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  One bit of good news shortly after Mike got home—Elsie had told her daughter that she would move out if Aleese didn’t leave her alone. It didn’t make much sense to me since the house belonged to Elsie. But whatever worked to keep us together was what mattered.

  “That’s one piece of the puzzle back where it belongs,” I told Isabelle. “We have to hold on to what we have right now. We can always add the other pieces as we go along.”

  She agreed and rubbed her head against my leg, requesting salmon for dinner instead of tuna. I laughed and fed her before we left. It was an easy thing to do that didn’t make my brain ache like so many other things I’d been thinking about.

  We left the house in Joe’s SUV and drove to Flaming Amy’s Burrito Barn on Oleander. This was Mike’s favorite place to eat.

  “I’m starving!” he told us as we walked into the restaurant. “I’m glad we could come here.”

  Joe kind of grunted at his words. The waiter, who knew us well, found us a quiet table in the back so we could talk. The restaurant was packed, as always.

  “We’d like to talk about why you left school,” I said as we sat down.

  “Does there have to be a reason?” Mike picked up a menu. “I’m old enough to know what I want.”

  “And that is?” Joe’s eyes narrowed.

  “I want to be free to start my life,” Mike said in a belligerent tone. “I’ve spent years in college. I don’t want to be an engineer anymore.”

  Mike didn’t seem to notice how angry his father was. We ordered dinner and got our drinks as Mike went on and on about how excited he was and what a good thing this was going to be.

  I kept listening to him, hoping he’d give away what was really happening in his life. There hadn’t been anything in his texts or phone calls that had made me think something was wrong. Whatever had happened was sudden, which probably meant he hadn’t had a chance to think it over.

  Our dinner had arrived, thankfully. Mike was finally out of words as he started eating. Joe was too angry to speak by this time. I knew it was a slow simmer that would erupt if he didn’t understand the problem Mike was facing. I wanted to prevent that—I had enough unhappy things going on right now without dealing with something between them.

  As I gazed around the crowded restaurant, I caught sight of Brian Fuller. He was sitting at a table only a few yards away with a pretty blonde as his companion. They were smiling and enjoying their meal.

  Joe got a call from Lisbet and went outside to answer it. Mike went to the restroom.

  It was crazy, I know, to approach Brian after his reception on the boat. What can I say? I felt desperate to find closure and put an end to whatever the disagreement was between us. At that moment, I even considered that Brian might not have killed Olivia. Maybe he just needed someone to listen to his story. Besides, this was a public place. He wouldn’t dare use magic here.

  I got up from my table and crossed the restaurant to him.

  CHAPTER 11

  Courage take and courage keep,

  Bravery in my heart doth leap,

  Faith and patience cover me,

  Now until the end I seek.

  “Molly, isn’t it?” Brian put out a hand and shook mine. “Would you like to join us?”

  “No, thank you.” I glanced at the pretty blonde. She wasn’t a witch. “You might want to ask your friend to powder her nose while we talk.”

  “Is there a problem?” He actually appeared surprised to see me and not a bit reticent to talk.

  “I’m here about Olivia.”

  Brian took the hint and asked the blonde to give us a few minutes. She sulked, prettily, but left the table. “I don’t know what Olivia told you, but we aren’t only seeing each other. She doesn’t want that kind of relationship any more than I do.”

  What was he saying? “Olivia is dead. Murdered. She died after the two of you left the shop together. Don’t tell me you didn’t know.”

  He glanced around the room. “I had no idea. I’m so sorry. She was a wonderful woman.”

  “You tossed me and my friends into the river. Why was that, if you weren’t trying to protect yourself from our accusations?”

  “Molly, I didn’t hurt Olivia. I don’t know what you’re talking about us being on a boat. I just got back from Charleston with Stephanie.” He nodded toward the bathroom.

  I let myself take a deep breath so I could feel his magic. He didn’t feel like the witch we’d faced on the boat, but if he was powerful enough, he could mask his strength too.

  “I think we should talk to the Grand Council about what happened.”

  His eyes darkened. “I don’t like what you’re saying. I’m not going before the council because you think I did something wrong. I didn’t hurt Olivia, and that’s that.”

  I studied him as I twisted Cassandra’s ring on my finger. Would she come? The council was used to dealing with problems like this—I wasn’t. I knew there wasn’t much proof against him. I just wanted them to handle the situation so I could get my family back on track and mourn my friend.

  “I think you should go, Molly.” He was drawing magic to him for protection.

  I put my hand on my cauldron I wore. Was there enough strength in it to help me?

  I could feel the physical walls of the room melting away. There was a windstorm in Brian’s eyes. An air witch. He could be as powerful as any water witch, definitely more powerful than me.

  “Molly?” Joe was standing beside the table. His frown was as dark as the river during a storm. “Is this a new friend of yours?”

  “Just an acquaintance,” I told him, stumbling to my feet. What had I been thinking coming over here? I took Joe’s hand and pulled him away.

  “Who was that?” He glanced back at Brian.

  “Someone I know from Smuggler’s Arcane,” I lied. “I was telling him about Olivia. That’s all.”

