Shadow Witch (17 page)

She slipped her glasses off her nose and let them hang from the thin chain around her neck. “I could use some help around here, though. The locals are about to work me to death.” She sighed and leaned back against the counter behind her.

“Do you think we can find another doctor who’s willing to come here?” Evelyn said.

“Maybe. I’ve got some contacts I can try, a couple of ladies who worked in Kenya with me.”

“You have a phone here, don’t you?”

“Jamie installed one two weeks ago, but I’ll wait to call them until I go back to my condo in Hendersonville. I have to make a trip there, anyway, to pay some bills and things. I want to go to the grocery store, too. I like the fresh food you can get here in the market, but it takes so much longer to prepare my meals, and I’m so busy I hardly have time to breathe.”

“Well, I hope you get some help soon. I had no idea you’d be so popular.”

“I’ve seen nine patients already today, and it’s not even eleven o’clock yet.” She rubbed her temple with the fingertips of one hand and winced.

Sammi and Leora had wandered to the far side of the room and were looking closely at a tray full of instruments. Sammi reached for the stethoscope and Evelyn said, “Girls, look, but don’t touch. Okay?”

Evelyn turned back to Dr. Burke, who had pulled open a drawer beside her. She dropped the coins from her last patient into it and pushed it closed. “There’s a lot of money in there now. Jamie and I expected this to be a free clinic, but most people around here want to pay
something
, even it’s just a few coppers.”

“These people are proud folk. Hardworking, too, from what I have seen.”

“Yes, and they don’t want handouts.” She laughed again. “Though sometimes they like to barter, with vegetables and eggs and such. One family tried to pay me with two chickens.”

“Did you take them?”

“Of course, but I insisted that they butcher and pluck them first. It’s a good thing Jamie got me the refrigerator, isn’t it?”

By this time, Sammi and Leora had come back to Evelyn’s side of the room. Leora looked at Dr. Burke and said, “Are you a witch, too?”

“No, just an ordinary doctor.”

“But how do you heal people without magic?”

“I do it with science.” Leora’s brow wrinkled and Dr. Burke said, “Years of studying and training, that’s all. No magic necessary.” She put her hand on Leora’s shoulder. “Are you going to be attending Mrs. Wallace’s school?”

“I am already.” She smiled proudly.

“Good. Maybe if you study hard and learn, you can be a doctor like me some day. Would you like that?”

“I want to be a doctor,” Sammi said.

“I thought you wanted to be a teacher,” Evelyn said, “like Jamie’s mother.”

“I can do both. I’ll be a doctor
and
a teacher.”

“Is that possible?” Leora asked.

“Honey,” Dr. Burke said, “you can be anything if you put your mind to it.”

“But you have to go to school, first,” Evelyn said.

* * *

It had taken Duane Gundy a while to figure out how to approach Sammi’s two friends, Libby and Luke, without their father shooting him. Gundy had wasted two valuable days staking out their house before he finally found out from his wife.

“Dammit, Brenda!” Gundy growled and shook one fist at her. “Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

She raised one arm defensively. “You didn’t ask me. You’ve been sneaking around all hours of the night instead, driving off without telling me where you’re going and all.”

“Who told you what them two kids are doin’ this summer?”

“Louise. She told me last time I went to the laundry mat. She babysits for them sometimes.”

“She don’t keep Libby none this summer?”

Brenda shook her head. “Libby goes to work with her momma, where they got a day care.”

Gundy grunted, crossed his arms, and stared at nothing for a moment. Then he abruptly turned back to Brenda. “Are you sure Luke’s workin’ lawn service with his uncle?” She nodded and he said, “He’s my best bet, then. I’ll be able to talk to Luke.”

Brenda drew a long breath, worry lining her face. “Duane, why don’t you let me talk to one of them? You can be so
harsh
sometimes, and I think —”

“No!” He stomped his booted heel on the linoleum floor. “You’ll be too nice, and if they don’t tell you where Libby is, you’ll be all apologetic and stuff like you always are.”

“But —”

“I said
no
.”

“Promise you’ll try to be nice? You won’t hurt them?”

“I’ll be sweet as pie.”

Chapter 7

The next morning, Gundy sat in his Trans Am with the air conditioning on, the day already hot from the June sun, watching Luke rake next to a hedge that another man on the crew had just trimmed. A third man was on a riding mower on the far side of the wide lawn. All three wore matching yellow T-shirts that had
Larry’s Lawn Service
printed on the front in bold red ink.

