A Finder's Fee Read online

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Shayla said. “But you need to stay out of my way. We can handle this fine without the likes of you.”

  Ann put her hands into the pockets of her gray slacks as though to keep from hurting the other woman—which she was fully capable of doing. “Dae and I have a significant connection. I don’t understand it but I know it’s there. I know what happened to her, and I know how to find her.”

  Shayla’s dark eyes flashed in Ann’s direction. “A significant connection? You mean after you almost ripped her head off? I’m sure Dae will want you to find her.”

  “Ladies!” Kevin returned from the kitchen with a tray of chocolate chip cookies. He began pouring coffee into cups and passing them around. “I agree there’s something odd going on, but fighting about who’s going to do what won’t help. We have to work together.”

  “You only need me and Gram,” Shayla defiantly stated.

  “Betsy and I can find her. I know you don’t understand.” Ann glared at Shayla. “But this is science. You know about science, right? They teach that here?”

  “Please!” Trudy took Tim’s hand in hers without realizing it (to his delight and consternation). “We need to work together, like Kevin said, so we can find her. We all care about her or we wouldn’t be here.”

  No one disagreed with Trudy’s outburst. They drank their coffee while exchanging angry scowls at each other anyway.

  Trudy sat down, hoping everyone would think her flushed cheeks were from the fire and not her agitation. Tim squeezed her hand and smiled at her.

  Kevin pulled out the old whiteboard he used in the kitchen so the staff would know what was on the menu while they were working. He was a tall man, over six feet, with broad shoulders and a disciplined physique he still maintained from his time in the military. He was hard in many ways from the life he’d led, and still prone to make snap judgments based on what his FBI training told him was right.

  Being with Dae, and looking after his guests at the Blue Whale, had softened him during the time he’d spent in Duck. He didn’t regret it. That other life was over. He didn’t want to be that suspicious, paranoid person anymore.

  “We know Dae left abruptly three days ago.” He wrote the information on the board as he would have when he’d worked for the government—only this time he had to erase last night’s main course and dessert first. “Ann and Betsy received a psychic flash at that time. They both saw her taking an amber necklace out of a wooden box. She was getting ready to put it on.”

  “The necklace is imbued with heavy psychic energy.” Ann relaxed a little in the more familiar format Kevin had presented. She knew how to do this.

  “Where did the necklace come from?” Shayla asked. “She didn’t say anything to me about it.”

  “I think it had recently been delivered to her. Putting it on was probably a spur-of-the-moment decision,” Kevin said. “I found the box in her shop. It was from Dae’s father. Ann drew a picture of the antique necklace from what she saw in her vision and after she’d touched the box. However, she couldn’t pick up anything regarding Dae’s whereabouts.”

  “Let me see the box.” Shayla took it from him. She closed her eyes and concentrated, but she was a medium, not a finder of lost things, like Dae and Ann. She was good at talking to spirits but not at communicating with inanimate objects. “I’m not getting anything.”

  “You had to sense the power in the necklace, like I did through our connection,” Ann explained. “I tried to send her a mental message to leave it alone. But Dae, as you know, is easily blindsided by her curiosity.”

  “Like you know,” Shayla sniped as she handed the box to her grandmother.

  Flourine Lily shook all over as she handled the empty box, first with her fingers and then with her feathers and beads. “A witch. That’s what we have here, chère. The necklace belonged to a powerful witch.”

  Everyone stopped and took that in. Trudy moved a little closer to Tim. He smiled reassuringly at her but had no clue what was going on.

  “There are no witches around here, Gram,” Shayla responded. “This isn’t the bayou. And I’d know if there was a witch in the area.”

  “She lives not in our time, girl. The necklace and the power were brought forward from the past. It was preserved, waiting for the right person. Someone like Dae was the only way the witch could communicate.”

  “Dae isn’t a medium.” Shayla felt a little threatened that her friend might have taken on a new ability, one that might rival her own.

