X is for XOANON

Moonbeam Chronicles:
Book Twenty-Four

Carolina Mac
Copyright © 2023 by Carolina Mac
X is for XOANON - 1st ed.
ISBN – 978-1-990882-10-4
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 To: Davey

Xoanon: A primitive wooden image of a deity.

(In Ancient Greece)

―Oxford dictionaries.
 CONTENTS

Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
 Chapter One

Wednesday, May 18th.

Shadow Mountain. West Virginia.

My mother deemed it appropriate to bury my father next to my half-sister Rowan. In my opinion,
Rowan had done much to contribute to my father’s untimely demise and therefore he should be buried
elsewhere. Somewhere far away from the constant reminder of Rowan and the grief she had caused
all who were close to her. She was not a good daughter and a worse sister, but who was I to judge?
All of my kin—mountain people—the Thornhearts and the Churchills—gathered at my father’s
grave to mark his passing. The Thornhearts had populated our side of Shadow Mountain for hundreds
of years, and I had aunts, uncles, and cousins I had never laid eyes on.
Mama’s kin—the Churchills—came from the other side of the mountain and we saw them less
frequently. All except for Mama’s twin sister, my Aunt Wenda. She was a regular visitor to our home.
Mama and Wenda were twins who shared everything.
No doubt all of my kin had heard stories about me—running away from home, becoming a Texas
Ranger, and then marrying a serial killer.
None of those stories would’ve made it to the Hallmark channel, but those tales—some of them
fairly sordid—only comprised my first twenty years.
In my heart, I believed I had reached an age of maturity and sound judgement and the next twenty
would be something to be proud of. Daddy didn’t live to see it, but Mama might be impressed in the
future.
Wearing my only black dress, I held the hand of my true love, Freddie Binks. He was my stability
and my only connection to sanity besides my brother Ardal. Freddie had issues to rival my own, but
together we were a whole person.
My brother, Ardal, was not able to come to Daddy’s funeral because of illness, and I couldn’t fault
him for that. He remained at home in Texas, waiting for Freddie and I to return home with our two
babies.
The preacher Mama had convinced to preside over Daddy’s burial was none other than Stan West,
Pastor of the Methodist Church in Shadow Valley. Why Mama wanted him to bury Daddy and say
words over his grave was anybody’s guess. Mama was a witch and leaned heavily towards the
Wiccan ways. She had never been a Methodist in her entire life.
When Daddy dropped dead, Mama lost it.

After the graveside service in the field, all of our friends and family moved to our house on the side
of the mountain, and I helped Mama and Aunt Wenda serve refreshments on our porch.
All of our kin had pitched in and brought cakes, cookies, and casseroles by the dozens. Mama had
wrung the necks of a dozen of her best Rhode Island Reds and fried them up in her special batter. I
always liked Mama’s fried chicken better than the Colonel’s.
Some people said that Mama’s fried chicken was the best in West Virginia just as the Colonel’s
chicken was revered by the folks in Kentucky.
After everyone had eaten all of the best mountain cooking they could hold, my cousin Jethro took
six cases of moonshine out of the back of his pickup and set up a bar on his tailgate. He handed out
Mason jars to all the men in the crowd, and to a couple of my aunts who were up for the challenge.
With a big smile on his face, Freddie sat on the porch steps beside Jethro and guzzled down the
potent brew. I watched and wondered if Freddie would be conscious when I took him home.

Fairgrounds. Jackson. Mississippi.

Posing as Chance Watkins, Sonny Hart showed up at the county fair and asked the carnival manager,
Julio, for a job working the rides.
Julio didn’t recognize Sonny in Chance Watkins’ body, but the carnival always needed big strong
guys to run the rides, and to tear them down and put them back up again at the next venue.
Sonny told Julio he had his own rig and could haul a trailer anywhere the carnival was headed. He
figured that point alone would get him the job.
The carnival was willed to Sonny by his stepfather, Zak Turner, but Sonny had died too soon to
inherit it and the business had passed to Sonny’s wife Gillette.
Now that Sonny was back in human form—using Chance Watkins’ body—he figured he might as
well run his own carnival. Gilly wouldn’t care because Sonny was a carny and had been since he was
old enough to work. He knew every ride and every game on the midway. Sonny loved his carnival
and was the best man for the job.
“Sure, I can use another guy and another trailer,” said Julio. “You can start today. What do you
know about motors?”
Sonny grinned. “There ain’t a motor on one of these rides that I can’t fix.”
Julio grinned. “You’re just in time. Go fix that fuckin wheel.”
Feeling right at home, Sonny marched off towards the ferris wheel. That fucker was always
screwing up and stranding riders at the top. He could hear them screaming and felt right at home.

Nine Hemlock Way. Elgin. Texas.

Home alone and not feeling well, Ardal ignored the knocking on the front door. He couldn’t bring
himself to get up off the sofa to see who was there. Gilly was in West Virginia with Freddie and
Ardal’s father was at the barn taking care of the horses.
Both Lulu and Rosita were with Sylvan so the dogs weren’t in the house to bark at strangers. “Who
is it?” Ardal called weakly. He thought he heard a female voice say Juniper, but he wasn’t sure.
“Come in,” he called in a whisper, not knowing if the visitor could hear him.
Footsteps crossed the foyer and then a small red-haired girl came into view. “Ardal, why aren’t
you answering the door?”
“I can’t.”
“Oh, my. You are in a bad way. Jerome and I have come to talk to you about a serious matter.”
“Doesn’t matter how serious it is, Juniper,” said Ardal, “I can’t go on a mission. I can’t even get
off the sofa to answer the door.”
Juniper sat in the armchair closest to the sofa and Jerome, the Green Man’s head gnome, sat in the
wing chair near the hearth.
“My father is in terrible trouble,” said Juniper. “He needs you.”
“As you can see, Junie, there is nothing I can do to help him,” said Ardal. “It’s taking weeks for the
voodoo poison to leave my bloodstream. Misty is trying a new cleansing potion, but it’s taking a long
time to work.”
“Let me explain what happened,” said Jerome. “We have to figure out a plan of action. This is
crucial and time sensitive.”
“Go ahead and tell me,” said Ardal. “It won’t make any difference. I can hardly walk as far as the
bathroom.”
Juniper started to cry. “I’m so sad the voodoo people poisoned you, Ardal. You are Daddy’s
favorite person in the whole world—after me—and he feels terrible you were nearly killed.”
Jerome nodded his bald head in agreement with Juniper’s words. “Terrible. The Green Man feels
terrible.”
“Tell me what happened,” said Ardal. “I don’t think I can help you, Juniper, but tell me anyway
why you came to me.”
“After you eliminated Brigitte in the Guadalupe Mountains,” said Jerome, “and the Green Man
took Brigitte’s totem, the black rooster, home to his place at Nature Headquarters, one of Brigitte’s
followers or admirers—if you want to call them that—came to headquarters and robbed the Green
Man.”
“What was taken?” asked Ardal. “The black rooster?”
“No, they didn’t take the black rooster although it is a sought-after prize in the world of dark
magick,” said Jerome. “The Xoanon was taken.”
With tears in her eyes, Juniper described it to Ardal. “It’s a wooden likeness of my father carved
from wood. Made by Mother Nature when she used to sit on her front porch and whittle away the
hours, she carved it by hand. She bestowed the carving on Daddy when he took over her duties, and
it’s where all of his power comes from.”
“Uh huh. I can see where that would be unsettling,” said Ardal. “Who do you think took it?”
“Someone sent by Daddy’s greatest enemy,” said Juniper. “Her name cannot be spoken because
every time she is mentioned, her power grows.”
“So someone—an envoy this person sent—has the carving now?” asked Ardal.
“Yes. That’s the person who has it.”
“Any idea who or where this person is?”
“No.” Juniper dabbed at her eyes. “Daddy doesn’t know who took it and he’s too weak to find out.
That’s why he sent us to you. He’s growing more helpless by the day and you are his best hope. If we
don’t recover the carving for him… he will eventually fade away… and all of Nature will fade with
him.”
“I’m in no condition to be anyone’s best hope,” said Ardal. “Shall we call and see if the Great One
can join us here? She may have some insight.”
“Yes, please,” said Juniper.
“We can’t go back to Nature Headquarters without a solution,” said Jerome. “The Green Man is
beside himself with worry, and he grows weaker by the day.”
“I haven’t noticed any meteorological changes,” said Ardal, “but of course I haven’t been able to
go riding or experience the great outdoors in days.”
“The changes will be insignificant at first,” said Jerome, “but then they will become more and
more devastating to the environment.”
“I feel the urgency of the situation,” said Ardal. “But being in the condition I’m in, I don’t see how
I can help—other than being a sounding-board.”
Ardal called Mystere LeJeune in Austin and explained that Juniper and Jerome were in Elgin on an
extremely urgent matter and they needed a meeting.
 It was only moments later the Great One arrived on her besom, her long silver hair in disarray
from the wind. Misty’s patron element was the West wind and the powerful force from the west
carried her quickly wherever she needed to go.
She came running into the living room a little out of breath and leaned her broom up against the
fireplace. “Lovely to see you Juniper and you too, Jerome. You must be so worried.”
“Do you want me to tell you what happened to Daddy?” asked Juniper.
“No, thank you, dear,” said Misty. She swirled around and around in the living room until she was
surrounded in a tornado-like cone of blue sparks.
She stopped dead in the center of the room and her silver hair was plaited into two perfect braids.
“Let me see what comes to mind. The Xoanon is missing and there are several possibilities as to
who might have taken it.”
“Someone who wants to usurp Daddy’s power,” said Juniper. “But my father is respected and
feared. Who would dare to breach the privacy of our home and take the carving?”
“Would you make tea, darling?” asked Misty. “I think so much better when I’m sipping herbal tea.”
Juniper jumped up and ran to the kitchen while Misty meditated. Eyes closed and head bowed,
Misty sat cross-legged on the living room carpet in silence until Juniper returned with a tea tray.
“I brought tea for everyone, and while I was waiting for the kettle to boil, I whipped up a pan of
oatmeal muffins.”
Ardal smiled. Juniper’s oatmeal muffins had helped him feel better and stronger in the past. Maybe
they would work again.
Misty opened her eyes when Juniper handed her a cup of steaming peppermint tea. “The one we
cannot speak of has taken another child. The child is the granddaughter of Papa Legba and he is well
known as a fierce protector of children. Papa Legba is old and walks with a cane and he is not nearly
swift enough to commit a successful robbery. Aware of his limitations, Papa sent his son, Joe Danger,
to secure the statue. They will offer it as a trade to get Joseph’s daughter back. She was the child
taken by you-know-who.”
“Yes,” said Jerome wearing a pensive look. “I can certainly understand that sequence of events
now that you’ve explained it so clearly.”
Misty continued, “Using the Green Man’s carved likeness and the power it holds, they will
bargain. Offering to trade the Xoanon for little Jenny Danger’s safe return, Joseph and his father will
make contact.”
“Where is all of this bargaining taking place?” asked Ardal.
“I have no idea,” said Misty, “but Joseph Danger is prominent in Louisiana voodoo folklore and
well-known to many followers. We may find him in the bayou. If anyone knows how to find Joseph,
ma chere, Angelique will know.”
Misty stood up and peered out the front window. She changed the subject and asked, “When will
Freddie be home to read the Tarot?”
“Soon,” said Ardal. “I’m having a hard time believing that Freddie Binks is gifted in any area—
besides shoveling horse shit—much less in the intricacies of the Tarot. It took me weeks to learn to
interpret the Tarot and Freddie…?”
Ardal shook his head and sparks flew from his shiny black hair. “I can’t talk about it, Misty.
Speaking of Freddie Binks and the Tarot in the same sentence makes my head ache.”
Misty giggled. “It is funny, isn’t it?”
Juniper entered the living room with a dozen warm muffins on a serving tray. She was placing
them on the coffee table when Gilly and Freddie came in the front door with the babies.
 “Hello, family,” called Gillette. “We’re finally home.”
“Wonderful,” said Misty. “We’ve been waiting.”
“Why are you waiting for us? Is there something wrong?”
“We have a question for the Tarot,” said Misty, “and we were anxious for Freddie to get here.”
Gillette giggled. “Yeah, there’s that.”
“Do you have your cards handy, Freddie?” Misty took Pete from Freddie and Juniper took Saffron
from Gillette.
“In my duffel in the truck,” said Freddie. “I’ll run back and get our luggage and get my cards out.”