  I’d been so close to ruining years of effort to protect Joe and Mike from magic. I couldn’t let Brian draw me out into the open just to prove that he killed Olivia. I needed proof—hard proof. I couldn’t let my emotions get carried away.

  Mike was back too when we reached the table. “I thought you two had left without me.”

  “Your mother was explaining to a friend that Olivia was dead,” Joe said.

  Mike was horrified. “I’m sorry, Mom. I didn’t know. What happened?”

  I gave him a cursory explanation.

  “I’m so sorry, Mom.” Mike reached out his hand to me. “I know they’ll find her killer.”

  “I’m sure you’re right.” I smiled at him. “Excuse me. I’m going to the ladies’ room.”

  I walked away on unsteady legs. The whole incident had scared me more than being dunked in the river. I hadn’t proven anything about Brian. I was going to have to be more careful in the future. I realized that I’d revealed my weakness to him—he knew about Joe and Mike.

  In the ladies’ room, I looked at my face in the big mirror. Fear fairly seeped from every pore. I was going to have to do a better job of disguising my feelings. I might not be able to match Brian’s magic, but I could certainly hold my own in keeping up a good poker face.

  I splashed a little water on my face and blotted it with a paper towel. My hands were shaky and cold. This wasn’t the Molly Addison Renard I wanted to show when I walked out of the bathroom.

  I glanced around and knew I was alone. I filled one of the sinks with water and plunged my hands into it, muttering a spell for courage as I did so. The water would enhance my magic. I closed my eyes and felt warm belief and steadiness flow into me.

  By the time I left a few minutes later, the spell had taken effect. My cheeks were slightly pink, and my gait was confident. I picked up my bag with a sure hand and smiled at my reflection in the mirror. That was better. Maybe my magic was waning, but I didn’t hav
e to look like it.

  There was a small alcove leading away from the bathrooms, separating the diners from that area. As I left the ladies’ room, I noticed Brian waiting for me there, leaning negligently against the wall with a frown on his handsome young face.

  “I could feel the magic from here.” He slid his hands into his pockets. “It wasn’t very strong, but when you know what you’re looking for, it’s obvious.”

  I couldn’t walk away from this direct challenge. “I’m just looking for the truth about what happened to Olivia. If you aren’t guilty of killing her and stealing our spell book, you have nothing to fear from the council.”

  “I didn’t kill Olivia or steal anything from her. Leave me alone, Molly. I don’t want any trouble, but now that I know about your family—”

  He walked away, his threat lingering behind him like strong perfume. I wanted to reach out and drag him before the council. I twisted Cassandra’s ring until it burned my finger. I couldn’t stop him.

  I almost couldn’t believe what he was saying. He might not have killed Olivia, but he was breaking every sacred oath any witch had ever taken by threatening me. Maybe it would be enough to get Cassandra to take me seriously—when I saw her again.

  I tried to find that courage I’d built up in the ladies’ room. Maybe I’d done too good a job coming right out and confronting Brian. My hands were shaking again when I got back to our table. It wasn’t from fear this time though; it was outrage.

  “Are you okay?” Joe asked.

  “I’m fine.” I looked at Mike. “I think we should go.”

  He got up and pushed his chair under the table. “I’ll wait for you outside.”

  Joe didn’t seem like he was in any rush to leave. He sipped his coffee and stared at the people around us. “Did Mike say anything that gave you a hint what his problem is?”

  “No. I’m afraid not. But we have time, Joe. We can figure it out and influence Mike into going back to East Carolina.”

  He squeezed my hand. “At least we agree about that, Molly.”

  I knew he was referring to his idea that I should give up Smuggler’s Arcane and what he probably thought of as my crazy idea to find Olivia’s killer. I couldn’t figure out why he was suddenly so unhappy about me running the shop. We paid the bill for dinner and left the restaurant.

  Mike was sullen and angry when we got outside. It was an unpleasant trip back to the house. No one spoke, and the drive seemed to take forever.

  Joe pulled the car into the garage and turned off the engine. “Son, we have to talk about you leaving school.”

  “There’s nothing to talk about,” Mike informed him. He got out of the SUV and slammed the door closed.

  “Okay. Any other ideas?” Joe asked me.

  “We have to keep talking to him. Whatever is wrong must be important to him. Maybe there’s a girl.”

  “A girl?” Joe shook his head, as though trying to clear his thoughts. “I didn’t even think about that! Maybe you’d make a good detective after all.”

  “No.” I wished more than anything that I could confide in him. Joe and I had always been a good team. Together, we might have been able to figure out what had happened to Olivia. But it was too risky.

  “Look, Molly.” He turned to me. “I know this has been really hard on you. You and Olivia were friends since you were kids. You have to believe that Lisbet and I can find the killer. Let us do our job. You concentrate on thinking of some way to keep Mike in school. Okay?”

  “I’ll do what I can.” I couldn’t promise to let Olivia’s death go. Joe didn’t know what was going on behind the scenes. It was better that way, but I could see it was going to be a struggle to keep him out of it.

  “Why do you want me to close Smuggler’s Arcane?” This seemed like a good time to ask. “You’ve never said that before.”

