. “You never struck me as a neat freak kinda guy.” Well, half of it was mock. I’d never heard him talk that way about the spirits before. He always said he loved them. Said they were a part of who he was. They got annoying sometimes, but without them, he always swore he’d be lonely. He once told Mom that several had been with him since childhood. They popped in and out sporadically, but were never far away.

Turning back to the circle, he asked, “Ready?”

“Don’t you, like, need something that belonged to him?” Not that I
had
anything belonging to Simon Darker, but still.

Paulson rolled his eyes. “Another cliché. I just need his full name…”

“Simon Darker.”

He nodded and waved me over. “Just need a drop of your blood. Since this Simon guy is a relative of yours…” Paulson reached into his pocket and pulled out a small Looney Tunes lighter. Positioning the blade over the top, he flicked the flint to sterilize the steel.

I held out my hand and tried not to cringe as he nicked the tip of my finger with his blade. There was a slight pressure as he squeezed the tip. Several drops of crimson trickled from my finger and fell over the bones he’d placed in the center.

He then uncorked a small glass vial and poured its thick red liquid out into a smaller circle—just inside the chalk line and around the bones. A closer look and I realized it was blood. After the circle was finished, he set the vial aside and sprinkled a fine black powder over the bones. It fizzled and sparked as it fluttered to the floor.

I’d never seen this done so I really had no clue. I would never understand necromancy. And considering the ingredients—I didn’t want to.

“
IO evocare thee, alto padrone del Indistinto Regno. Apparire prima me
.”

I didn’t understand a word he said. “That’s not Latin.”

He snorted. “Of course not. It’s Italian. Latin is more popular in demonic summoning.”

“Oh,” was all I could say. I’d never heard that before, but again, I knew nothing about this kind of stuff. He could’ve told me we had to dress in panda costumes and chant Michael Jackson songs around a fire at midnight, and I’d have to take him on his word.

“Remember, he won’t be able to stay long. You’ll have to ask your questions fast before he dissipates.” Paulson dropped to his knees. Eyes closed, he repeated himself. “
IO evocare thee, alto padrone del Indistinto Regno. Apparire prima me.
”

For a moment, nothing happened. The room fell silent and Lukas stiffened beside me. Paulson’s shoulders tensed as he braced both hands flat against the floor.

The air chilled. Though there were no windows or doors open that I could see, a strong gust of wind whipped through the room and sent my hair fluttering into my face. A second later, Paulson’s deep voice broke the silence. “
Venire in avanti cosØ noi Maggio crogiolarsi al sole in tuo gloria
.”

A blue spark flared to life in the center of the circle, then a crack like lightning filled the air. The bones shimmied and twitched, and the ground beneath our feet trembled. Across the room, a vase wobbled off the edge of the mantle and crashed to the floor, sending bits of glass scattering in all directions. Above our heads, the chandelier rattled and quaked. One bead came loose and fell to the floor. It bounced several times before clanking into the corner, falling still.

The smoldering remains of the bone and dust grew into a deep blue mist that stretched from floor to ceiling. As I watched, the smoke swirled and began to take shape. The shape of a man.

“Simon?” I choked. The man in the smoke had a small button nose like Mom, and the same deep, crystal-blue eyes. He was broad shouldered with a thick graying moustache and chubby cheeks and reminded me of a picture I’d seen of my grandfather. I stepped forward, but Paulson grabbed my arm.

“You can’t touch him, Jessie girl. Just trust me on this one. You don’t even wanna try.”

Of course, it was in my nature to ask why, but I let it go. Turning to the shadowy figure, I smiled. Now that he was there, I didn’t know what to say. Introduce myself? Politely inquire how the afterlife was treating him? Launch right into it?

He watched me, silent for a moment, before smiling. “It’s nice to finally meet you, Jessie.”

“You know who I am?”

He rolled his eyes. Yep. Exactly like Mom. “Do you really believe I’d shuffle off the mortal coil and leave my line without protection?”

He turned to Lukas, and his smile widened. “Lukas. My old friend. I assume my summons to this place has to do with you. The box has been opened again?”

Lukas smiled. “It’s good to see you, Simon.”

Paulson cleared his throat, then looked away.

I could take a hint. “Simon, we don’t have a lot of time. I need to ask you about the box—and the Wells family.”

“The box? It’s in the church of course.”

I shook my head. “It’s not. It’s been stolen. We already looked.”

Simon chuckled. “Silly child. Of course it wouldn’t be easy to see. I cursed it. When the Sins are released, the box automatically returns to its resting place.”

“You cursed it?” Lukas asked. “Were you a witch?”

Simon laughed. “Of course not. But you don’t do what I did without picking up a trick or two along the way.” Simon’s ghost winked. “I had some pretty powerful friends.”

“Isn’t that risky? The box going back to the church, I mean. What if the Sins get ahold of it?” As much as I wanted to give them time to chat, we didn’t have that luxury.

“The only way the Sins can touch the box is if it’s handed to them by a human. They can’t take it from the sanctuary themselves. It’s part of the curse.”

“We looked everywhere,” Lukas insisted. I wanted to laugh.
I’d
looked everywhere. He’d just kind of followed along telling me what a waste of time it was.

“There’s a chamber beneath the church. The box rests there.”

Hidden compartment. I knew it!

A flash of light burst from the ground beneath Simon’s feet.

“Time is short, Jessie girl,” Paulson whispered.

Crap. We needed to hurry. “The Wells family. What do you know about them?”

His face instantly darkened. “There is no Wells family. Only that murdering whore, Meredith.”

“You knew it was her?”

“Not at first.” He turned to Lukas. “I’m sorry about what happened, son. By the time I discovered the truth, it was too late. And unfortunately there’s no way to free yourself. She killed off her entire line, and when I tracked her down, I trapped her.”

“
You
trapped her? How did you trap her?”

“I had a witch friend who owed me a favor. Lorna Belfair. Together, we trapped Meredith Wells for all eternity. She was put into a deep, magic-based sleep and we buried her in hallowed ground.”

Belfair? Huh. That would explain why Cassidy lied to Mom. Her line had history with Meredith. If she thought the other witch was still trapped, of course she’d never tell us where to find her.

“Buried? As in, you buried her alive?” My stomach convulsed. Just the thought made my blood run cold. Sure, she was a murderous, unhinged bitch, but no one deserved that.

“She wasn’t awake. She didn’t feel a thing.”

“Well, she’s awake now. And let me tell you, she’s pretty damn pissed.” And if it was Simon that trapped her, boyfriend envy wasn’t the only thing she had against me. No wonder she seemed to hate the Darkers.

I didn’t think it was possible for a ghost to pale, but Simon proved me wrong. “You and your mother are in grave danger. She will stop at nothing to get her revenge. She—” At his feet, another spark of white. “How did it happen?”