Freddie carried the luggage into the foyer and set the bags down. He dug around in his duffel bag and
came up with the velvet bag holding the Tarot cards Misty had given him. “I’ll be in the dining room,
Great One.”
“Thank you, Freddie.” Misty turned to Ardal. “Do you need help to get to the table, Ardal?”
“I’m not missing this reading, Misty. I want to be front and center when Freddie reveals the answer
to our question.”
“I’ll give you a hand, Ardal,” said Jerome.
Freddie was shuffling the cards methodically when everyone took their seats around the dining
room table. He attracted quite an audience for his readings and he loved the attention.
“Who is asking the question?” asked Freddie.
“That would be Juniper,” said Misty.
Freddie handed the deck to Juniper and asked her to shuffle. “Shuffle until you feel it’s time to
stop, Junie.”
Ardal smiled as Freddie repeated the words Misty had taught him. What she hadn’t taught him was
how to interpret the Tarot and the words he used while doing a reading were not his words. That part
of Freddie’s gift was completely without explanation.
“Thank you, Freddie,” said Juniper. “I never realized you were proficient in the Tarot.”
Freddie chuckled. “Me neither until the Great One gave me my own cards. Then I just knew how to
do it… like fuckin magick.”
Juniper stopped shuffling and set the cards down next to Freddie.
He stared into her eyes and asked, “What’s the question you are asking the Tarot?”
“Will I be able to get the Xoanon back for my father?”
“Okey dokey,” said Freddie. “Let’s see what the cards say about that. I’ll lay them out in a Celtic
Cross.”
“Fine with me,” said Juniper.
Freddie laid out the cards in order while everyone watched him. Taking Freddie’s childhood head
injury into account, and his resulting low IQ into consideration, it was astonishing what he could
perceive from the cards.
“Card number One in in the Present position is the Knight of Wands. This card represents someone
who is passionate, daring, and adventurous. This is the first answer to your question, Junie. Ardal is
your best hope for getting the thing back.”
“That’s why Daddy sent me to Ardal first.”
“Correct,” said Freddie. “That is why you have come to Ardal. The Challenge card in position
number Two is the Queen of Wands in Shadow.”
Freddie made his thinking face and Ardal almost laughed out loud. When he wasn’t reading the
Tarot, Freddie’s only thoughts were of having sex with Gilly and shoveling horseshit.
 “The Queen of Wands rules the Knight and she is pessimistic about Ardal being the one to help
you. She wants to block your access to the Knight.”
“Who is the Queen of Wands, Freddie?” asked Juniper.
“Clover.”
“Oh,” Juniper turned to Gillette. “Is that true? You don’t want Ardal to help me?”
“It’s not that I don’t want him to help you, Junie, but I cannot allow him to leave this house under
any circumstances and I will definitely block any attempt he makes to do so. The cards are not lying.”
“See,” said Freddie, “the cards never tell lies like people do.”
“Keep going, Freddie,” said Misty. “There may be a solution you haven’t revealed yet.”
Freddie picked up the third card and held it in his hand. “Card number Three is the Six of Cups in
shadow. This card represents the Subconscious and it is a sign of complications in life. Regret for
past mistakes and it’s all about growing up.”
Freddie pointed the card at Juniper. “Your father needs you, Junie. The Tarot is telling you to grow
up and do what needs to be done.”
“Yes, I understand.” Juniper wiped a tear away. “I am trying to take more responsibility at
headquarters. I swear, I’ll do better in the future.”
“Card number Four represents the Past. In that position we have the Hermit, a card from the Major
Arcana. An important card for you, Juniper.”
“What does it mean, Freddie?” Juniper was still sniffling and wiping her eyes.
“It’s saying in the Past you have lived a life of solitude and quiet, almost in seclusion with your
father. You have gained great wisdom from this period in your life, but it’s in the Past and it’s not
helping you in this situation.”
“Okay. That’s all true.”
“The next card,” said Freddie, “number Five represents the Future and it’s another important card
from the Major Arcana. The Moon card. A card significant for dreams, visions, and psychic power.
This tells us that Clover will be the one to help you in the Future.”
Juniper turned and smiled at Gillette.
“Card number Six is the Seven of Wands in shadow and it represents the Near Future,” said
Freddie. “It symbolizes backing down, surrender, giving up and accepting a truce. This may be what
is coming for you, Juniper.”
“A truce I can live with, if that’s what it takes for Daddy to get his power back. I’m not looking for
violent revenge on the thief. I only want what belongs to Daddy.”
Freddie continued. “Card number Seven represents Internal Influence and that card is the Five of
Swords. It also confirms those are the things you are looking for, Juniper. A truce, rest, healing, and a
period of withdrawal from the pressures of life.”
“Huh,” said Juniper. “I do feel like running away from all of this. I’m not suited for battle.”
“The Eighth card, representing External Influence is the Two of Cups in shadow. In the reversed
position, this card signifies isolation and loneliness, perhaps even unrequited love.”
Ardal slapped his hand over his mouth to keep from laughing out loud when those words came out
of Freddie Binks’ mouth.
“Card number Nine—the card of Hopes and Fears—is the Ten of Wands. This card shows your
fear of struggling and doing things the hard way. You’ve never had to fight your way through anything,
Junie.”
“Daddy has always taken care of me and I’ve never had to tackle anything on my own before,”
said Juniper. “That’s why I’m afraid of what lies ahead.”
 “Last card,” said Freddie. “Card number Ten. This is the Outcome card.”
“I hope the Tarot sees a good outcome for this problem,” said Jerome.
“The Ten of Pentacles is a positive card.” Freddie held it up in the air for everyone to see. “This is
a card showing permanence, security, and a lasting solution.”
“That does sound positive, Juniper,” said Misty. “Thank you so much, Freddie. Very insightful and
well done.”
“Thanks, Misty.” Freddie gave her a big grin.
“Give us your interpretation, Misty,” said Ardal. “What did the Tarot actually say—the condensed
version.”
“Gillette will get the carving back,” said Misty. “She’ll leave in the morning.”
 Chapter Two

Thursday, May 19th.

Nine Hemlock Way. Elgin. Texas.

Not happy that I had to leave again after just getting home from my father’s funeral, I crawled out of
bed and pulled a suitcase out of my closet.
Mama would have to take care of the babies. Freddie couldn’t do it on his own and Ardal wasn’t
fit to do it.
Freddie would want to go with me and he’d already said as much. I gazed down at his naked body
and didn’t want to leave him behind. He gave me comfort when nothing else did.
Misty said I alone would get the statue back for the Green Man. I was still furious with him for
rendering Ardal into a poisoned mass of immobility. Why would I want to help him when he had done
so much damage to my brother? I didn’t. It wasn’t me who was in the Green Man’s service, it was my
brother, and look at the mess he was in because of it.
I don’t want to do this.
Breakfast was a free-for-all. While I slaved over a hot stove trying my damndest to fry a couple of
eggs without breaking the yolks, Freddie sat at the table badgering me.
“I can’t stay here in Texas without you, Clover. I have to go where you go.”
“This trip will be dangerous, Freddie. I don’t want you to get hurt.”
“I’m bigger and stronger than you, Clover. I can protect you if we meet any tough guys you can’t
handle.”
Ardal interjected himself into the argument while Freddie spread jam on his toast. “I’m coming.”
I shook my head. “You heard what I told Juniper. I’m not letting you leave the house. You can’t
even walk more than a few steps.”
“No, but I can transport and I possess the power you need to get the job done. You will be up
against extremely strong opposition.”
“Most of the trip will be by boat. If it’s true that Bobo ran off with Rowan’s ghost, who will take
us where we need to go?”
“Rudy Clemenceau will take us,” said Ardal. “Rudy knows more about the bayou than most people
will ever know. He’s had two lifetimes to learn it.”
I sighed knowing Ardal would never give in and I’d have to take him. He did have more power
than I did, but on the other hand, in his present condition, he would slow me down tremendously.
“Mama, are you sure you’ll be okay with the babies?”
“Of course I will, Clover. That’s one thing you don’t have to worry about. Bernadette is next door
to help me and she already said she’d take care of the horses for the boys.”
My packing was done, but now I had to pack a bag for Ardal and one for Freddie. This trip was
already becoming far more complicated than it needed to be. I didn’t need Freddie to give me a Tarot
reading to know this would be a huge shitshow.
Bobo’s Boat Launch. West of Houma.
Misty had called ahead and when Ardal, Freddie and I transported to Bobo’s dock, Misty’s niece,
Rowanne, her boyfriend, Ben, and their son, Paul, were all waiting for us.
With flaming red hair, Rowanne Hyslop was a witch with the gift of fire and Misty thought she
would be helpful to us in our quest for Joseph Danger.
Rowanne’s seven-year-old son, Paul, was a shifter. In his other persona as a red-tailed hawk, Paul
was gifted in recon.
Leaving Ardal on the dock to rest, I ran into the crab shack next door to ask Rudy if he knew
anything about Joseph Danger and his whereabouts.
There was a woman with Rudy I had never seen before. She had a testy look on her face and it was
easy to see she didn’t want me anywhere near Rudy.
Ludicrous at best, because I was twenty and Rudy was an old guy in his late forties covered in
burn scars. He wasn’t a stud I’d be interested in, even if I didn’t have Freddie Binks.
I hopped up on one of the stools at the front counter and ignored the woman with the sour face.
“Rudy, I wonder if you know where Joseph Danger is located.”
Rudy rolled his eyes and didn’t answer. I took it from that, that he didn’t want to talk about the loa.
A lot of folks in the bayou hesitated to speak of those with god-like powers in case it brought bad
fortune down upon them.
Rudy passed the buck. “Angelique knows dem peoples more den Rudy.”
“I’m going to her place now with Rowanne,” I said.
Rudy nodded. “You don go messing wid dem peoples. Only can turn out one way and dat ain’t a
good way.”
“Thank you for the warning. It’s nice to see you again.”
“Sylvan’s boy here wid you? You his sister, right?”
“That’s right. Ardal isn’t well but made the trip with me. He’s sitting on the dock.”
“Sylvan tells Rudy his boy gets poisoned by Brigitte way up in dem mountains in Texas and dat
boy ain’t getting any better day by day.”
“That’s true, Rudy. It’s taking a long time to get the voodoo poison out of his bloodstream.”
“Rudy might look up a potion for dat problem for Sylvan’s boy. Let you know if Rudy finds it.”
“Thank you so much, Rudy. I appreciate it.”
Rudy’s woman moved in closer to Rudy and put a hand on his shoulder. She turned dark hateful
eyes on me and her words of warning hissed out of her ugly mouth, “We don like strangers comin
around here.”
“I’m not a stranger. Ardal Trehan is my brother and Sylvan Trehan is my stepfather.”
“Go peel dem spuds, Dora. Rudy don like you being rude to da customers.”
“She ain’t a customer. She’s a witch trying to pick your brain. Anybody half blind can see dat
happening.”
“I am a witch, Dora, and the Great One sent me here to Rudy. Do you know what that means?”
Rudy shook his head. “Dora be from Thibodaux and she don know nothin, but Rudy knows exactly
what dat means. Rudy will help y’all best he can. Rudy serves da Great One—now and for always.”
“Thank you Rudy. The Great One is counting on you.”
Rudy laughed. “Rudy don let da Great One down. Not once in his second lifetime.”

LaFontaine Residence.
Skilled in the ways of the bayou, Rowanne took us where we needed to go. She drove her own Jon
boat up the river and tied up at Angelique’s dock.
Angelique LaFontaine was Ardal’s mentor and teacher and they had a close relationship. She
would be upset to see Ardal so unwell. I took my brother’s arm and helped him step out of the boat
and onto the dock.
Freddie took over from me and gave Ardal a hand to climb the slope that led up to Angelique’s
bungalow.
She lived in a new house her sons Marc and Luc had built for her. A much sturdier house than any
of her neighbors on the river were lucky enough to have.
“What is wrong with my sweet boy?” Tears came to Angelique’s dark eyes as she hugged Ardal
and helped him into her kitchen. “I fix you some soup and you feel better right away.”
While he ate the spicy fish soup, Ardal told Angelique about the poison he couldn’t get rid of. “No
matter what potions or remedies I try, I can’t get rid of it, Angelique. I can feel the dark magick inside
my veins and it’s slowly killing me.”
“Rudy is searching for an antidote for Ardal,” I said, “and I’m praying he finds one.”
“Rudy be a good person to have on Ardal’s side,” said Angelique. “Why y’all here in da bayou?
Must be important.”
“Something happened at Nature Headquarters,” I said, “and Jerome and Juniper came to our house
for help. This is the story they told us about the Green Man and the robbery of the Xoanon.”
Everyone listened to the story and I finished up by saying, “They came wanting Ardal to get the
carving back for the Green Man.”
“Be hard to find Joseph Danger,” said Angelique. “His house only be visible sometimes and it
ain’t too often. I heard dat house moves too. Moves wid da wind.”
“If his house moves with the wind, how will we ever find it?” I asked.
“Da answer to dat question be one we have to tink hard on,” said Angelique. “Hard question and
no easy answer.”
“Maybe the Tarot knows,” said Freddie.
“Let me tink about dat, Freddie,” said Angelique.

Mid-afternoon, Sylvan arrived at Angelique’s house by boat and he wanted Ardal to go home with
him and rest at his cottage.
I thought he would stay in Texas and help Mama with the babies, but he had followed us out of
concern for Ardal. Sylvan was worried out of his mind about Ardal.
“I have room for everyone,” said Sylvan. “Lots of food and we can talk about the mission at my
place. I want Ardal resting in his own room where I can take care of him.”
“Thanks, Daddy. I am a little tired.”

Trehan Residence. West of Houma.

Sylvan settled Ardal into his room and closed the door while he served coffee to all the rest of the
folks gathered in his kitchen. They all seemed hesitant to pinpoint where Joe Danger might reside.
Rowanne seemed less frightened than some of the others and she offered a suggestion. “Luke’s
Gran might know where Joseph Danger lives. She lived in the bayou her whole life and she knew
things like that.”
“How can we contact Luke’s Gran?” I asked.
“We would have to cast a circle and summon her,” said Rowanne. “How many people do we have
here with power?”
 “Me and Freddie, Ardal and Sylvan, Angelique and Tarana, you and Paul. What about Ben?”
Rowanne smiled at Ben. “Ben is a shifter like Paul and he has power. Misty might be able to come
if we need her to complete the circle.”
“If we had thirteen, we’d have the maximum strength and we’d be sure to succeed. Let’s think
about who we could ask to complete the circle.”
“Paul may have seen Danger’s house from the air,” said Rowanne. “He may not know that he’s
flown over it.”
“Right,” said Ardal as he escaped from his room and shuffled towards the table.
Sylvan frowned. “You’re supposed to be resting.”
Ardal smiled at his father. “I’ll rest later. How large is Paul’s territory? How far does he normally
fly in his hunting range?”
“I looked it up,” said Rowanne, “when I first adopted Paul I Googled everything there was
available on the red-tailed hawk. He can range between a square mile to almost four square miles and
he’s protective of his territory.”
“Four square miles.” I thought about it.
“So,” said Ardal, “if he had seen Joe Danger’s house, by chance, it would be within four square
miles of Bobo’s Boat Launch. Your house is the next one up the road from Bobo’s.”
“That’s right,” said Rowanne. “Paul can fly farther, and sometimes he forgets and goes much
farther afield, but I have rules and he’s not allowed to be away from home for hours at a time, and
definitely not at night. His night vision isn’t as keen as in the daylight hours, and I don’t want him
getting snapped up by night predators.” She turned her gaze on Ben, but Ardal had no idea why.
“Interesting information.”