Gundy had followed the landscaping truck from Bicksby to the upscale development at the nearby lake, and waited at a good vantage point down the street while Luke and the other men worked on the grounds of a huge house, with grass like a carpet and more flower beds than Gundy could count.

Finally, Luke dropped his rake, fetched a water bottle from the truck, and retreated to the shade of a Bradford pear tree. Gundy got out of his car and approached the boy from behind so that he wouldn’t see him coming. Gundy eyed the other men to make sure they didn’t notice him, and when he neared Luke he said, “I need to talk to you, boy.”

Luke turned with a start and his eyes flared. “I...I got nothin’ to say to you.”

“I think you do.” Gundy took two more steps and kept his voice low and steady. “I need to know where Sammi went.”

“Don’t know nothin’ ’bout that.”

“Yeah you do.” He turned his head and spit on the ground. “You took her to the bus station last Thursday, and I want to know where she was headin’.”

“I didn’t take her. I can’t even drive. I’m only thirteen.”

“Yes you did. I know for a fact.” He jammed a finger in the air at Luke and the boy backed against the tree. Gundy walked even closer. “I done seen the surveillance video with my own two eyes. You and Sammi and your sister, at the bus station, so don’t lie to me.” He raised his voice. “Where the hell is Sammi?”

Luke lifted his chin and narrowed his eyes. “I don’t know what you’re talkin’ about, and even if I did, I wouldn’t tell
you
.” He sneered and stood erect.

Gundy stepped within arms’ reach. “Well, how about if I have a little talk with your sister? I’m sure she knows.”

“You so much as
look
at Libby and my daddy will blow your head off.”

Gundy lunged at the boy and pushed him hard against the tree trunk. “Listen, you little turd! I oughta—”

“No!” Luke shouted and looked in the direction of the other men. “I will
not
get in your car with you...you pervert!”

Gundy glanced over his shoulder and saw that the other two yellow-shirted men were now watching him. The man working on the hedges dropped his trimmer, and the one on the mower shut off the motor and stepped off the machine.

When both of them began walking toward Gundy he growled, “Fine.” He threw his hands up in surrender and backed away. “I’m going.”

He went to his car, slammed the door when he got in, and drove away, tires screeching and gravel flying behind him.

“Something’s wrong with Sammi, Mrs. Wallace,” Milly said urgently.

Evelyn looked up from the book she’d been reading aloud and saw Sammi, sitting at her desk with the other kids, her eyes glazed and her mouth slack. Evelyn rushed to Sammi’s side and knelt beside her while Connie hurried from the back of the room, where she’d been going through boxes of supplies.

Evelyn looked closely at Sammi’s blank face and nodded. “I think she’s having a vision, or whatever you call it.”

“Are you sure, Evelyn?” Connie said when she joined her. “It looks serious.”

“She’s using her magic,” Aiven said, sitting at the desk next to Sammi. All of the children stared at her with wide, frightened eyes, except for Aiven.

Evelyn waited anxiously beside Sammi, both knees on the floor and a hand on the back of Sammi’s chair, until Sammi finally shuddered and moaned. She sniffed once and blinked, then burst into tears and threw her arms around Evelyn’s neck.

Evelyn patted her gently on the back and said, “Was it Mr. Gundy again?”

Sammi nodded and sobbed into Evelyn’s shoulder.

“Is he still looking for you?”

Sammi nodded again, and Blane asked, “Who is Mr. Gundy?”

“He’s a bad man who’s trying to get Sammi,” Aiven said.

“He used to be her foster father,” Evelyn said. “Sammi ran away from his house, and that’s why she’s with us now.” She patted Sammi again. “Can you tell me what he said?”

Sammi took a quivering breath and related what she’d heard of Duane Gundy’s confrontation with Luke.

When Sammi finished, Evelyn stood and turned to her sister. “I don’t like this, Connie.”

Connie knelt beside Sammi and put her hand on the little girl’s shoulder. “Do you want to sit in the office until you feel better?”

Sammi shook her head and wiped her eyes. Keela, a small girl with long dark hair and bright blue eyes, said, “Why is Mr. Gundy so bad?”

“He hurt me,” Sammi said quietly and sniffed again.

“We’re determined to keep her safe from him,” Evelyn said to the children. “We’re not going to let him hurt her again.”

