Part 9 (2/2)

Mom looked at me. ”I need you and Rhonda to check out Maureen's apartment and see if there's anything in there that might lead us to where she went. But the big thing to do is get a hold of Bonville's Grimoire.”

All eyes stared at Nona as if she'd lost her mind. And I think she had.

”Nona,” Rhonda frowned. ”Exactly how do you suppose we do that? I'm sure he's got it locked up in his home or where ever they do their mojo.”

She smiled and I didn't like it. ”I don't think he has that Grimoire anymore,” she held up the doc.u.ments. ”These pages attest that it was taken, or defaced in some way.”

”They do?” Rhonda said.

”You think those pages are out of the book itself?” Jemmy said.

”Yes I do,” Nona said. ”And if it was taken and these pages ripped out, my guess is either Bonville's wife,” she looked at Dags, ”Or Maureen took it.”

”Which would make sense in a motive standpoint if he came after her,” Dags said. ”And you don't think he's found it?”

”No. But rest a.s.sured,” she grinned and I still didn't like it. ”If we can get our hands on it, he'll be coming after us as well.”

Oh. h.e.l.l.

CHAPTER SEVEN.

The problem we faced--well okay we had several problems but I'm gonna concentrate on one at a time--was that we needed Dags to come with us to look at Maureen's apartment (he had a key!) but if he stepped outside of the house wards then he might get zapped.

Rhonda and Mom moved into the Botanica while Dags and Jemmy talked about stuff in the corner. I decided to be useful and started picking up things and taking them back into the kitchen. Tim appeared there as well and was solid enough to open the dishwasher so I could load it.

”You got any Wraithy feelings on this one?”

I paused in the middle of putting a dessert plate into the washer. Uh...no. And what is Wraithy feelings?

”You know--kinda of like a spidey sense?”

I pursed my lips and shook my head before finis.h.i.+ng up the dishes. Once that was done I poured myself another gla.s.s of tea over my half-melted ice and looked at my little spooky buddy. I don't get this thing with Dags--the whole marks on the hand thing. That's more Rhonda's schtick. But those things in that restaurant? I shook my head. There were two types of things--kinda like we were attacked by a set of apples and then an orange helped. They were both fruit, but just different kinds of fruits.

Tim laughed. ”I'm not sure which is sadder--your a.n.a.logy or the fact I understood it.”

I blew him a quiet razzberry and sipped my tea. Mmm....sugary goodness. Oh shut up--I'm watching my sugar!

”You think that the oranges and the apples were related?”

I nodded. Yeah--just not in the way we think of as related. The apples felt--well p.i.s.sed off. Angry. Irritated. I don't have the right word. But the orange was--well--scared. Sad. Desperate.

”Hey Zoe!” that was Rhonda.

I saluted Tim with the tea and moved out of the kitchen and into the Botanica. Mom and Rhonda had cleared the coffee table of its magazines and had a flat square of wood on it--with a pentagram carved out of it. Oh geez...don't these two ever stop? Was the one on the floor not enough that they had to make a portable altar thingie?

I was shocked Rhonda didn't have it on my iBook. She could call it an iPentagram.

Wait--iStar?

iPentacle?

Phhht.

Jemmy and Dags were with them as well, all kneeling and sitting down around the board. In the middle of it sat Dags' silver bracelet. Upon closer inspection I noticed it was a chain of little silver skulls--but they were stylized looking. Kinda like Day of the Dead skulls. That real silver?

”Yeah,” Dags said. ”It was a gift from a shaman I met while I was in Mexico.”

Oh. Cool.

”Yeah. He's dead. Bit by a snake.”

Well you're just full of cheery news, ain't cha?

”Zoe,” Mom looked up where I was looming. ”I need you to go OOB for me and then go corporeal.”

I stood up straight. I did manage to sign, ”Why?” cause I'd seen that gesture enough.

”Just trust me on this.”

You're not gonna hurt me are you?

”She wants to know if she's gonna get hurt,” Dags interpreted.

Mom rolled her eyes. ”Not yet. Just please--”

Yet? Why the yet part? Oh all right. I moved past them and set myself down in the papasan and slipped out. Didn't take much to make me go all solid. Just one thought of Daniel and poof. Here I am! I moved in closer--Dags was watching all wide eyed.

”How come you always have that on?”

You don't like bunny slippers?

He smiled. ”Love them. But when they sprout fangs, I'm outta here.”

”Okay, Zoe I need you to reach out and touch the bracelet when I tell you too.”

Oh--kay. So I held my corporeal hand over the bracelet.

”No, the other one. The one TC touched.”

Argh. I switched arms, reaching out with my left arm. This made the hand print even more visible to everyone. I was self-conscious about it. Dags was literally salivating over it.

Mom lit four white candles around the table. She bowed her head. Then she nodded to me. I touched the bracelet-- And found myself in the other room--on my a.s.s.

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