Close to midnight I assembled all the people we had available to us. We had nine people with powers
in all.
After casting a blue circle around us with Freddie watching in amazement—he had never been part
of a circle before—and with his powers only beginning to blossom, I didn’t know what good he
would be to us. But he was keen and I allowed him to sit in the circle.
“Sylvan, would you call the corners, please?”
Sylvan stood tall and straight, raised his arms and called the directions for us. Then Ardal called
the deities in a weak voice. I wondered if the gods and goddess could even hear him.
It was fitting for Rowanne to call her Uncle Luke’s grandmother. She used a summoning spell that I
had never heard before but I hoped with my whole heart that it worked.

Goddess of the spirit world

Keeper of the veil
Send me one of your own
Dead and very pale
With knowledge to help the living
Iris Hyslop is very giving
Send Iris to me
So mote it be.

Rowanne repeated her spell twice more and then the waiting began. After a few minutes, a misty
shape appeared above the table and shimmered in the candlelight. The image wasn’t clear at all.
 Iris tried to speak to us but we couldn’t hear her. Disappointing. She was oh-so-close, but we
didn’t have enough power to bring her all the way through the veil to us.
Our working wasn’t productive and the circle had to be taken down. The deities were released by
Angelique and Sylvan released the elements. I opened the circle so anyone who wanted could leave
the table and walk around. The working of the circle was completed unsuccessfully.
Everyone was disappointed and so was I. Without a location for Joseph Danger, we had no place
to start.
Sylvan made coffee while Freddie used the table to do a quick three card spread. “Misty taught me
this spread and all you use is three cards for a quick answer.”
“Go ahead, sugar. A quick answer is better than no answer.” I smiled at him and he gave me one of
his familiar blank looks.
Freddie had no understanding of what I was saying to him most of the time. The knowledge of the
Tarot came out of Freddie, but where it was coming from I had no idea. It made me wonder if his
mother had been a card reader when she was alive. I made a mental note to ask Bernadette when I got
home to Texas.
“The spread I’m going to do is Situation-Action-Outcome.”
“Sounds like it might apply,” I said.
“Who will ask the question, Clover?”
I turned to my brother and said, “Ask him a question, honey, and I’ll bring you a coffee.”
Ardal shook his head like he didn’t want to play Freddie’s little game. But he relented and slowly
walked back to the table. He sat down and Freddie handed him the deck to shuffle.
Ardal shuffled the cards, then set them down and separated them into three piles with his non-
dominant hand. That was the right hand for Ardal. He was a lefty.
“Freddie, here’s the question. Where is Joe Danger’s house?” Ardal turned up the top cards on the
three piles he had separated.
“The Tarot will tell you the answer,” said Freddie.
“Hope so,” said Ardal.
“The card in the Situation position is the Ten of Pentacles in shadow,” said Freddie. “This tells us
that there is instability, rule breaking and material difficulty.”
“Yep,” said Ardal. “Joe Danger broke the rules and he took the Green Man’s power away from
him. All true.”
Freddie nodded. “The second card is the Action card and you turned up the Five of Cups in that
position.”
“Tell me, Freddie,” said Ardal. “I can’t wait for you to tell me what action to take.”
“Not good news, Ardal. Any action you take will be a disappointment. You will be defeated and
suffer a setback.”
Ardal sighed. “Exactly the way I feel right now. Like I had a huge setback. That much is true. What
does the Outcome card tell you, Freddie?”
“The Outcome card is the Three of Wands. You need to provide leadership, Ardal. Look ahead and
give direction. You need to set an example for others to follow you.”
“Okay, some of that makes sense.”
Sylvan had been listening to Freddie’s wisdom as he imparted it to Ardal. “I kind of agree with
that, son. We are floundering with you so ill and so is the Green Man along with Jerome and Juniper.”
“All I need to do,” said Ardal, “is cure myself or get a new body. Maybe I’ll be like Sonny Hart
and just take someone else’s body.”
That thought was so terrifying it wasn’t funny. I couldn’t even laugh at that joke.
 Chapter Three

Friday, May 20th.

Trehan Residence. West of Houma.

I woke from a scary dream and let out a little squeal. I had a vision of Sonny being back at the
carnival and he was handing out free ride tickets to cute young girls as they came through the gate of
the fairgrounds.
Because of my new psychic powers, I feared my dream might not have been a dream at all but a
vision of something that was happening or might happen in the future—Misty told me it was hard to
separate the present from the future, and it was.
I tugged some clothes on, grabbed my smokes and my phone, and headed down to the dock to see if
I had service. Cell service was sporadic at best in the bayou.
My first call was to Julio, my carnival manager. A savvy, Hispanic guy, Julio had worked the
carnival for the former owner, Zak Turner, and he was the best manager I could have. Sometimes I
didn’t pay a personal visit to my carnival for weeks at a time and it still ran smoothly.
“Morning, boss. What can I do for you?”
“Where are you set up, Julio? I don’t have my schedule with me at the moment.”
“We’re at the fairgrounds in Jackson, Mississippi.”
“That’s right. I think I knew that. Tell me, Julio, have you hired any new guys in the past few
days?”
“Yep, one new hombre, and boy is he good. He knows everything about the carnival and it’s like
he’s known the motors that run the rides his whole life. Nobody was ever that good at repairs
except…”
“Except Sonny. I know how much you miss him, Julio.”
“Yeah, we’ve had our troubles getting along without him.” Julio spoke in a heavy Spanish accent.
“But the new hombre might be the answer I’ve been looking for.”
If that’s Sonny in some other guy’s body, he’s not the answer you’re looking for.
“Thanks, sugar. I’ll try to catch up with you soon and we’ll go over any problems you are having.”
“Thanks for the call, boss.”
Next I called R.J.’s cell. That was the only number I had that might reach Sonny. I wasn’t sure
whether Sonny had hung onto R.J.’s phone or not. Always with Sonny there were a lot of variables—
none of them good.
I didn’t expect him to answer but he surprised me.
“Hey, baby. I’m missing you so much.”
“Where are you?”
“Umm… those deputies hauled me off to jail.” He laughed like a lunatic and I knew he was trying
to think up a good story to tell me. “And I’ve been trying to get back to you.”
“Who’s body are you using? Tell me that much and make it the truth.”
“I am telling you the truth, babe. I’m coming home soon. A couple more days.”
 “I had a vision, Sonny. I know you’re at the carnival, and Julio just finished telling me he hired a
new guy who knows as much about the carnival as Sonny did.”
“You talked to Julio?” He sounded surprised.
“Five minutes ago. I know it’s you that he hired, but obviously you look like someone else. Who is
it?”
“Umm… a truck driver named Chance Watkins. I delivered his load for him and everything, babe.
I’ll give his body back, I swear it.”
“When?”
“Couple more days.”
“Why not today? What are you doing that you can’t tell me about? You haven’t killed any girls
using Chance’s body have you?”
“Hell no. Would I do that?”
“Yes. Absolutely, you would if given the chance. Give him back his body and go home to Texas.
I’ll be there in a couple of days.”
“You’re not at home?”
“I had an emergency.”
“I did too. I didn’t want to go to jail in R.J.’s body and I had to improvise. You understand me,
babe. You’re the only one who does. That’s why I love you so fuckin much, and I always will. I’ll be
home soon.”
“Don’t you hang up on me, Sonny Hart.” I was yelling at Sonny when Ardal came out and walked
towards the dock.
“Why are you up so early?”
“A dream woke me up, but I don’t think it was a dream at all. It was a vision of Sonny back at the
carnival and falling back into his old ways. I think it’s the truth and I may have to go to the carnival
and find him as soon as we finish with this mess.”
“This is going to take a while, Gilly. More than a few days. More like weeks before we find the
people we’re looking for. We have no place to start.”
“I can’t leave Sonny unattended at my carnival for weeks, Ardal. He’s going to kill a girl and then
the guy who’s body Sonny stole will be wanted for murder.”
Ardal nodded. “Did you find out the name of the person Sonny is using?”
“Chance Watkins. He’s a truck driver.”
“I’ll research him and see if people are looking for him.”
“If he’s been reported missing, call in a tip that he’s been seen at the carnival in Jackson,
Mississippi.”
“Yeah, I’ll do that.” Ardal chuckled. “I’d like to be at the carnival when the suits come to get
Sonny and put him in cuffs.”
“Trouble is, he doesn’t stay in cuffs.”

At breakfast the discussion centered around where to get four more people to achieve the power of
thirteen. We needed maximum power in the circle to summon Iris Hyslop and tap into her knowledge
of the bayou and it’s deep, deep layers of folklore.
“Kalliope Beliveau may come if we ask her,” said Rowanne, “and Rudy will bring her by boat,
but he doesn’t have any power of his own. I’m not sure about Rudy’s new girlfriend, Dora. She seems
mundane, but she may have hidden powers.”
“I can call Moonbeam and have her come up here from Florida for the circle,” I said. “If she
brought Starlight and Luna we may have enough. Shall we plan for tonight?”
Rowanne nodded. “Yes. As soon as possible. Jenny Danger may be killed by the crazy witch at
any time. There is a definite sense of urgency in the air to find her. I can feel the prickling on my skin
telling me to hurry.”
“I’ll make the calls.”
I ran back down to the river to use my phone and Freddie was standing on the dock smoking and
staring into the black water watching the gators swim just under the surface.
“Look at how their eyes stick up, Clover. They are the scariest things I’ve ever seen. I don’t like
them being so close to me.”
“On land you can run faster than they can waddle,” I said. “Just don’t fall into the river. That’s
where they are faster than you’ll ever hope to be.”
“I’m missing our house and our barn, Clover. I want to go home.”
“Then go,” I snapped at him and didn’t meant to. “Mama could probably use your help with the
babies. You can’t keep waffling back and forth like this, Freddie. There’s work to be done and if
you’re not here to help me, then get your ass home and stay there.”
“Are you mad at me, Clover?”
“I am sick of you being such a whiny baby, Freddie. You insisted on coming with me and here you
are. Grow up. You’re twenty years old.”
“I’m sorry, Clover. I’ll stay here and help you. Maybe I can read the Tarot and find the answers.”
“I have a question for the cards for later that you can help me with. You can give me a reading
when we have some privacy.”
Freddie smiled. “Great. Can you not be mad at me anymore, Clover? I hate it when you have your
mad face on.”
“I will have my mad face on every time you act like a baby, Freddie. So it’s all up to you.”
“I won’t make you mad no more, Clover. I promise.”
I made the call to the Everglades while I had service and Moonbeam seemed interested in what we
were doing. She agreed to come for the midnight circle with her two sisters. That was three more.
Nine plus three—we were at twelve. If Kalliope came, we’d have the magick number.
I sat down on the dock and tried to meditate while Freddie tossed pebbles at the gators to annoy
them. “Stop it, Freddie. They are going to come right out of the river and snap your goddamned arm
off just like they did Sonny’s.”
“Who’s Sonny? You keep talking about him.”
“He’s my husband, but he died.”
“Did the gators bite his arm off?”
“One of them did and Sonny had a hook that he used instead of a hand.”
Freddy made a face while he held his hand up and stared at it. “I don’t want a hook, Clover.”
“Then stop throwing things at the gators. You’re making them hate you. Sit down and be quiet and
let me meditate. I’m hoping to have a vision of where Joe Danger is – somewhere in the mystic.
Somewhere real enough that we can get to him, get the carved image, and pretend to use it to get his
daughter back.”
Once we had the child and she was out of harm’s way, we could return the Xoanon to the Green
Man and Nature’s balance would return to normal.
Rowanne came out for a smoke ten minutes later. She sat down on the grass while Paul and Ben
and their little dog, Wixa, played tag. With all the hollering and yelling it was impossible for me to
meditate on the dock. I’d have to find a more secluded place.
 I’ll ask Sylvan where I should go.

Nine Hemlock Way. Elgin. Texas.

Glenda went into the nursery to get the babies up for breakfast and Pete was crying. He was warm to
the touch and unusually fussy. When she made his morning bottle for him, he wouldn’t drink the milk.
“You’re getting sick, little boy. Should I call your mommy?”
She got Saffron up and dressed her and fed her.
“You’re fine but your little brother isn’t. Pete is coming down with something. I won’t call Clover
until I see how you both do today. It might be nothing.”

Alligator Alley. Everglades. Florida.

Moonbeam talked to Gillette on the phone and agreed to transport to Sylvan’s house in the bayou for
the circle. If it was that important to the Green Man, then it was important to all of them.
The Everglades was one of the Green Man’s prized possessions and Moonbeam felt compelled to
help him protect it.
She called Luna and told her they had to be at Sylvan’s house in Louisiana before midnight.
“I’ll tell Star and the boys. We’ll come to your place as soon as we’re ready and we can all
transport together.”
“Wonderful. I’ll be waiting for y’all,” said Moonbeam.

