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As she went upstairs, I finished cleaning up and put all the furnishings back in place, then grabbed two of the remaining charms and headed into the kitchen. Mike had already left for the day, but Penny was pulling on her coat in the small alcove that held the lockers, and Frank was sanitizing the benches. He was bald, muscular, and possessed a fine array of tats over both his arms and legs.
“I’ll finish off here,” I said, and handed Frank a charm. “I need you both to wear these.”
Penny accepted hers with a frown. “Why?”
“There’s a few bad vibes running about the reservation at the moment,” I said, “These will ward them away.”
“Good, because I don’t need any more bad luck right now.” Despite looking like the last person on earth you’d think would willingly wear a somewhat pretty charm, Frank slipped it on without hesitation. “Will water affect it?”
“No, you can shower in it and all.”
“Excellent.” He walked over to the lockers and grabbed his stuff. “See you tomorrow then.”
“You will.”
Once the two of them had left, I finished cleaning up and made Belle’s revitalization potion—and stood in front of her to make sure she drank every last drop.
“God, that is vile.”
“Welcome to my world,” I said, with just a hint of satisfaction. “I want you to block me out tonight. Just relax and enjoy yourself.”
She frowned. “You know I don’t like doing that—”
“Yes, but we’ve likely got a day or so before our vampire causes any more problems.” I crossed mental fingers I hadn’t just tempted fate with that statement. “I can break the block if I really need to, so quit worrying and just relax and have fun.”
Because at least one of us needed to. I didn’t say it, but I didn’t have to, either.
She hesitated, and then nodded. “But only if you promise to shout the minute anything untoward happens.”
“I will, but it won’t.” I continued to the living room and the hours slipped by. Zak came calling at precisely seven, and Belle left with a spring in her step, all trace of tiredness gone.
I bolstered the spells protecting the café and was halfway through eating dinner when my phone rang. I recognized the number and immediately answered it.
“What can I do for you, Marjorie?”
“I’m outside, in the car,” she said. “Can I come and talk to you?”
I hesitated. “I know you’d like to know more about Karen becoming a vampire and what it means, but I really don’t know enough about the process—”
“I still need to talk to you,” she said. “Please.”
There was something in her voice, an odd sort of edge that snagged at my instincts. “Okay. I’ll be down in a second.”
I shoved my meal on the coffee table then brushed off the crumbs as I headed downstairs to open the door. She appeared a few seconds later, her face white and eyes shadowed. I motioned her to the table in the corner and locked the door again.
“Tea?” I asked.
She shook her head and sat without taking off her voluminous red coat. I sat opposite her and crossed my arms, making sure my hands were well and truly out of her reach. Her aura was almost black with grief, despair, and—rather oddly—uncertainty, and it was a combination that had the power to rip past my shields.
“I’ve been trying to remember,” she said, “if there was anything—anyone—whose case might have gone so badly that they’d want revenge.”
“And you’ve thought of one?”
Grief slipped across her aura. Grief and guilt. “It wasn’t a case. It’s something else.”
I waited silently. After a moment, her gaze met mine, haunted and uneasy. “It happened a long time ago. I can’t believe it could possibly be the reason behind this madness, but I can’t think of anything else.”
“Tell me, please.” I kept my voice soft. Her mental state was extremely fragile—anything else would have either sent her running or broken her completely.