  “She couldn’t be,” Flourine said. “This witch isn’t a spirit you can talk to in your crystal ball. Her power is strong, but it all focuses in the necklace. She don’t exist on any plane.”

  “Are we talking about possession?” Shayla’s eyes narrowed. “Are you saying the witch from the past has possessed Dae?”

  Flourine dropped the box to the floor. “It burns my hand to touch it.” She looked at Ann. “You were right to be scared for her. She might be trapped in the past with the witch forever.”

  “There is definitely a time distortion surrounding the necklace.” Ann wanted to get in the last word. “The entity—we wouldn’t call her a witch anymore—was very strong. This was a psychic trap for the unwary. Dae certainly qualifies for that.”

  Kevin frowned at her. “Are you suggesting Dae has been taken over by this witch since she put on her necklace? If so, we have to figure out what she wants. What’s her endgame? What is she hoping to achieve?”

  “There was a witch in Duck’s past.” Trudy shivered. “We all heard the story of Maggie Madison when we were growing up. She did some bad things to people and a storm washed her away. I think that was back in the 1600s.”

  Tim agreed. “She put a curse on someone’s horses and made a cow go dry. I don’t remember exactly.”

  “How do we track where she’s taken Dae? How do we get rid of her?” Shayla asked.

  “Normally, I’d say we’d use Dae’s cell phone and credit card to track her,” Kevin said. “But she didn’t take them with her.”

  “Do you think Maggie Madison knew we wouldn’t be able to find Dae if she made her leave those here?” Betsy was a little scared but holding up well because she didn’t want to be sent to another room. She wanted to help her friend.

  “It’s possible,” Ann said. “The entity has access to Dae’s brain. She might be able to understand the ramifications of what that could mean for her, if not the technology itself.”

  “So what now?” Trudy asked. “Dae has to be somewhere. Everyone knows her. She can’t hide out without someone spotting her. Maybe we should print up posters and have everyone search for her.”

  “The witch may be using her powers to disguise the poor girl.” Flourine’s eyes unfocused as she stared across the room. “I know a spell we could use for this.”

  “Not necessary.” Ann got to her feet. “I can still feel Dae. She’s not far away. I’m sure she’s still here in Duck, doing the entity’s dirty work.”

  Flourine had already dropped to the hardwood floor and was drawing a circle on it with chalk. Her eyes closed as she mumbled words no one could understand. She spit on her hand and rubbed it into the circle.

  “Oh, for God’s sake, Kevin,” Ann whispered. “Seriously?”

  Shayla got down beside her grandmother. She’d seen magic like this all of her life. If Gram said a witch was possessing Dae but she could find her, Shayla believed it, and she didn’t care what anyone else thought.

  The group was startled as the front door blew open, the ice fog creeping into the warmth of the inn. A hooded figure wearing dirty, torn clothing appeared in the opening. Trudy moved quickly to Tim’s lap, a fact he didn’t mind at all.

  Kevin had started toward the open door when the figure threw back its hood.

  “I hope those are chocolate chip cookies I smell baking,
” Dae said with a cheeky smile. “I’m starving.”

  Chapter 1

  I was back! It was warm and all my friends were gathered in one place. There had been times in the last few days that I’d been worried about how everything that had happened was going to work out.

  The older woman on the floor let out a screech and got to her feet much faster than seemed possible. She ran forward, cannonballing right into me. I was knocked to the floor and trapped by her weight on my chest while my friends came to stare at me. I felt like a bug in a jar.

  “Do you think it’s really Dae?” Trudy had tears running down her face. “How will we know?”

  “I’ll know.” Ann pushed forward through the others and pressed her hands on either side of my head. She pulled back after a moment of closing her eyes and frowning. “I can’t tell for sure. The entity is powerful. It could be a trick.”

  “What could be a trick?” I found Kevin’s familiar gray blue eyes in my line of sight and focused on him. “What’s going on?”