A few houses farther down Alligator Alley, Clovis and Felix Prejean were staying with Moonbeam’s
sisters, Luna, and Starlight. The girls took them in when the two youngest Prejean boys had nowhere
to go.
“Where are we going?” Clovis overheard Luna talking on the phone.
“To the bayou in Louisiana just for tonight,” said Luna. “You and Felix don’t have to come if you
don’t want to.”
“I want to come wid you,” said Clovis. “Long as we don go near where me and Felix used to live.
Dat will get us dead.”
“We won’t go near there,” said Luna, “and as soon as we’re finished with the circle, we’ll come
right back to Florida.”
“How we gonna get der by tonight?” asked Clovis.
“My sister will transport us. It’s a lot quicker than driving.”

Trehan Residence. West of Houma.

From deep in the Everglades, Moonbeam, Starlight, and Luna transported along with Felix and Clovis
Prejean. They appeared on the grassy lawn in front of Sylvan’s house on the river.
They were in plenty of time for the circle. Dusk was descending on the bayou and a mist was
forming on the surface of the dark water.
The sun had set in the west but the swamp wasn’t completely dark. The perfect time of day for
eerie shadows and mystical moments.
I ran out to give Moonbeam a hug and Sylvan was close behind me. He and Moon were a couple,
off and on, and were apart at the moment only because Sylvan hated the Everglades and wouldn’t live
there. A sore point between the two of them and so far a compromise had not been reached.
Luna introduced me to Clovis and Felix Prejean whom I had never laid eyes on before. The only
one of the Prejeans I had met was Jimmy, and that was when Sonny was using Jimmy’s body before he
died.
Felix and Clovis were the youngest of the eight brothers. Two cute boys with long black hair about
the same age as me, with Clovis being a year older than his brother Felix.
Why these young guys were with Luna and Star was anybody’s guess. Starlight was Moonbeam’s
youngest sister and she was at least thirty-five and had never been married. Luna was closer to forty.
Moon was the oldest at around forty-five or a little more.
Standing in a little group and chatting with the girls about the workings we would be doing later, I
didn’t notice Freddie having words with Felix and Clovis. He’d never met them before so what
reason would Freddie have to be pissed at them?
I was about to go into the house to get cold drinks for Moon and her sisters when I saw Clovis
Prejean take a swing at Freddie.
By the time I ran from the house to the dock there was a full-scale dustup in progress with Freddie
getting the dirty end of a two-on-one.
“Hey, you guys, stop fighting. Get off Freddie.”
The Prejean boys never looked up and they paid no attention to me hollering at them. I heard a
splash and they had rolled Freddie off the dock and booted him into the river.
I wasn’t sure if Freddie could swim, but it didn’t matter much if he could or not if there were
gators close by. There would be no time for swimming.
All the gators needed was the sound of the splash and they’d be right there to see if something
edible had hit the water. A big splash meant food for them. They were always hungry.
I couldn’t reach Freddie, so I hollered out a spell to give him a chance to get out of the water.

Goddess of the rivers

Goddess of the trees
Goddess of fauna
Make the gators freeze
They cannot swim
They cannot bite
Don’t let Freddie
Die of fright
So mote it be.

I ran to the end of the dock and yelled at Freddie who was flopping around in the water like a one-
winged duck.
“Freddie, give me your hand.”
Sputtering and spitting out algae, Freddie wasn’t swimming, he was in panic mode and
floundering. He was going let sheer terror of the gators cause him to drown himself.
I knelt down on the end of the dock and reached for him. “Take my hand,” I screamed at him.
He made a movement towards me and using my magickal power and not my own strength, I pulled
him up onto the dock. Freddie laid on the wet planks panting for breath while I turned my attention to
Clovis and Felix.
“Why were you boys beating on Freddie? Two on one isn’t a fair fight.”
Clovis shrugged. “He said we couldn’t look at you ‘cause you was his woman.”
“Freddie and I are a couple. That’s true.”
“So what?” asked Clovis. “Me and Felix can still gaze upon you if we want to. Dat asshole ain’t in
charge of gazing rights.”
“Gazing rights? That’s what y’all were fighting over?”
What the hell?
“Freddie is not in charge of gazing. Y’all are right about that. Y’all can look at me all you want,
but that’s it. Looking only.”
“We’ll look for now,” said Felix with a grin.
They are both so goddamned cute.
“I’ll give y’all a tip to help you live longer.” I took a few steps closer to Clovis. “Y’all watch
yourselves around my brother, Ardal. He catches y’all staring at me and you won’t be breathing
long.”
“We’ll watch out for him,” said Felix.
“Wait up, Clover.” Freddie dragged himself off the dock and caught up to me.
“Get cleaned up, sugar. We’re starting the circle soon.”
Long blond hair dripping in his face, Freddie headed to the house for dry clothes.

At midnight we were ready to begin. Kalliope had arrived by boat. Rudy brought Kalliope, and his
girlfriend, Dora, came with them. It seemed funny not to see Bobo with Rudy but I guess he and
Bobo’s mama were getting used to Bobo’s life-altering decision to become a wolf shifter and run
away with Rowan’s ghost. Picturing Bobo running through the swamp as a wolf would take time to
get used to.
Sylvan’s small kitchen overflowed with people. I had to conjure up a dozen folding chairs just to
be on the safe side.
Clovis and Felix sat close to the fridge so they had access to Sylvan’s beer. They were spectators
only and weren’t participating in the circle. It seemed to be unclear to Luna and Star whether Felix
and Clovis had inherited any of their mother’s powers. It only made sense that at least one of the eight
boys would have inherited magickal ability. It could have been one or two of the brothers who were
already deceased. Six dead out of eight. Not a good score for the Prejean family.
Rowanne cast the circle around those seated at the table. A lovely magenta color that was instantly
admired by everyone.
Angelique called the corners and Kalliope called the deities.
When we were ready for the working to begin, Rowanne chanted the same spell she had used the
last time and this time Iris Hyslop came into view clearly.
We all could see her and hear her plainly this time.
Rowanne had tears in her eyes.
“The last time I saw Joseph Danger’s house it was on the west side of the channel where the three
giant cypress trees grow together. I think there’s a name for that part of the bayou and it’s named after
the trees, but I can’t think of it at the moment.”
“I don’t know where dat is,” said Angelique. “It must be a far distance from here.”
“Rudy, do you know where those trees are?” I asked.
“Yep, Rudy seen dem before. Der is a name for dem and Rudy will have to think on it for a while.”
Iris Hyslop’s spirit faded away quickly and Rowanne looked disappointed not to have more time
to visit with her great gran.
The circle was uncast in reverse order and Sylvan and I served coffee to everyone who had taken
part.
 Chapter Four

Saturday, May 21st.

Trehan Residence. Louisiana Bayou.

Ardal believed the quickest way to find the cypress trees Iris Hyslop spoke of, was to ask the Green
Man himself. Ardal stepped outside and moved around his father’s property until he found a spot with
service.
He called Juniper and explained what they had found out—where Joseph Danger’s house might be
—but they needed the location of the three trees.
“There is a name for the three trees, Junie. Find out the name and where they are located from your
father.”
“I’ll ask Daddy, Ardal. His power is fading fast and he’s not feeling well at all, but I’ll ask him if
he knows about the trees.”
“Call me right back, Junie. I want to get going on this.”
“How are you feeling yourself, Ardal?”
“Like shit, Junie. Never felt worse in my life, but I can’t seem to do anything about it. However, I
might be able to do something for your father if I get a direction.”
“Why do you think Joseph Danger will be at his house and not gone to trade Daddy’s carving to…
you-know-who?”
“Because we already know he can’t find her house until the full of the moon. We have several days
before he leaves home with the Xoanon.”
“I’ll call you right back, Ardal.”
While Ardal stood on the dock talking to Juniper, I called Mama to check on the babies and she
told me Pete was sick. He was running a low fever and wouldn’t drink his bottle.
Feeling panicky because one of my babies was sick, I started to cry. “I can’t come Mama. Not yet.
Maybe Pete has a bug or just a cold. Turn on the vaporizer and rub him down with Vicks.”
“I’m doing that already, Clover.”
“Tell you what, Mama, why don’t I send Star to help you? She’s been Pete’s surrogate mother from
day one and she knows him better than anyone.”
“Sure, send Star. If she looks after Pete, I can focus on Saffron.”
“Too bad Tarn wasn’t there to help you with Saffron. I feel bad for him not being able to watch
her.”
“Actually, he is here but he can’t come in the house since Ardal banned him.”
“How did he manage to leave West Virginia? I specifically heard Ardal banish Tarn to his home
state and tell him never to return.”
“I’m not sure how he did it, but he might have sneaked a ride on my broom behind me.”
I laughed. “Wish I’d seen that.”
“The babies are crying,” said Mama. “Pete cries and then he make Saffron cry. Send Star to me,
Clover.”
“I’m sending her right now.”
 I ran back inside the house and Moonbeam and her sisters were getting ready to transport back to
the Everglades.
“Star, can I talk to you for a second?”
“Sure, Gillette. What is it?”
“Mama told me Pete is sick and I wondered if you would mind going to Texas to help her while
I’m trying to find the carving.”
Star smiled. “I’d love to do that. I miss Roy so much.”
She’s never going to call him Pete like Sonny wants.
“Mama is expecting you, whenever you can go.”
“Wonderful. Let me tell Felix I’m going to Texas. He may want to go with me.”
Star is a couple with Felix? How weird is that?
We stepped outside and the Prejean boys were using rods belonging to Sylvan and fishing from the
end of the dock.
Star called to Felix, “I have to go to Texas for a couple of days. Do you want to come with me?”
“No, thanks, babe. I’m thinking I’ll stay here in da bayou wid Clovis.”
“Okay. I’ll pick you up on my way home.”
“Sure,” said Felix.
Ardal was sitting on the grass watching the boys fish when Juniper called back with a location.
“The trees and the area of the bayou around them are called Cypress Grove. Daddy says they are
way south of your location, down near Red Fish Channel.”
“Okay, thanks. Rudy will know where that is.”

Nine Hemlock Way. Elgin. Texas.

Glenda was rocking Pete and trying her best to get him to stop crying when Starlight appeared on the
patio. Lulu barked at the sudden appearance of a stranger, and carrying Pete in her arms, Glenda
hurried to the kitchen and opened the door.
“I’m so glad you’re here, Starlight. Pete is getting worse. I think his throat is sore. He won’t drink
his bottle.”
Star stepped into the kitchen and took Pete out of Glenda’s arms. He immediately cuddled into Star
and stopped crying.
“Look how red his little face is,” said Star. “Should we take him to a doctor?”
“I wanted to,” said Glenda, “but I’m alone here and couldn’t manage it until you came. Saffron is
in the other room waiting for me to feed her.”
“I’m so sorry about Cade, Glenda. You must be missing him terribly.”
“I am. But being busy with the babies is helping at lot. I like it here in Texas and Clover wants me
to stay with her permanently. She doesn’t want me living alone on Shadow Mountain.”
“I can see where you have your hands full being here alone. Where’s Sonny?”
“I don’t know where he is.”
“He should be here,” said Starlight. “His child is sick.”
“I’ll call Clover and get Sonny’s number before we take Pete to the doctor.”
“I’m not used to calling him Pete yet,” said Star. “His name is Roy.”
“Sonny named him Peter Roy Hart, and he’s calling him Pete. I guess he has the right.”
“I don’t think so,” said Star. “The Oracle named him Roy for a reason, and that reason will come
to light in time. Roy has a purpose to serve if he was chosen.”
“You could be right,” said Glenda. “If Sonny comes, I think we should call the baby Pete, at least
while he’s here. I don’t want him getting angry and leaving again.”
“I can try,” said Star, “but I’m not sure I’ll remember every time.”
Glenda smiled. “Just try. You know how volatile Sonny can be if he doesn’t get his own way.”
“Of course I do. He’s my nephew and when he was growing up, my sister let him run wild. She
wasn’t big on discipline and neither was Johnny Hart. Sonny grew up wild and free and the swamp
was his playground.”

Trehan Residence. Louisiana Bayou.

With so many of us going to find Joseph Danger, we had to take two boats. Rudy at the helm of his
boat had Dora, the Prejean brothers and me and Freddie for passengers.
In the other boat belonging to Rowanne, she had Ben, Paul, and their dog Ardal and Sylvan.
Now that we had a definite direction, we wasted no time following the river south to Red Fish
Channel.
Being in the same boat as the Prejean brothers, Freddie fidgeted and smoked and wouldn’t look at
me or at Felix or Clovis. He scanned the banks of the river for gators and kept his hands inside the
boat.
I had no idea why those Prejean boys were going with us. They were no help and more like a
hindrance. If there had been fewer of us we could have transported and probably should have.
Quicker and slicker.
As the day wore on, Felix and Clovis exercised their gazing rights and stared at me without letup.
They made me a little nervous and I was glad Ardal was in the other boat. He wouldn’t put up with
them looking at me like that for a second.
Freddie stared back at them and the tension in the boat was depressing. Thankfully, there was no
room for them to throw any punches or we’d all be in the river.
Another swim with the gators was the last thing Freddie wanted. He wasn’t over his close call.

Cypress Grove. Red Fish Channel.