Leora slid out of her seat and stood on the other side of Sammi, her freckled face sincere as she put her delicate hand on Sammi’s other shoulder. “You can stay with me, Sammi. You will be very safe, and I have room in my bed. My ma and pa won’t mind.”

“Or you could stay with me.” Milly bobbed her head earnestly. “I’ll sleep on the floor and you can have the bed with my sister.”

“Or me,” Sarah said, “I have room.” Then all of the kids offered, except for Blane, who looked like he desperately wanted to, but knew it wasn’t proper.

Aiven’s face lit up. “You can stay in Jamie’s stone house by the river! It’s perfect, it is. Mrs. Tully and I can stay with you, and you can have your own room, and I can sleep on the day bed, and —”

“Okay, Aiven.” Evelyn waved one hand. “I don’t think that’s necessary just yet.”

Sammi seemed to be moved by the sudden outpouring of support from her new friends. She smiled weakly as all of the children left their seats and surrounded her in a protective cluster.

“Sammi ought to be safe staying with Fred,” Connie said. “Seeing as how she’s such a powerful witch. And Jamie’s right across the street.”

“And Carl, too.”

“I feel magic.” Aiven suddenly turned and pointed toward the back of the room “Jamie’s coming!”

Everyone watched as a golden, glowing line appeared in the air, traced upward, and formed the shape of a door. Jamie pushed it open and stepped through. “Hey, I’m here. Who’s ready to go to my house?” His eyebrows drew down sharply when he saw the children grouped around Sammi with concerned looks on their faces. “What’s going on?”

Evelyn quickly explained and Jamie frowned and scrubbed the side of his face with one hand. “That Mr. Gundy sounds like he’s going to be a bigger problem than we thought.”

“Why don’t you banish him to that world where you sent those two witches?” Aiven said.

“Well, he’s not a witch or a wizard for one thing, and my dad said we can’t be vigilantes, especially since we can’t prove that he’s broken any laws. I banished the witches because there wasn’t a better option. If they’d been arrested, they would’ve used their magic to escape.”

“But it’s
Sammi!
He could hurt her.”

“Nobody’s going to hurt her while she’s with us. You can count on that.” He turned to Sammi. “You still have your necklace, don’t you?”

Sammi fingered the silver half-moon pendant that hung from a thin chain around her neck. “I wear it every day.”

“What does that do?” Blane asked.

“It’s got a hex in it,” Jamie said, “the Stupefyin’ Spell, as Fred calls it. If anybody messes with her, all Sammi has to do is twirl it and they’ll be too confused to remember their own name.”

“Show us!” Roni said.

“You don’t have a counter charm.” Jamie gestured at the bracelet on his wrist. “But maybe we can do that some other time.” He looked at their bright faces and said, “All right. Are you ready to go to my house? It’s another world, you know.”

“The
real
Earth,” Aiven said.

Milly rolled her eyes and tsked, and Evelyn had to stifle a laugh. “Everybody get your lunches,” Evelyn said. “We’ll eat there.”

The children rushed to the counter and grabbed their cloth sacks that held their food, mostly bread and cheese, some with a piece of fruit thrown in for good measure.

Jamie drew another doorway, opened it and stepped through. Aiven immediately went next. The other children hesitated, so Sammi took Leora’s hand and pulled her toward the portal, and the rest followed while Evelyn and her twin sister brought up the rear.

They crowded into Jamie’s family room, and the children took in their new surroundings. “It...it does not look
that
different,” Blane said. “Not like I expected it would.”

“But watch this!” Aiven went to the coffee table and picked up the remote control for the television. He aimed it at the set and pressed a button on it, and the screen flared to life.

The other children gasped. The TV was set to ESPN, and it was showing highlights of the previous day’s baseball games. The vivid colors and action on the wide, flat screen mesmerized all of the children except for Sammi and Aiven. “See?” Aiven pointed at it. “This is what they can do here. This is the
real
Earth, and they have technology.”

“Does that...is that magic?” Keela said.

Jamie chuckled. “No, it’s science. Anybody who studies enough can make something like that.”

“We’re hoping you kids will be able to someday,” Connie said. “That’s what the new school is for.”

Sarah pointed at the television. “We will be able to make
that?
”

“Maybe,” Evelyn said. “Or you might choose to do something else. It’s up to you.”