  “They think you’re possessed.” He said it as normally as if he’d said I had a cold. “That’s as close an explanation as I can give you. How do you feel?”

  “Hungry. Dirty. Tired. Will you get her off of me, please?”

  I wasn’t expecting this kind of reception. I’d only come by the Blue Whale to ask Kevin for his help. Everyone seemed to be upset that I was gone. It wasn’t like I hadn’t left a note.

  “Not yet.” Shayla’s face replaced Kevin’s. “How do we know you aren’t the witch?”

  “You mean Maggie Madison?” I laughed. “Those are old wives’ tales about her. She wasn’t a witch—just someone gifted like us. I was never her. She was never me either. I put on her necklace and I could see the world through her eyes. It was breathtaking—I can’t even explain what it was like. But it was also very sad. I’ve been working to help her for the last few days.”

  “Working to help her? A dead witch?” Shayla sputtered. “That has to be Dae. I don’t know anyone else who’d talk that way. Let her up, Gram.”

  I looked into the wrinkled, dark face close to mine and smiled. “I’ve heard so much about you. I’m Dae O’Donnell. Shayla talks about you all the time.”

  “Flourine Lily.” She grinned from ear to ear. “I still smell that old witch on you, honey.”

  I was a little embarrassed. It never occurred to me that a crowd of people would be waiting for me. “I could use a shower. I’ve been digging over at the geothermal site for the new town hall. You won’t believe what I found.”

  Kevin and Shayla helped Flourine to her feet. I wasn’t sure she was very happy to see me there. She kept throwing feathers at me and mumbling words I couldn’t understand.

  I wanted to go right in and take a shower. No one else liked that idea. They didn’t think I should be alone. I thought longingly about the clean jeans and shirt I always kept there at the Inn. I finally decided that if they could stand it, so could I.

  I’d never seen a group of people act so weird. When we all sat down at the big table in the bar area, everyone crowded in around me. Shayla and her grandmother were behind me, as though I might try to escape. What was wrong with them?

  Kevin had leftovers from lunch that day, and warm cookies. I completely forgot about changing clothes and showering as I realized how hungry I was. I wasn’t sure I’d eaten in the last few days. What had needed to be done had to be done quickly. I didn’t mind. But suddenly, I was exhausted and near the end of my strength.

  “Start at the beginning,” Kevin said. “Tell us what happened.”

  “Well, you know about the amber necklace already.” I spoke between mouthfuls of homemade bread and warm mulled wine. “My father sent it to me. It was the only real antique he’d managed to find in that whole mess he got himself into. He thought it was from the Andalusia.”

  “The ghost ship?” Trudy whispered.

  “Yes. But when I held it, I realized it had never been on that ship. I made contact with Maggie. She was given the necklace as a gift from her lover before he left her.”

  “The witch?” Trudy could barely say the word. “Dae, you should’ve known better. You’re the one always reminding everyone else about Duck history. Why would you do such a thing?”

  “I tried to tell you to put it down,” Ann said. “I guess you were too engrossed with the necklace by then to get my telepathic message.”

  “Maggie wasn’t a witch.” I could see the fear and suspicion on their faces. “She had some special abilities. She could predict storms and heal people. Being different meant she was shunned by everyone else. She lived by herself until she met her sea captain, who left her the necklace then moved on. The witch rumors became worse after that.”

  “She had some powerful abilities.” Ann interrupted again. “Betsy and I felt the connection between you all the way in Richmond and New York. Betsy’s mother let me me bring her with me to help find you.”

  I smiled at Betsy. “I’m really sorry about that. I didn’t know.”

  She came around and hugged me. “It’s okay. I’m happy you’re back.”

  She sat on my lap, leaning her head against my dirty shoulder. Brave child.

  “After I put on the necklace, I realized what was wrong. I knew I had to move fast. It’s taken almost a year to get everything in place for the geothermal system at the town hall site. They’re ready to go on with the project now. Maggie’s house is down there where they’re going to drill the holes.”