By the time we arrived at Cypress Grove—the three huge trees growing together and forming an
archway—it was late in the day and the sun was sinking lower in the eastern sky.
We would have to find a place to spend the night and that would be difficult out in the middle of
nowhere. No strip of hotels and restaurants to pick from. The channel was narrow and there was tall
swamp grass on both sides of the river. No houses or signs of human habitation.
Rudy pulled in to the first dock we came to after we passed the cypress trees. We needed to make
inquiries before going any further into an unknown area of the swamp.
At the dock, two boats were tied up but there was no house or building in sight.
Ardal got out of Rowanne’s boat to have a little chat with Rudy and I joined them on the dock.
“Have you been here before?” asked Ardal.
Rudy shook his head. “Rudy been here maybe one time a long time ago but it don’t look da same.
Something is different.”
“There’s no house,” I said. “Who’s dock is this?”
Rudy pointed. “Got two boats, whoever it be.”
I looked around and there was nothing but swamp in all directions. One dock in the middle of it.
“If this is Joe Danger’s place,” I said, “then his house is invisible. In order to get to him, we have
to make it visible.”
“How we gonna do dat?” asked Rudy.
 “I’ll call Angelique,” said Ardal.
“Do you have service?”
Ardal checked his cell and shook his head. “Nope. I can’t call Angelique, and I can’t remember
what she said about the invisibility.”
“Let me test and see if there is something there,” said Rowanne. She ran up the slippery riverbank
towards the clearing where the house would sit—if there was one—and she threw three fireballs.
They zoomed through the air and bounced back at her off something. A house, an invisible shield, a
ward?
“Definitely something there,” said Ardal. “We’ll go farther along the channel and make sure this is
the only place after the Cypress Trees. Then we’ll know we’re at Joe Danger’s house.”
“Ardal is right,” I said. “We’ll make sure this is the only possible choice, and then we’ll try to
make the house visible so we can talk to Mister Danger.”
We returned to the boats and searched the channel.

Elgin Medical Center. Texas.

Glenda and Star spent two hours at the medical center before a doctor was available to examine Pete.
He had cried so long in the waiting room, he had fallen asleep in Star’s arms.
The doctor on staff examined the baby, took his temperature, and looked down his throat.
“Croup. Take him to the hospital. A couple of days in a tent and he’ll be fine. I’ve had three other
cases this week. It’s going around.”

Elgin Hospital.
Star was in tears as Glenda drove to the hospital a few blocks from the medical center. Pete was
admitted to the pediatric floor and Star could hardly bear to leave him there with the nurses in their
brightly colored smocks.
“The hospital is the best place for him, Star,” said Glenda. “He’s too sick for us to look after at
home, and they have equipment to take care of him that we don’t have. You can visit him tomorrow.”
“I wonder what time visiting hours are,” said Star.
“We’ll ask on our way out,” said Glenda. “It’s so hard to leave him, but he’ll get better faster in
the hospital. Think of it that way.”
“I’m trying to, but I’m not coping well. I hate being separated from my baby.”
Glenda hadn’t realize how attached Star was to Pete until she saw it with her own eyes.

Nine Hemlock Way. Elgin.

As soon as they got home and Saffron was in her swing, Glenda called Clover’s cell to tell her about
the hospital.
“Isn’t she answering?” asked Star.
“No. Maybe she doesn’t have service where she is. That also means I can’t get Sonny’s phone
number from her.”
“What should we do?” Star teared up again.
“There’s only one thing I can think of,” said Glenda. “I’ll send Tarn to the carnival to fetch Sonny.
If Clover can’t be here for Pete, we need Sonny. At least one parent would be preferable to none.”
Glenda stepped outside onto the patio and called to Tarn Lamont’s ghost. He flew down from the
highest tree on the property—the one next to the manure pile—where he and Zing liked to sit and hang
out together.
 “What is it, Mama? Do you need me?”
“Yes, Tarn, I do need you. Pete had to stay in the hospital for a few days and I need you to find the
Turner-Hart Carnival in Jackson, Mississippi. Go there and tell Sonny to come home. His baby son is
in the hospital and he should be here in Elgin.”
“Okay, I can do that. Not sure I’ve been to Jackson but I’ve always wanted to go there.”
“Cade always wanted to go there. Never made it.”

Fairgrounds. Jackson Mississippi.

Sonny gave a handful of free ride tickets to a cute girl in her early twenties. Blonde hair, blue eyes,
and a sweet smile. She fit perfectly into his kill zone.
She’d had a fun day at the fair with her friends and before they left for home, Sonny caught her
alone and invited her for a drink.
Susan followed him down the midway, past the games and the food trucks and all the way to the
field where the big rigs that hauled the rides were parked.
“This is my truck and where I live.” Sonny unlocked the door of the dark purple cab.
“Watkins Haulage,” said Susan.
“That’s me. Chance Watkins.”
“Beautiful truck.”
“I think so.” Sonny flashed her a smile. “Let me help you up. It’s a pretty high step into the cab.”
“I’ve never been in a big rig like this before.”
Sonny laughed. “First time for everything.”
He gave Susan a hand and followed her into the cab. “Go between the seats and into the back and
we’ll have a drink.”
She scrambled through into the sleeper. “It’s nice in here. I didn’t think it would be so big.”
“Lots of room,” said Sonny. “Queen size bed. What would you like to drink, Susan? I have wine,
beer, and tequila. All the favorites.”
“Umm… a glass of white wine would be nice.” Taking it all in, Susan’s eyes rested on the two
guitars standing in the corner in their cases. “You play the guitar?”
“I pick a little when I’m alone,” said Sonny. “I’m not ready for Nashville, although some of my
friends think I am.” He laughed.
“I’d like you to sing me a song.”
Sonny opened the cupboard he used for liquor storage and selected a bottle of white wine. He took
a clean glass and handed it to Susan.
He opened the wine and was in the middle of filling Susan’s glass when Tarn flew right into the
sleeper and stood at the end of the bed.
Susan couldn’t see or hear Tarn, but Sonny could. The last thing he wanted to do was talk to Tarn
out loud and sound like a lunatic.
Sonny pointed to the cab and left Susan sitting on the bed drinking her wine. “Why are you here?”
asked Sonny in a low voice. “Did Gilly send you?”
“No. Glenda did. She wants you at home. Pete is in the hospital and you have to come home.”
“How sick is he?”
Tarn gave a ghostly shrug. “Don’t know.”
“Long fuckin drive,” said Sonny. “Even if I left right now, I wouldn’t be home until tomorrow night
—if I hammered it.”
“You’d better get started then,” said Tarn. “Can I ride back with you?”
 “No. Dammit. You are messing up all my plans, fucker.”
“Don’t kill the messenger.” Tarn laughed at his own joke. “It’s not my fault your baby is sick.”
“Okay. You’re right. I’m coming.”
Tarn sat in the passenger seat and Sonny climbed back into the sleeper. “I’ll have a beer with you
and I’m afraid that’s all I have time for.”
“Do you have to work?” asked Susan.
“It seems I have to make an emergency trip back to Texas, and I have to leave right away.”
Susan smiled. “I’ve never been to Texas. Can I go with you?”
Sonny brightened at the thought. Maybe all his prep work hadn’t been in vain after all. “Umm… I
guess you could come along if you don’t have much going on in Mississippi.”
“I don’t. I hate my job and I’ve been thinking of leaving for a while now.”
“Okay then, come sit up front and we’ll get on the road.”
“Can we stop by my sister’s house? I need to grab some clothes. Won’t take me long.”
“How far from the fairgrounds?”
“Ten minutes,” said Susan. “Actually, it’s on the way to the interstate, if that’s where you’re
headed.”
“Sure. Let’s get your stuff.”

Cypress Grove. Redfish Channel.

They took both boats farther up the channel and there were no other docks and no houses. Both sides
of the channel were overgrown with reeds and bullrushes and virtually uninhabited.
Ardal wasn’t encouraged. He gazed across the green expanse of the Louisiana bayou. The air
smelled of dampness and decay, a sweet smell that was both unsettling and enchanting.
They had been told to come here for answers and they had come with questions. How could they
find out the truth and find the Xoanon to restore the Green Man’s power and ensure that Nature would
be in balance?
As the boats moved deeper into the narrow channel, hundreds of white birds flew up with a
deafening flapping of wings and loud screeching of annoyance from being disturbed.
Rudy chose the branch of a low hanging cypress tree and tied up his boat. Rowanne followed his
lead and docked her boat too. Rudy pointed to a spot high on the bank where they might be safe
overnight. There was nothing in the clearing and the absence of gators made it prime real estate.
“I don’t want to sleep here, Rudy,” said Dora. “I ain’t no camper.”
“Stay here and sleep in da bateau, den. Don you bitch at me, Dora Melanson. Rudy is tired of your
whiny ways.”
“Don’t worry, Dora,” I said, “It won’t be too bad.”
“Bad already, you ask me.”
Rudy made a face at Dora’s high-pitched voice and I wondered how long that union would last.
Freddie gave me a hand up the slippery slope and the Prejean boys were right behind us shouting
out Cajun curses at Freddie because he was helping me and they weren’t.
Once I was on solid ground, Freddie turned, took a stance, and smashed Clovis in the face, just for
good measure.
Clovis fell to the ground and rolled down the bank towards the water. Felix tackled Freddie on
behalf of his older brother and knocked him down into the dirt.
Figuring it was a game, Wixa grabbed hold of Felix’s shirt with her teeth and pulled and growled
and kept on pulling until she ripped the shirt right off Felix.
 Freddie doubled over laughing at shirtless Felix and that caused the fight to escalate.
Ardal shook his head. “Why did we bring those assholes?”
“Send them home, sugar. We haven’t got time for teenage bullshit. I’ve got two babies at home and
one of them is sick. We’ve got to get this done.”
“I’ll think about how to get rid of them,” said Ardal.
“Please do.”
Rowanne ran over and said, “I’m going to send Paul into the air to see if there are any houses
we’re missing in this area.”
“Good idea. There might be a dwelling deep in the woods that we can’t see from the river.”
“We have to find the loa, Joseph Danger, who lives in the invisible house,” Ardal said. “We don’t
have a lot of time left.”
As if in response, a voice spoke out of the shadow close to the edge of the swamp. “I know of the
house.”
I spun around to see who was speaking to us and there was an old man standing on the edge of the
algae bog. He was bent and crinkled, but his eyes were bright and sharp.
Taking a few steps closer to him, I said, “Can you tell us how to find the house we’re searching
for?”
The old man smiled. “The house is not of this world. It can only be reached by a path that is not of
this world either. He pointed to the swamp behind him. “If you follow the path, you will come to a
place where the house begins to appear. You must be careful. There may be many challenges along the
way. The path can be dangerous.”
He pointed to the path and then he disappeared.
“Huh,” I said to Ardal, “Did you see that?”
“See what?”
“Didn’t you see the old man?” I asked.
“What old man? Who were you talking to?”
“There was an old man standing right over there a minute ago and he showed me a path.” I ran
over to the edge of the swamp and showed Ardal where it started.
About two feet wide and definitely tramped down from frequent use, the trail curved into the thick
swamp.
“That’s a definite path. As soon as it’s dark, Ben and I will shift and see where it goes.”
“The sun will soon set,” said Rowanne. She called to Paul who was laughing and having a good
time while he watched Freddie and Felix fight.
“Come on, sweetheart. Leave those stupid boys and do some recon for Mama. Maybe if you are
high in the sky above all the trees, you might be able to see where the house is.”
Paul shifted into his red-tailed hawk mode and soared skyward into the sunset. I watched until he
disappeared behind a cloud.
“I’ll make us a place to sleep,” I said. Standing in the middle of the clearing, I conjured up a long
low wooden house filled with enough bunks for all of us. With partitions between the beds for
privacy, each of us would have a tiny space to call our own.
I added a small kitchen and stocked it with enough food and water for a couple of days. That’s all
the time we had to search for the house Joe Danger lived in. The moon would be full by then and Joe
Danger would go to trade the carving for his daughter.
Dora’s eyes were wide as she watched me work my magick. I flicked my wrist and added a couple
of outhouses out back for good measure. There was no time to waste on indoor plumbing.
 When I finished, Dora wanted to look inside the barracks. “Sure, go ahead. Be nice if you started a
pot of coffee, Dora. I sure could use one.”
She went running inside, eyes wide with wonder while I headed for one of my new outhouses.

Little Paul returned to earth from his scouting trip an hour later. It was dusk and the shadows had
grown heavy all around us. Paul hadn’t found anything. No habitation up this channel at all. Were we
in the right place? The old man I saw said to follow the path.
Ardal will follow it as soon as it gets dark.
The air around me virtually crackled—the oxygen molecules charged with the energy of unseen
forces. The trees swayed in the breeze and seemed to be whispering a message. We were in an eerie
place with a lot of magick in the air. I could feel the prickles on my skin.
Was the Green Man trying to communicate with Ardal? I hoped that he was. We needed all the
clues the gods could provide.
I shook myself out of a semi-trance and hollered at Freddie. “Stop screwing around with those
boys and gather wood for a bonfire. It will soon be dark.”
Waving my arms at the Prejeans, I yelled at them. “You boys gather some rocks and make a fire pit
and get us some wood dry enough to burn. Y’all cut some kindling right this minute or I’ll toss your
asses in the river.”
Clovis laughed at me. “Like to see that happen.”
“You would?” I flicked my left hand in his direction and the sparks flew. He fell to the grounds and
rolled towards the river yelling at the top of his lungs.
“I’m cutting wood, Clover.” Freddie ran into the woods and got cracking. He knew when I wasn’t
kidding around. Maybe now the Prejean boys would know it too.
Clovis and Felix weren’t long following Freddie to look for wood.

After everyone was fed and settled in their cozy bunks, Ben and Ardal left the bunkhouse, and in the
pitch dark they shifted into their animal alter-egos.
Ben shifted into his red fox mode and Ardal into his black wolf persona.
Together they started down the path—fox and wolf on a midnight prowl.

Lucky’s Trucks. Louisiana.

