Page 31 of Ghostmaker

“Compel people?” West asked, looking surprised. “What, you mean like Dracula compelling a victim to invite him in?”

“Yeah, something like that,” Cope said. “I’m not sure how to counter that effect or keep Crawford from succeeding if he finds one of us vulnerable. I’ll work on that tonight.”

“This is the reason Crawford wants the death spell,” Jude said. “He’s getting older now and how convenient would it be to just work from home? Now, especially with all the Ring and Flock cameras around, plus the neighbors having their own security, it’s harder and harder to stay undetected, but with the spell, he’d get away scot-free.”

“Death spell?” West asked, looking at Jude as if he had a screw loose. Possibly two. “Are you serious?”

Cope looked leery of confirming West’s question. “Yeah, I’m serious. It’s old magic from when my mother’s ancestors were still in France. It had been kept undercover for centuries and was mostly kept alive with rumors and folktales, but it’s real.”

“Real as a heart attack,” Jude chimed in.

“Do you think you can help me figure out a way to keep Crawford from psychically attacking us tomorrow?” Cope was looking at Everly.

“I think so. Is it okay, Daddy?” Everly batted her eyelashes at Ronan.

“I expected that look when you found a prom dress you loved or a classic car you wanted. I never thought you’d use it to ask permission to work with Cope to stop a killer.” Ronan sighed. “Sure, go for it. It’s a Friday night, what the hell. Ten? You good with this?”

“Yeah, I’ll stay and help too. Maybe you could take Wolf and Lizzie home with you while we get to work on this?”

“Sure thing,” Ronan agreed.

“I’ll go pack for the kids.” Jude got out of his seat and headed into the living room. Seconds later, Cope heard the kids cheer.

“I still don’t believe half of what you told me tonight, but what do you want me to do in the meantime?” West asked.

“Go back to the hotel and get a good night’s rest,” Ronan said. “Jude, Cope, Fitz and I will go see Crawford in the morning and see what we can shake loose. I’ll call you later and let you know how it went.”

“Okay, but I want a copy of that asshole’s mug shot.”

“You got it.” Ronan reached for another piece of pizza.

Cope had tried several times over the last few years to put his cauldron away, but something always pulled him back to his mother’s spells. With Crawford, it was obvious he was using heavy-duty black magick to get what he wanted and to kill people for fun. The only thing that could counter what Crawford was doing was with white magic or, with even darker black magick.

Which option would Cope choose? He’d have to think that over very carefully.

15

Jude

Jude had spent the night helping Cope and Everly work on a countermeasure to Crawford’s ability to compel people to do what he wanted. They’d worked until nearly midnight, when Everly had fallen asleep, and Cope could barely keep his eyes open. His husband thought they’d come up with a plan, but the only way to be sure it would work was to deploy it against Crawford.

After a quick breakfast of cold cereal, Jude called West to let him know they were on their way to confront Crawford, but he didn’t answer the phone. Jude left a message telling him to stay away from Crawford’s psychic shop. All Jude could do was hope the man took his advice to heart.

Before leaving the house, Jude strapped his knife to his thigh and added an ankle holster in addition to the shoulder harness he wore. He hung both badges, from Salem and Cambridge, on a beaded ball chain around his neck. Lastly, he strapped on his bullet-proof vest. He had no idea what they’d be walking into that morning and he was taking no chances with his safety.

“We need to get you a vest too,” Jude muttered. He strapped Cope into his old vest, the one that was too small for him. It would offer Cope some protection, but left him vulnerable in places that a well-fitting vest would ordinarily protect.

“I’ll put that on my Christmas list.” Cope rolled his eyes. “I don’t know how the hell Ten does this all the time. This is only the second case I’ve worked with you and I’m scared out of my mind.”

“Don’t tell him I said this, but Ten’s scared too. He finds a way to push it down so that he can help Ronan and the rest of the team.” Ten was invaluable to the cold case unit. When he worked with them, Ronan was on high alert, making sure Ten stayed safe. There were times Jude thought his partner was overprotective of his husband, but now Jude understood Ronan’s pain. He’d do anything to keep Cope safe, including taking a bullet for him, which hopefully wouldn’t be necessary.

After talking to Lizzie and Wolf, who were still with Tennyson, Jude turned his attention to how things were going to go that morning. Fitzgibbon loaded everyone into his SUV.

“Glad to have you back, Cap,” Jude said, as Fitz pulled out into traffic. “We missed you.”

“I missed working with you guys too. West Strickland is an alright guy, but if I never see another spreadsheet again, it will be too soon.”

“Where does the audit stand?” Ronan asked.