  Everyone acted so strange that I didn’t tell them that Maggie was killed there when a huge storm collapsed her house on top of her. No one ever bothered to see if she was trapped inside. They were just glad she was gone. “Maggie needs me to collect her bones and give them a decent burial.”

  Flourine spit on the floor. “Don’t you believe them lies. That witch, she has something else in mind. Don’t trust her.”

  Everyone started talking at once. I’d explained the situation as well as I could. I looked at Kevin. We had to get moving if we were going to get the bones. There was no more time. Tomorrow morning, the first hole would be sunk right where I needed to be.

  I loved all of these people, my friends, but they were going to have to trust me. I hoped they’d help with the task.

  “Look, no one took over anyone,” I assured them. “Maggie wasn’t a witch but she was gifted. In the fear and agony of her death, she managed to leave something of herself behind in the amber beads of the necklace. They survived and were passed from hand to hand until they reached me. I want to help her. I could use your help doing it.”

  “I’m sorry.” Trudy shuddered. “It was really scary, you know? You said in the note you left for your grandfather you’d be gone, but you didn’t take anything with you. Ann flew down here. We were all worried sick.”

  “I think we all get that part now.” Ann was out of patience. “Where’s the necklace, Dae? I’d like to see it for myself. I can’t believe any object that old has so much power.”

  “I left it in my backpack by the door. I’ll get it.”

  “No!” Shayla put her hand on my shoulder. “Let’s not go through that again.”

  Shayla and Ann exchanged significant looks then tried to beat each other to the entryway. Too bad for both of them, Flourine was already there with her charms and feathers.

  I’d heard some odd stories from Shayla, during the years she’d been in Duck, about her Gram. It was like meeting a legend—a scary legend.

  Kevin came around the table and looked at Betsy. She’d fallen asleep against me. “She’s exhausted. It’s been a few long days for her. Maybe a nap will do her some good. I’ll lay her down in her bed for a while so we can talk.”

  “You believe I’m me, don’t you?” I asked him.

  “I do.” He smiled and touched my cheek before he took Betsy and left the room.

 
Well, that was one for my side.

  Trudy and Tim were whispering to each other and looking like every word the other said was a matter of life and death.

  “What do you need us to do, Dae?” Trudy finally looked up with a pretty blush on her cheeks. Her eyes were sparkling.

  Could it be? After all this time, had Trudy and Tim found something together? Maybe I needed to disappear more often.

  I started to explain my plan but was interrupted by Ann and Flourine fighting over the backpack.

  “Let it go, Gram,” Shayla advised. “It’s okay.”

  “No! We need to put the witch down, chère. You know that. She can’t be allowed to take hold of anyone else like she has your friend. Who knows what she really wants here?”

  “Give me the backpack, old lady.” Ann continued to struggle with her.

  Seeing that my backpack was going to be shredded, I joined the fray. Reluctantly. Now that I wasn’t so engrossed in finding Maggie’s bones, and I’d eaten, I wanted to sleep for a few days.

  I got up as the poor old backpack that had served me faithfully since college finally gave way. My collapsible shovel and lantern flew across the floor. The amber necklace spun up into the air. Like a charm, it came right into my hands.

  Ann reached out and snatched it from me, putting it around her neck. Some of the gold filigree between the smooth amber beads caught in her pale hair. “It’s beautiful. Look at the workmanship. It’s like strands of sunlight.”

  “What do you feel? Can you see the witch?” Shayla studied her.

  Ann closed her eyes and concentrated. “I can feel the power in it. It’s like wearing a necklace made of electricity.” She abruptly opened her eyes. “But that’s it. No witch’s eyes. I guess she saved that for Dae.”

  “Let me try.” Shayla reached for the beads.

  “No!” Flourine cried out. Before anyone could realize her intent or stop her, she took out an old silver dagger and severed the necklace. Amber beads dropped on the wood floor around us.