Sonny parked his rig in the long row of eighteen-wheelers at the truck stop. The lot was almost full of
drivers like him needing food and sleep.
He and Susan had shared a few drinks earlier that evening, and now he was getting ready to do
what he came here to do: kill her.
Sonny couldn't help but feel a sense of excitement as he thought about what was to come. Working
up to the kill gave him his greatest high.
He couldn't have sex with Susan—he was still true to his marriage vows—but killing her was
going to be a lot of fun.
Exhilarating.
Sonny glanced over at the pretty girl who was dozing in the passenger seat. He had a moment of…
something… definitely not remorse. Psychopaths rarely suffered from that debilitating emotion.
The feeling quickly passed as the excitement built. He grabbed a pillow from the sleeper, leaned
over and smothered Susan. She barely protested and with little or no resistance, some of the fun went
out of his kill.
 Once Susan was dead, Sonny started the engine of the big Peterbilt and drove to a mall at the other
end of the service road. He chose Lowes and parked close to their big blue dumpster at the far side of
their massive parking lot. The store was closed for the night, and the lot was empty except for a van
belonging to the night cleaners.
He reached for his battery-powered sawzall, tossed Susan over his shoulder, and placed her
carefully on the asphalt behind the dumpster.
Using a butchering system he had perfected when he was at the peak of his killing career, Sonny
began to chop up Susan’s body. He worked methodically and efficiently, carefully dissecting her body
into smaller, more manageable chunks. He took care to make sure he didn't leave too much evidence
behind, and he made sure not to get any blood on himself.
When he was finished, he bagged up the body parts in three separate bags and disposed of one of
the bags in the dumpster next to him.
He’d make two more stops along the interstate and drop off the other two. It was always safer to
have the body parts scattered far and wide.
Sheriffs from different counties would find the parts eventually, but it took a long time before they
connected with other sheriff’s offices and compared notes.
Sonny had years of practice and knew exactly how to work the system.

Making sure Sonny never saw him in the truck or in Lowes’ parking lot, Tarn witnessed the courting
and the killing of Susan from start to finish.
He couldn’t wait to find Gilly and fill her in on what Sonny was up to.
Gilly hadn’t told Tarn much about her ex-husband and now he knew why. The guy was a fuckin
maniac.
 Chapter Five

Sunday, May 22nd.

Red Fish Channel. Louisiana Bayou.

At breakfast Ardal and Ben told the others about what they had found at the end of the path the night
before.
“We followed the path and it took us hours to get to where the path was taking us,” said Ardal.
“But when the moon was high in the midnight sky, we saw the outline of a large house.”
“Any indication that the house belongs to Joseph Danger?” I asked.
“None,” said Ardal, “but we don’t have much time so we have to presume it does. We’ll go back
there today and encourage him to talk to us. We can help get his daughter back but first he has to give
up the carving so the Green Man can recover his powers.”
“We’ll go there right after breakfast and get him to talk to us,” I said.
“I’m not going,” said Dora.
Rudy turned his head and glared at her. “Stay here den. You nuttin but a whiny face anyways, Dora
Melanson. Rudy be glad to be rid of your ugly ass.”
Rowanne and I made breakfast and after everyone ate, she helped me clean up the little kitchen. If
we were still here at the end of the day, we might have to cook another meal. I’d have to produce
more groceries by then.
Clovis and Felix were complimentary on my cooking and Freddie took exception. Whenever they
spoke to me, he stared daggers at them as if he was working up to starting another fight.
“Everyone make sure you have a couple of power bars and bottles of water,” I said. “The hike to
the house at the end of the path will be long and it will be hot.”

Refusing to go with the others, Dora hung back and gave them a wave as they trudged off into the
swamp and disappeared.
As soon as they were out of sight, she ran down to the dock and jumped in Rudy’s boat. She poled
out into deeper water before she started the engine, then turned the boat and headed back the way
they’d come.
As she passed the cypress arch formed by the three trees, she couldn’t remember which way they
had come. She picked a direction and gave the boat more gas.

Nine Hemlock Way. Elgin. Texas.

Glenda was feeding Saffron in her highchair when Sonny called.
“I’ll be there in a few more hours, Glenda. How is Pete doing?”
“Star is at the hospital with Pete now. She’ll be back with a report soon. Can I call you back?”
“Yeah, call me back when you know how Pete is doing,” said Sonny. I’m making good time on the
interstate. See you in a while.”
“Thanks for coming home, dear,” said Glenda. “We need you here right now with Clover away.”
Red Fish Channel. Louisiana Bayou.
Paul shifted and flew above us as we trudged along on the well-hidden path. After the first hour we
stopped to rest for a few minutes and I asked Ardal how much farther it was to the house.
He turned to Ben and asked, “How long had we been running when we came to the end of the path?
Can you remember?”
“About an hour. We were running pretty fast too. Walking this slow is gonna take three hours or so.
I’m not good on time, Ardal.”
“Two more hours to go then,” said Ardal, “and more if I have to keep resting. I did much better in
wolf mode.”
“Wouldn’t you have the same blood when you are a wolf?” I asked.
Ardal shrugged. “I have no idea how it works. I didn’t want to be a shifter—it just happened when
I turned nineteen.” His angry words came out in a growl. “Let’s rest for five minutes and then do
another mile.”
“Where are we going?” asked Felix. “I think I’ll go back to the house that Gilly made and lie on
my bunk until y’all come back.”
“Yeah, me too,” said Clovis. “Tramping through the swamp ain’t no fun.”
“Sure. You guys go on back to the barracks. We don’t need you guys. Freddie is with me and he’s
all the man I need.”
Felix shrugged. “I might want to go a bit farther down the trail, but not too much.”
Clovis rolled his eyes at his brother. “Another mile.”

Dora sped along the river, and she didn’t recognize anything she was passing. This section of the
bayou was far from her home near Thibodaux, and she’d never been this far south. Not even on long
fishing trips with her father, Catfish Melanson.
Another hour on the river and she ran out of gas.

After one more short rest in the middle of the path, we endured another hour of tramping and entered
an area of the swamp filled with mist. The dampness penetrated my skin and made me shiver. The
eerie clammy feeling surrounding all of us was a warning, and I took it as such. Whoever lived here
in this magick glen did not want company.
Through the gray shroud there was a flicker of light coming from an almost invisible house nestled
in the middle of a stand of cypress trees.
Ardal and I approached the well-disguised residence slowly, cautioning the others to wait until we
knew what we were up against. As we drew closer, we could see that the house was protected by a
shimmering ward in the shape of a rainbow.
If this house belonged to Joseph Danger, then we had found the loa we were searching for. The
next hurdle would be drawing him out to communicate with us.
“How do you want to start?” Ardal whispered to me.
“Let’s give him a shout out and make it friendly. We won’t go the forceful route unless we have
to.”
“Sure,” said Ardal. “You are less intimidating than me. Move a little closer and give him a holler.”
The air was still and chilled and left nothing but a fresh tang of moldering dampness on the skin.
The house hovered on a cloud of mist. The side facing the path was painted as black as midnight. Its
windows sooty and cracked and the wraparound porch rotting, the roof sagging to a dangerous
degree. Beyond the off-putting porch, the house itself looked in good repair but there was no visible
entrance.
Cradled in a stand of oak and birch, the surrounding trees hid the shape of the house from the
outside world. It was difficult to tell where the house ended and the trees began.
“Have you ever seen a ward like that?” I asked Ardal.
The ward protecting the house was not a single line of color, but an arc composed of the seven
colors of the rainbow. The arc did not surround the perimeter but went up and over the roof.
“No, never. Seven layers thick, it might be difficult to remove.”
I called out to Joseph in my friendliest voice, “We need to talk to you, Joseph Danger. It’s about
your daughter, Jenny. Please come outside.”
A shadow appeared at one of the upstairs windows. A young man with long flowing blond hair
leaned out the window and waved us away. He shouted down at us, “Go now or I will destroy all of
you.”
“If you don’t remove the ward and come out to talk to us about your daughter and about the carving
you stole from the Green Man, we will have to come inside by force,” said Ardal.
Joseph laughed and waved us away.
“You will never get inside my house. Go away before I turn my anger on all of you.”
Ardal stood three feet away from one end of the glowing rainbow and raised his arms.

God of Nature
Man of Green
I call on you
To remove the screen
Rainbow ward has no clout
To keep me and my sister out
Ward be gone
Front door open
Give us access
Before my word is spoken
So mote it be.

Ardal chanted his spell and when he finished the third recitation, the rainbow vanished, and a front
door appeared. The door squeaked wide open on its own and stayed open.
Joseph Danger was right there at the door, panic on his face as he tried to slam the door shut.
Ardal held his arm extended and the door remained wide open. Joseph could not force it to close.
Joseph stepped out onto the porch. “Who are you and what do you want? Your power is strong and
amazes me. I want to know who sent you. Was it her? The woman who has my Jenny?”
“We did not come from her,” said Ardal.
Joseph stepped through the door onto the sagging porch and with him were two hellhounds. Huge
black dogs with heads the size of grizzly bears, red glowing eyes and fangs dripping saliva. Their
growling was constant as we tried to communicate with their master.
“We know who has your daughter,” said Ardal, “and we’ll help you get her back if you return the
carving you stole from the Green Man. He sent us to get it back. You had no right to take it and by
your actions, you are upsetting the balance of Nature.”
Joseph tossed his long blond tresses and laughed. “My father said taking the Xoanon would get
action and he was correct.” Joseph called over his shoulder to someone we couldn’t see, “Thank you,
Papa, for your wise advice.”
“Is that what you were hoping for?” asked Ardal. “Someone to come from the Green Man’s army
to help you?”
“Papa said to take the carving and the Green Man’s most powerful soldier would come to get it
back.” He laughed again. “And here you are.”
I moved closer to Ardal and shouted at Joe Danger, “Here we are, Joe. Give us the carving so that
we can return it to its rightful owner, and we’ll help you get your daughter back.”
“The only thing the woman who has my daughter wants is the carving. She wants to control the
Green Man who is her greatest enemy, and she can’t do it without the carving.”
“We’ll go with you and take the carving and get your daughter back.”
“I must go alone at the full of the moon,” said Joseph. “It’s the only way.”
“There must be another way,” I said.
“If there was another way,” said Joseph, “I would have done it already and my Jenny would be
home safe from the crazy woman.”
“Where does she live?” I asked.
“That’s difficult to say,” said Joseph. “Her house moves with her inside and she’s almost
impossible to find.”
“How were you planning on finding her?” asked Ardal.
“I can’t tell you that,” said Joseph. “You’ll find her, and she’ll think I sent you and she’ll kill my
little girl. I would never take that chance.”
“A stalemate then,” said Ardal.
“The danger is so great to my only child, I can trust no one,” said Joe.
Even realizing how dangerous Joseph Danger could be, I felt a little sorry for him at that moment. I
shouldn’t have. A second of weakness showed on my face, and he spotted it.
A flick of his wrist and he set the hellhounds on us.
With wild red eyes they came snarling towards Ardal and I. The others were in the woods behind
us keeping a safe distance that wasn’t nearly safe enough.
Ardal shifted into the large black wolf that was his alter-ego and he ran in the opposite direction to
distract the hounds.
A powerful witch in her own right, Rowanne ran after Ardal and the hounds, throwing orbs of fire
the size of basketballs. The first flaming ball hit the hound farthest behind and sizzled the wild dog
into a charred ember.
She picked up speed and kept running and took out the wild dog closest to Ardal in the same
manner.
With the killer dogs eliminated, Ardal turned and came running back. He flopped on the ground at
my feet breathing hard. I handed him his clothes and he shifted back into human form.
I glanced back at the house to see if Joe Danger had been watching and he wasn’t there, and neither
was the house.
We lost the first round.

South of Redfish Channel.

Far to the south of Cypress Grove, Dora poled Rudy’s boat to the side of the river and tied up at a
dock she’d never seen before.
She was lost and had seen a dock belonging to a wooden shack back in the trees. The owner of the
dock and the shack was on the dock cleaning fish.
 “Hi, sorry to tie up here at dis dock, but I’m a bit lost.”
“Where you come from, woman? Ain’t seen you before.”
The Cajun guy on the dock was about forty, long tangled hair and a ball cap on his head to keep the
sun out of his eyes.
Dora watched him and he was almost as handy with a fillet knife as her daddy.
“I’m from Thibodaux.”
“You miles away from home, lady. What you doing way down here at da Gulf?”
“Looking for somebody.”
“Who? I knows all the folks around here.”
“A man by the name of Joseph Danger.”
The fisherman pointed. “You get back in dat boat and you get far away from me. I don want your
kind anywhere near me. Go.”
“I got no gas.”
“I don care what you don got. You get your ass down the river and away from me and my family.”
Dora got back into the boat, picked up the pole and pushed the boat out into the middle of the river.

Nine Hemlock Way. Elgin. Texas.

Sonny parked the Peterbilt cab on the driveway and rang the bell. He must have lost his key
somewhere along the way if Gilly had ever given him one. Had she?
Glenda opened the door and stared at him. “Yes? Can I help you?”
“Mama, it’s me, Sonny. I had to ditch R.J.’s body and I’m temporarily using this guy for now. He’s
a cowboy truck driver. You wanted me home for Pete and here I am. Tell me how to get to the
hospital.”
Glenda stared like she wasn’t sure it was really Sonny, her son-in-law. “Star is ready to go to the
hospital. You can go with her.”
Sonny stepped into the foyer and waited for Star to appear. She stared at him in much the same
way Glenda had and he had to repeat his story.
“You have to stop doing this, Sonny,” said Starlight. “One of these times you are going to pick the
wrong body and you’ll be in more trouble than you ever imagined.”
Sonny laughed. “This guy is a truck driver. What trouble could he be in?”

