Part 29 (2/2)

”Of course, Sean, but once... well, once I was different!” Maggie murmured.

Sean shook his head and sighed with a feigned display of great largesse and patience. He smiled slowly, turning to Lucian. ”We'll see, Lucian. We'll see.” He turned back to his wife. ”If we decide we just can't live without a trip to New England, we'll come together. Hey, it might prove to be a good idea-like I said, I am the cop. Never hurts to have a cop around, even if he's a Southern boy in the far North.”

”Sean is right-it's always good to have a cop around,” Lucian said.

”But I do still have a certain sixth sense,” Maggie protested. ”I can tell what you're trying to do right now. You all want to go, and you want to leave Maggie safe at home. It can't work that way and you know it.”

”We'll see,” Sean and Lucian said simultaneously.

Maggie exploded with an impatient sigh.

”We should get to the airport,” Jade said uncomfortably. She stood up. ”By the way, Ragnor and Jordan are arriving in New York tonight, and I've put through an E-mail to Tara and Brent.”

”And what did you tell them?” Maggie demanded.

”To stand by,” Jade said.”Ten,” Lucian murmured.

”What?” Maggie said.

Lucian looked around at them. ”There are ten of us-if need be.” He paused, smiling. ”Ten of us, including you, Maggie! Yet, I have a feeling we may need a few more.”

”A few-as in twelve?” Jade said, puzzled.

”A coven of twelve,” Sean murmured, looking at Lucian.

”No... thirteen,” Lucian said.

”A coven? Because it's Salem? Oh, come on, please!” Maggie protested. ”I've known numerous Wiccans in my day! They really don't believe in evil-”

”And in your day, you've known a lot more than Wiccans!” Lucian said flatly, standing as well.

”But Lucian,” Jade murmured. ”Surely... we can just put a stop to this?”

He shook his head. ”If it were a simple matter of silly men and women playing at parlor games, I could easily put a stop to it. But...

I think that certain forces have already been unleashed. If I'm right... we're dealing with a tremendous power. For now... well, let's catch that plane, huh?”

Megan was sleeping. A peaceful, dreamless sleep.

Martha watched her from the doorway, smiling. She was such a beautiful girl. Such a kind spirit, a gentle soul.

Ah... well, life changed things like that.

But still...

Megan breathed in easily, exhaled softly. Hair draped over her face, lovely long fingers splayed out over the pillow.

Martha felt fiercely protective of the stunning young beauty on the bed.

”I will never let one speck of injury come to that perfect young body, my dear!” she whispered softly from the doorway. She closed the door. Megan would sleep peacefully for a few hours, thanks to Martha's simple herbal tea. She would have the rest that she needed. In Martha's home, all of her sweet youthfulness and beauty would be guarded-Martha felt like an old bulldog herself, but that was that. She smiled, glad that the girl had come to her.

She headed for her kitchen, then snorted out loud. ”Wiccans!”

That Morwenna and her silly husband, Joseph, with his ridiculous, dyed black hair!

And Megan's husband. That man might well be proving more of a menace than Martha had imagined, causing all kinds of trouble.

Not he, not anyone, was getting to young Ms. Megan. No one, Martha determined. Thus determined, she went on with her ch.o.r.es.

Not long after he'd hung up the phone, Finn began to question his own sanity.

By chance, surely, the book had fallen open to Bac-Dal. And so, he had gone off the deep end.

Great. He'd made a writer and her husband think he was crazy. Grist for the mill. He hoped he wouldn't give her too much to write about.

He'd already showered, but he decided to shower again, hoping the hot water would ease the tension in his muscles and help clear his mind.

As it sluiced over him, he felt a sense of calm. Megan had gone to Martha's, and she would be all right there. Whether they thought he was crazy or not, he had a feeling that the couple from New Orleans might have the ability to clear away some of the nonsense-make all that was bizarre become rational.

He determined that he was going to be completely calm himself. He would greet her that evening in an entirely businesslike fas.h.i.+on.

He wouldn't even ask her for an explanation.

But as he lathered in a fury, he had to fight to maintain a sense of sanity and determination. He'd been told to watch out for her. In the dark. Beware the fog.

Well, that was just great, and hard to do. You never knew when the stinking fog was coming, and she wasn't staying with him, she'd left him, so it was going to be rather hard to watch out for her.

Drying in an equal fury, he thought again that they should just get the h.e.l.l out. Maybe he could talk to her that night. Megan, don't you just hate it in those stupid horror films when teenagers stay in the woods, fooling around, when the killer comes into the woods, and hacks up teenagers who are in the woods, fooling around? I think we're in the woods. It's time to get the h.e.l.l out, and screw our careers. Let's just opt for our lives.

But Lucian DeVeau had just told him that it wouldn't have mattered at all if he had tried to run. He would have wound up back there.

That had to be bull. And he had to have been nuts, calling those people. They were probably just as crazy into an imaginary psychic power as the Wiccans. And still...

He dressed, then determined to head into the parlor area of Huntington House for a cup of coffee. Something good and strong that would keep him awake-and thinking sanely.

Dressed for the night, he strode into the parlor, wondering if he would run into anyone or not. Fallon-who might know that Megan had left and would stare at him like the wife-beating monster he a.s.sumed Finn to be.

Susanna, dour, nasty-there to serve the guests, but doing so with a reserve and superiority that would make many would-be bed and breakfast managers cringe.

But neither Fallon nor Susanna was around. The only occupants of the parlor were the children, little Ellie, and her big brother Joshua. They were playing a board game on the table. Despite his mood, he greeted the two with a cheerful h.e.l.lo, and said that he hoped they were having fun.

”Sure,” Joshua said with a shrug. ”How did you like the museum I told you about?”

”You were right, I liked it a lot.”

”I like the place Mr. Smith has!” Ellie piped in.

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