  He shrugged. “I guess I was thinking about retirement. I’m hoping we can do some traveling—see the world! We can’t go anywhere with you tied to that shop.”

  “I see.” My heart was lighter knowing his reasoning. He had no idea about my plan to retire in Boca where so many other witches lived. “You don’t have to worry. When the time is right, I’ll give it up. I’m hoping Dorothy—the young woman you met—is going to buy it.”

  “Great!” He gave me a lingering kiss. “I love you, Molly. Don’t ever forget that.”

  “I won’t, if you won’t. I love you too, Joe.”

  We opened our doors to get out, and there was Lisbet, standing outside the garage. Her car was in the drive.

  “Sorry to interrupt. I’m sorry, Molly, we’ve had a break in your friend’s murder case. I have to steal Joe away.”

  CHAPTER 12

  Calm of the winter night, come to me.

  Calm of the summer sky, come to me.

  Calm of the spring rain, come to me.

  Calm of the autumn mist, come to me.

  Come to me.

  I went inside. Mike was already closed up in his bedroom. Maybe it was just as well. I didn’t know if I could talk a bee out of buzzing around a stone flower that night.

  I was exhausted and dispirited. I didn’t know which way to turn. Olivia had been murdered. Brian had issued a not-so-veiled threat against my family. Coming at a time when our coven was falling apart and my magic was going away, it was too much to bear. I wished I could hide my head under a pillow.

  Isabelle reminded me that it wouldn’t help. She told me, as she always had since I’d found her twenty years ago, that I was a powerful witch and that anything was possible. Her purr was meant to set my heart and mind at ease.

  While I appreciated her support, I knew her allegiance was blind. It didn’t matter what the circumstance—she always felt that I could overcome it. She was my one-cat cheerleading squad.

  I thanked her and went into the bedroom to put on my pajamas.

  I opened my jewelry box to put my pearl earrings away. I can’t explain why I did it, but I opened the secret compartment under the box.

  The compartment was made for only one thing—my mother’s amulet. I picked it up and felt its cool weight in my hand.

  The silver filigree was heavy and ornate around the single blue stone. The color inside the stone seemed to move, just like the sea, creating shadows and currents. It was a one-of-a-kind piece that had been spelled by a woman so far back in my family line, no one was sure who she was.

  It was an incredible piece of jewelry, but I’d never worn it. My mother had given it to me when I turned eighteen. Every witch in my family had worn the amulet. I could feel the magic imbued within it.

  My mother had told me that the amulet was a gift from a lesser sea god; I couldn’t even remember what she’d said his name was—I’d never heard of him. I couldn’t imagine what I would do with it since it was elaborate, and I’m not a chunky-jewelry person.

  When she’d given it to me, I didn’t feel like my magic needed a crutch.

  I did now.

  I closed the door to my bedroom and turned off the light. I held the amulet close to me and concentrated on it. The moon was shining through the windows. A single shaft of light fell on the stone and seemed to waken something inside it.

  Iridescent lights emerged inside the stone in response to the moonlight. They danced in the blue depths, like fairies on midsummer. I watched them in amazement. Outside the occasional glance at the amulet, I’d never taken it out of the jewelry box since I’d received it.

  I’d shown it to Olivia, of course. We showed each other everything. She couldn’t believe that I didn’t want to wear it. “Oh, wear it, Molly,” she’d urged. “Maybe the lesser sea god is young and handsome!”

  “Is this what you want?” I asked the amulet.

  In response, there were more glowing lights in the stone.

  It was chilly outside, but I stepped int
o the garden. It was heavy with the woody scents of fall—mums, dahlias and the last roses of summer.

  In the center of the garden was a small stone altar Olivia, Elsie and I had used a few times for solstice celebrations. I put the amulet on the moonlight-bathed stone.

  The blue stone took on a life of its own. The iridescent lights slowly emerged from it and moved in the moonlight as though they were alive.

  I watched in fascination as they flowed into the night around me, leaving traces of blue energy behind them.

  Why hadn’t my mother told me about this? She hadn’t said anything other than that the stone had been passed down for generations.

  I could feel its magic in the moonlight. It reached out to me. The same feeling I’d had in the river that day encompassed me. I felt as though I could live in its light forever.

  The door to the house opened and closed. The lights went away. I was left with the same amulet I’d always had. I picked it up and put it in my pocket.

  “Mom, is there anything to eat? I’m starving.”

  The amulet felt cool in my pocket. It was hard to break away from its spell. “There are waffles in the freezer and some frozen French fries.”

  “What about pizza?” Mike asked.

  “The number for delivery is on the refrigerator, just like always.”

  “My cell phone is dead. Can you call?”

  I sighed. Maybe this interruption was for the best. I needed some time to understand what I’d had for so many years—and to talk to my son.

  “All right. I’m coming.”

  It was ten thirty before the pizza delivery driver got there. They had my credit card on file so all I had to do was give him a tip and take the box.

  Joe had come home while Mike was watching basketball on TV. I put the pizza out on the table and got something to drink.

  I knew there wouldn’t be a better time for the three of us to discuss Mike’s decision to leave college. I sat with them while they ate pizza and drank soda.