Redfish Channel. Louisiana Bayou.

The house disappeared and they were left behind to wonder where it had gone. How would they find
it again?
“We don’t have time to start over, Gilly,” said Ardal. “It took us days to get this far. We have to
come up with a better plan that will work faster.”
“Paul will shift, and we'll send him into the sky to look,” said Rowanne. “The house couldn't have
gone far. The swamp is as dark as tar. The trees are thick and block out the light of the moon and
stars. It is as if you can't even see your hand in front of you.”
“I admit, this part of the bayou is not an area I care for,” I said. “It has the same feel to it as the
area in the Guadalupe Mountains where Brigitte lived with Baron Samedi, the God of Death. Yep.
Dark magick. Same dark, depressing feel to it.”
The swamp around us was teeming with life. Green algae and bright flowers covered almost every
inch of the bog. Shadows fell behind trees, making the entire area dark and dreary. Even in daylight, it
was hard to see more than a few feet.
 The trees surrounding us were twice as tall as Paul and the canopy above hid the sky from view.
Little Paul shifted and with a loud Keeereee, the call of the red-tailed hawk, he soared upwards
through the trees and disappeared.
Paul was only gone for seconds when the old man, whom only I had seen the first time, appeared at
the edge of the bog and he stood there laughing at us.
I was able to get a better look at him this time. There was more light, and I could see he was
draped in colorful robes and wore a headdress made from feathers and bones. He had long
dreadlocks that hung down his back and a staff in one hand.
“I am Kafula, the spirit of night and day,” he said. “If you wish to locate your lost house, you will
have to do better than that, pink-haired girl. You can't manipulate a loa using ordinary magick. You
need something much stronger.”
Perplexed, I looked to Ardal to see if he agreed with the old guy.
Ardal turned towards the old man and asked, “What type of magick would be powerful enough to
control a loa?” I could tell by the look on Ardal’s face that he didn’t trust the old man.
I wasn’t sure the old guy was real and not an image sent by the woman who couldn’t be spoken of.
She was a manipulator and a trickster in her own right, and she wouldn’t be above sending someone
to put us on the wrong path.
“I am the Godfather of Voodoo, and I control many powerful spirits or ‘Loa’. I can teach you and
your brother to use powerful magick. Magick with no limits on what you could wish for or achieve
through it.”
“How did you know Ardal was my brother?” I asked.
He smiled. “I know many things.”
“We accept your offer, sir.” Ardal believed it was their only chance of finding the missing house,
finding Joseph Danger, and retrieving the Xoanon.

Paul returned at twilight with nothing to report. He had seen no sign of the travelling house. He shifted
back to his seven-year-old self and Rowanne made him and Ben eat the dinner she’d conjured up for
the two of them.
Freddie’s brown eyes were wide as he surveyed our surroundings. “I’m scared, Clover. I don’t
want to stay in this place and I sure as hell ain’t sleeping here.”
“We have to spend another night here, sugar, until we know for sure where we’re going next.”
Freddie shook his head. “Can’t do it, Clover. Way too creepy here.”
I quickly conjured up three tree houses to keep us safe and away from the gators while we slept.
“Look, you can sleep up there and you’ll be safe, sugar.”
“Can gators climb trees?” asked Freddie.
“You’d better hope they can’t,” I said. “You might lose a leg.”
Tree snakes might be a problem.
Climbing up to the platform that anchored the shelters I had thrown together, the trees were mostly
smooth and barren, but occasionally a few branches poked out, providing us with something to grab
onto. The tree houses were a bit rougher than the barracks I had made for us the night before, but on
the spur of the moment, they were the best I could come up with.
“Come on. Let’s get settled up high and I’ll make us something to eat.”
“I’m starving,” said Freddie. He constantly looked down to make sure nothing was trying to climb
up the trunk of the tree he was in.
I conjured up several pizzas and passed the boxes around to the boys. They were ravenous.
“Whatever is left, y’all can eat it for breakfast.”
 Chapter Six

Monday, May 23rd.

Redfish Channel. Louisiana Bayou.

I opened my eyes and jumped a good six inches when I saw Tarn sitting on top of Freddie’s sleeping
body right next to me.
“Why are you here?” I asked in a whisper.
“Emergency, Gilly. When I went to find Sonny for Glenda, I rode back from the carnival in the
truck he stole. He had a girl with him. A girl named Susan. Sonny killed her and chopped her up into
little pieces. I saw him do it.”
“Oh, no.”
“I had to come and tell you.”
I let out a breath. “Let’s get out of here. It’s too early to wake everybody up.”
I slid down the tree to the ground, lit up a smoke and checked my phone for service and there was
none. Not here and probably not for miles around. “I can’t call.”
Looking up at the treehouses I could see the faint glow of fireflies zipping in and out of the open
doorways. The air was musty and damp, and in the distance I could smell the rotten flesh of dead
animals and the mildew of the marshy leaves from the trees overhead.
Several curious tree snakes inched towards the tree houses and I flicked my wrist and turned them
around so they slithered the opposite way. Away from Freddie.
From where I stood, the swamp was nothing more than a wall of tall green grass and brackish
water. Frogs croaking, crickets chirping, the green algae nudging the riverbank giving way to an army
of tall, quiet cypress.
“I don’t like it here, Gilly. It’s creepy and since Ardal is here with you and can’t cast another spell
on me right now, I’m going back to Texas to help Glenda with Saffron. I belong there, Gilly. Let me go
back and I won’t annoy Ardal anymore. I promise.”
“You’d better not. I’ll modify his spell and put you on a temporary trial. You keep out of his way.
He’s not feeling well because of the bad blood, and it makes him testy.”
Tarn grinned like he always did when he got his own way. “I told you what I came to say, babe.
You can deal with that killer, Sonny Hart, however you wish. You never should have married him,
Gilly. That was a mistake.”
“I’ve made more than a few.”
And you were one of them.
“Thank you, sweetheart. You are a far better person now than you ever were when you were
alive.”
“Thanks, Gilly. I love you and I’m trying hard.”
I lit up another smoke as Tarn disappeared. It was going to rain. The air was moist and heavy as
the sun struggled to break through the canopy of trees. The trees, draped with moss and vines, tried
their best to block the sun. The underside of leaves and branches formed a floating green ceiling, like
a domed cathedral overhead.
 I heard a rustle of leaves behind me, and it was Freddie climbing down the tree trunk. Scrambling
down behind him were Felix and Clovis. The boys had been virtually silent since the incident with
the hellhounds. Scared out of their wits. They had told me several times they wanted to go back to the
barracks I had conjured up. Not that they were any safer there.
I’ll send them back today.
It wasn’t prudent to let them go any further. When, and if, Ardal and I began using the old man’s
heavy-duty magick, things could get downright dangerous—for all of us.

Elgin Hospital. Texas.

Sonny and Star went to the hospital right after breakfast and Pete was much better. He was taking his
bottle now and the doctor on the pediatric floor had deemed him well enough to go home. Starlight
was excited that he had been released.
She and one of the nurses changed him and got him ready to leave the hospital. He wasn’t crying
any longer and he was trying to smile at Star.
“He knows you,” said the nurse.
“I’m his aunt and I’ve cared for him since the minute he was born. I love him so much.”
“Did something happen to his mother?”
“Yes. The birth was difficult, and she died shortly afterwards.”
“So sad. The baby is lucky to have you.”
“No,” said Star. “I’m lucky to have him.”

As they left the hospital, Sonny carried the diaper bag and Star carried Pete in her arms. They walked
across the hospital parking lot towards the big Peterbilt parked in the back row. Sonny had insisted on
driving it to the hospital to give Pete his first ride in their Peterbilt truck.
Star argued that a car with a car seat made more sense when picking Pete up, but Sonny insisted on
the truck.
They were a few feet from the cab when a shot rang out and Sonny’s head exploded. Blood and
brains rained down on Star and the baby as Sonny dropped to the pavement next to them.
Star screamed as she glanced down and saw half of Sonny’s head was missing. Not even his head.
A borrowed head blown off a borrowed body.
Another person getting into their vehicle farther down the row heard the shot. They immediately
pulled out their cell and made the call.
Star figured they were calling 911 so she took the opportunity to flee the scene. She grabbed the
diaper bag out of Sonny’s dead hand and transported to Florida with Pete.
She had to protect the baby from all connections to his evil father. It was best for Roy if he never
knew Sonny Hart existed.

Redfish Channel. Louisiana Bayou.

The first attempt to communicate with Joseph Danger and convince him to become their ally instead
of an enemy had failed miserably.
His house that had taken days to find had disappeared right under their noses and they had to start
over.
With only two days left before the full of the moon, there was no time to find the house again.
Joseph had the carving belonging to the Green Man, and he was in the wind.
The situation seemed hopeless to Ardal and Gillette.
 The old man Gilly had spoken to had disappeared at the same time as Joe Danger’s house. Goners.
His promise of teaching them more powerful magick was gone along with him.
Ardal figured the old man was a ruse Joseph Danger had used to distract them from their purpose,
and he vowed not to be fooled again by any offers of assistance. He and Gilly were on their own to
complete this task.
“Rudy got to get back to da crab shack. Losing bidness every day hanging around here in dis hell
forsaken part of da bayou. Rudy don like the feel of dis place. Da air and all da trees are filled with
evil and dark thoughts Rudy don like.”
“I agree with you,” said Ardal. “This is the creepiest part of the bayou I’ve ever been to. The air
here is saturated with dark magick. We’ll head back to the barracks and you and the boys can get on
back home.”
Rudy nodded.
They found the end of the path and began hiking all the way back to the temporary shelter Gilly had
erected for them. It seemed like a safer place than the one they were in, but that too could have been
another misconception.

Hours later they got back to the barracks and Rudy said he’d rest for a few minutes then he’d head
back to his boat and go home to the crab shack.
“Why don’t you boys go with Rudy?” I asked Felix and Clovis. “You mentioned wanting to leave
several times.”
Freddie nodded his blond head thinking it was a great idea for Felix and Clovis to beat it.
“No tanks. We want to stay wid you and watch you do magick stuff. Me and Felix need to learn shit
from you.”
“Do you boys feel you might have powers inherited from your Mama?”
Felix shrugged. “Don know ‘bout dat, Clover. Might. May do.”
“Sometimes you aren’t born with the powers the Fates intend y’all to have. Powers often come on
to you later in life. You boys are about the right age to start showing signs of magickal tendencies. I
got my powers when I was nineteen. Right on my birthday.”
“See dat,” said Clovis, “nineteen. I just past der and Felix ain’t quite der yet.”
“Perfect ages for it to happen.” I smiled and gave them a little encouragement.
Freddie didn’t like me encouraging the Prejean boys one bit. He came over, stood beside me, and
said, “I can light a fuckin candle from across the room. Can either one of you assholes do that?”
“Don know,” said Clovis. “Never tried. Saw Luna do it at our house in da Glades. She’s a witch.”
“She is,” I said, “and so is Starlight.”
When Rudy was rested enough to continue to the remaining boat, he took a bottle of water and a
couple of the power bars I had conjured up and he said goodbye to all of us.
“Rudy don mean to leave y’all in the lurch, but dis is gonna take too long. I got da crab shack to
run, and I got a couple charters dis week too. Wid Bobo gone, Rudy got no partner no more. All da
work for da boats and da crab shack is on Rudy.”
I turned and asked the boys again. “You boys sure you don’t want to leave and give Rudy a hand
with his boats?”
“We good here wid you, Clover,” said Clovis. “Getting used to being one of your magick helpers,
girl. Me and Felix can work for you. All you have to do is… like feed us and treat us nice… just like
Luna and Star do. Dey nice to us too.”
“I’m sure they are. Moonbeam raised her sisters to be polite and compassionate, just like her.”
 Over at the table, Rowanne was setting up a scrying session. She had conjured up a gorgeous
sapphire blue bowl to hold the spring water… if we could find some.
Could be a job for Felix and Clovis. “You boys know how to witch for water?”
Clovis grinned. “Sure do. Mama showed us dat. She used to find da perfect spots for all our
neighbors to dig der wells.”
“Exactly. I need crystal clear spring water and I need it now. Y’all get out there and find
yourselves a forked branch and try your luck.”
On the run, Clovis hollered for Felix to hurry up.
“I’m going to help them,” said Freddie. “I can do it better than they can.”
I smiled. There was a lot of competition going on in our little camp.
Ben stood back and watched them without understanding what was going on. If it didn’t concern
Rowanne or Paul or Wixa, Ben had no interest in it whatsoever. That was his nature.
Raised up alone in the vast Louisiana Forest in the northern part of the state, Ben lived most of his
life as a red fox. It was only when Rowanne was lost in the woods and Ben found her that he shifted
more and more into his human form. He and Rowanne were a couple and a solid family with Paul, the
son they had adopted.

Ardal and I sat our tired butts down on a fallen tree and watched the three boys racing around trying
to find a forked branch that would make the perfect divining rod.
“Try a willow tree if you can find one,” I hollered to them.
With an amused look on his face, Ardal lit up a smoke and seemed relaxed for the moment. He
hadn’t had a lot to smile about lately, he’d been in so much distress from the poison still in his blood.
Clovis cut a nicely balanced forked branch and he rid it of leaves. Walking slowly in a straight
line, the forks bent low and pointed at a spot in the dirt.
“Stay there, Clovis. I’ll get you a shovel.” I conjured up a couple of shovels and handed one to
Clovis. “Here you go.”
“Let me dig,” hollered Freddie. “I’m a fuckin grave digger, for chrissakes.”
Clovis swung his shovel and swatted Freddie on the butt with it. “Get away from my well, jerkoff.
Dis be my spot.”
Digging like a maniac, Clovis hit water about three feet below the surface. Crystal clear water
sprayed up like a fountain and I flicked my wrist and made myself a silver bucket.
Handing the aluminum pail to Clovis, he jumped down into the hole and filled it. “Here you go,
Clover. Spring water for you.”
“Thank you, Clovis. That was amazing digging.”
Freddie glowered at Clovis for beating him in the well-digging contest.
“Let’s go inside and do some scrying,” I said.
The boys didn’t know what scrying was, but they were at the lowest end of a learning curve and
were ready to suck up any magick they could.
Paul ran towards me with his mama’s bowl in his little hands. “Did you get the water for Mama?”
“Yes, we did, Paul. Clovis has it in the pail. He’ll pour it in for you.”
Rowanne had cleansed the area around the table we were using, and she was ready to do her
working.
First, we needed more chairs and I had to expand the table. With a few mumbled words, I made the
worktable longer and darker in color, and covered it with a black satin altar cloth.
The boys clustered around watching with wide eyes while I did these small magickal jobs.
 When I placed three candles close to the scrying bowl, Freddie hollered, “Let me light the candles,
Clover.”
It took more time than we had, but I worked with each of the boys until they had each lit one of the
candles with a little of my energy flowing through their arms and out their unpracticed hands.
Elated by their candle-lighting prowess and convinced they were in the throes of receiving
magickal powers from the goddess, the boys took their seats at the table and became part of the circle.
Ardal was sure they had very little power to contribute, but he didn’t ban them from participating.
We needed all the help we could get.
Forming our makeshift circle was Ardal, me, Freddie, Felix, Clovis, Ben and Paul and Rowanne.
Eight was not a number I cared for in a working circle. Even numbers never worked well.
Seven or nine would have been preferable.
Rowanne knew exactly what I was thinking, and she sent Ben to guard the clearing.
As soon as we were seven in number, I cast a circle around us, and we were ready to begin.
Ardal called the corners, and the wind was fierce as the winds from the four directions obeyed
him and brought the power of the elements to the table.
Rowanne summoned the deities and when she was ready to start the working, she cast the scrying
spell. She stood on her chair with her arms raised above her head and her long red hair fired off
sparks in all directions.
She shouted out the scrying spell at the top of her lungs.

Goddess of the Earth and Water

I beg you help your faithful daughter
Cleanse the water and make it pure
Help us find the one obscure
Show us where Danger is hidden
In a place he thinks is forbidden
Goddess give us direction
From the water’s pure reflection
So mote it be.

Felix, Freddie and Clovis were fixated on Rowanne and her sparking hair as she finished the spell
and climbed down from her chair.
The water in the bowl spun and swirled one way and then the other and then it cleared.
Ardal peered into the bowl and there was Joseph Danger standing on the porch of the same house
we had been to. This time the house was on a street in a tiny town.
“That’s Cocodrie,” said Rowanne. “I recognize it. I burned down a lumber yard there a long time
ago.”
“That’s where we’re going,” said Ardal. “Everyone get ready to transport.”
We all gathered up the few belongings we had with us, and I was about to get rid of the shelter I’d
put up when Tarn flew down through the roof.
“Gilly, something bad happened and Mama sent me to get you.”
“Umm… you already told me about Sonny killing the girl, Tarn. I’m going to Cocodrie, and I can’t
come right now. I’ll have to deal with it in a couple of days.”
“You have to come now, Gilly. Sonny is dead.”
“No. Are you telling me Chance Watkins is dead?”
 “Yes. That’s it. The guy Sonny was using. Somebody blew his head off in a drive-by shooting. Star
and Pete are missing.”
I let out a breath and felt dizzy and close to fainting. Something I never did. I’d never been a
wussy.
“Go clean up the mess, Gilly,” said Ardal. “Join us in Cocodrie as soon as you can.”
“I don’t like you going on your own.” I hugged Ardal. “You’re not strong enough.”
“Rowanne and I will be fine. Take care of the Sonny problem.”
“It’s always a Sonny problem, isn’t it?”
“Me and Clovis will come wid you, Clover.”
I didn’t want them, but Ardal was nodding his head wanting me to take the Prejean boys with me.
“Okay, sure. Have you ever been to Texas?”
“Hell no,” said Clovis.
I grabbed onto Freddie, Felix and Clovis and transported us all home to Texas.

Nine Hemlock Way. Elgin. Texas.

With Freddie, Felix, and Clovis holding tight to me, the four of us appeared in my own backyard next
to the corral fence.
First thing Freddie did was run into the barn to check on the horses.
“Wow, dis be a nice place you got here, Clover,” said Clovis. “Look at all da fuckin grass.”
“Cutting the grass will be a good job for you boys while y’all are here.”
Cawing loudly, Zing flew down from her tree to welcome me home. She perched on my shoulder
and stared at Clovis and Felix. “I missed you, Mama,” she chirped. “Are these boys friends of
Freddie’s?”
I introduced them. “This is Clovis, and this is Felix.”
“They look the same,” said Zing.
When Zing spoke, Clovis jumped. “You got yourself a magick talkin crow, Clover?”
“That’s right. Zing guards my property, and she can do a lot of other things too. You can give her a
treat when she gets to know y’all a little better.”
“Can I touch her?”
“Be gentle.”
Clovis stroked Zing’s feathers and she hopped onto his shoulder. “She likes me already. Where’s
dem treats?”
“On the kitchen counter. I’ll show you.”
We went inside and I pointed to the jar holding Zing’s dried mealworms. “You can give her two.”
Clovis grabbed a couple of mealworms and ran out to the patio where Zing was waiting.
I heaved a big sigh and gave Mama a hug. “Tarn came to fetch me, Mama. I came as fast as I
could.”
She looked relieved to see me. “Thank goodness you’re here, Clover. Star never came back from
the hospital when she and Sonny went to pick Pete up.”
“Tarn says Sonny got shot and he’s dead—at least Chance Watkins got shot dead.”
“That’s right. Chance is dead, and so is Sonny’s spirit.”
“Tarn told me Star took Pete and disappeared. That tells me she transported with the baby back to
the Glades. That’s where she always runs to.”
“Sonny drove that big purple truck to the hospital, Clover,” said Mama. “He wanted to give Pete
his first ride in an eighteen-wheeler.”
 “Yeah? That means Chance’s truck is still parked at the hospital. Jesus Murphy. I’ve got to do
something.”
I ran out the patio door and hollered to the boys. “Come on, I need y’all to help me with something.
Won’t take long.”
“Can’t go,” said Freddie. “I’m too busy cleaning out Jet’s stall. Do you know how much a horse
can shit in a day, Clover?”
“No, and I’m not interested in quantifying horseshit now. Felix and Clovis, y’all are with me.”
Before we left for the hospital, I ran into the garage and grabbed Ardal’s Jeep washing kit off the
workbench. All his cleaning products were tucked nice and neat into a red rubber bucket.
“What do we need that for, Clover?” asked Clovis.
“We’re gonna move a big rig and wipe the fucker down, boys. Won’t take long.”
I didn’t care if Chance Watkin’s DNA showed up in his own truck, but what if Sonny had killed
that girl, Susan, like Tarn said he did? Chance Watkins would be labeled as a killer of young girls.
What ever else he was, he didn’t deserve that.

Elgin Hospital.
I zoomed into the hospital parking lot and parked in front of the Peterbilt cab. “This is it. We need to
move it out of this parking lot.”
“Got keys?”
“No keys. Clovis, get behind the wheel. I’m going to start it magickally and then you can follow
me to the Walmart Super Center on route 290. We’ll clean it up there and leave it for the cops to
find.”
Clovis grinned. “Never drove one of deese mothers before, but I always wanted to. I love working
for you, Clover. We get us some interesting shit to do.”
Felix stood and stared after Clovis. “Go, Felix. Go with your brother.”
As soon as the boys were in the cab, I started the engine remotely and jumped back into my
Bronco. I led the way to route 290, took the westbound ramp and a few miles later, pulled into the
twenty-four-hour Walmart.
In a huge mall like that, the truck cab wouldn’t be found for days. I drove to the farthest corner of
the lot where two blue dumpsters sat close together. I parked in front of the bins and jumped out of my
truck.
“Over here, Clovis.” I waved him into the spot where I wanted him to park the truck and he
handled the big rig well. He pulled in and we got to work.
“Grab a spray bottle and clean this fucker up. I’ll rip the sheets off the bed in the sleeper and we’ll
take the pillows with us too.”
In case they have the dead girl’s DNA on them.
“Why we doin dis job, Clover?” asked Felix.
“Good question, Felix, and here’s the answer. So a dead guy won’t get blamed for shit he didn’t
do.”
Felix cast me a stink-eye. “I don get it.”
“Me neither. It is kind of crazy.”
We finished up and I loaded everything out of the sleeper that could be classified as incriminating
into the load bed of my truck, including three battery-powered sawzalls.
“Why dat guy who owns dis truck needs tree of dose saws, Clover?” asked Felix.
“In case one of his batteries goes dead in the middle of a job,” I said.
 Clovis nodded. “Yeah, I see dat.”
With everything from the rig in the back of my truck covered by a tarp, we took off. Before leaving
the mall, I drove to the other end and picked up three cases of Lone Star, a bottle of tequila, and a big
bag of Popeye’s Chicken, fries, and biscuits. Enough to feed the crowd that seemed to be following
me around.
Felix smiled as he rode in the back seat with the beer and the chicken. “We gonna have ourselves a
party, Clover. Me and Clovis loves living wid you so fuckin much, don tink we ever gonna leave.”
I digested that piece of news as I hightailed it for Elgin. Mama was going nuts worrying about
Pete, and I had to get back to Cocodrie to help Ardal. Sonny getting Chance Watkins killed in the
middle of all of it pissed me off.
Sonny Hart pissed me off from the first moment I met him, and yet I loved him. Crazy loved him.
Jesus on a cracker. What a day.

Nine Hemlock Way. Elgin. Texas.

I grabbed a beer and a chicken leg from the spread on the kitchen table and ran to my room to look on
my laptop for the police report on Sonny’s shooting. I used my still-valid police code to get into the
cop database and searched through the reports from earlier in the day. I needed to find one from the
parking lot at Elgin Hospital.
“Here it is.”
“What, Clover?” Freddie had come into the bedroom where my desk was, and he was lying on our
bed eating one of the biscuits that had come with the chicken. I didn’t even notice him.
I pulled up the incident report and read it.
Preliminary findings classified the murder as a drive-by shooting by a cartel. Chance Watkins was
suspected of transporting drugs and guns for a cartel in his big rig, and the cartel had eliminated him.
“If that was the case, why didn’t impound take the fucking truck?” I asked myself out loud.
“I don’t know the answer to that question, Clover.” Freddie thought I was talking to him. “Want me
to do a Tarot reading for you?”
I tuned Freddie out. “Aw, shit. Maybe the truck was sitting there at the hospital waiting to be towed
to impound and we moved it. Jesus, I don’t have time to put the fucker back.”
“Put what fucker back, Clover?” asked Freddie.
“Never mind, sugar. Nothing to worry about. Something me and Clovis and Felix were working
on.”
“When are those assholes going home, Clover?”
Maybe never.
“I don’t like them hanging around you.”
“They only want to learn magick from me, sugar. Don’t let them bother you.”
“They’re always looking at you, and I don’t like it.”
“Look at it this way, Freddie. You are the one who sleeps in that bed with me. Not them.
Understand?”
Looking puzzled, Freddie said, “Sort of.”

Cocodrie. Houma-Bayou Cane.

Ardal along with Rowanne, Ben and Paul, followed the image presented to them in the scrying bowl.
They transported magickally to a place near the southernmost tip of the bayou.
Cocodrie was a fishing village far removed from civilization. A perfect place for Joe Danger to
disappear.
A short main street filled with small businesses, most elevated on pilings in case of flooding. A
diner, several bait shops, an outfitter, two bars and at the end, a small motel.
Three or four streets of residences for them to search for Joseph Danger’s house and it didn’t take
too long to find a house painted black. Nestled between two similar two-storey houses on a quiet side
street, Rowanne spotted it first.
“There’s his house, Ardal. I’m going to burn it down.”
Ardal’s eyes widened. “Do you think that will make him run out and give us the carving?”
Rowanne flipped her long red hair over her shoulder and laughed. “It will make him run out and
that’s all I care about. If he doesn’t bring the carving with him and give it up, I’ll go in and get it.”
“Into an inferno?”
“I have gifts,” said Rowanne. Her slender hand closed on Ardal’s arm. “Stay here.” She turned to
Ben. “Take Paul to the diner and get burgers.”
Ben nodded, took Paul’s hand, and walked down the street.
Rowanne studied the angle, then she crossed the street to get a better fix on the house. When she
was ready, she took aim and fired her basketball-sized fireballs.
The first one crashed through the upstairs window and lit up the second storey. The second hit a
downstairs window and the third burned through the front door.
The frame house went up like a tinder box. In seconds, flames engulfed the entire structure and a
minute later, Joseph Danger came running out with his old papa over his shoulder.
It was easy to see he didn’t have the carving with him. Too big to conceal in a pocket.
Out of nowhere, Jerome and Juniper appeared on the road next to Ardal and startled him. “The
carving is going to burn,” shouted Jerome.
He ran inside the blazing house and returned seconds later, his short gnome body charred and
blackened by the smoke.
He tossed the carving like a hot potato to Juniper, and she caught it. “Take it to your father.”
Juniper disappeared and Ardal felt fury take hold of every fiber of his being. He had been used
once again to find what the Green Man wanted, and no one seemed to care how high the costs were.
Joseph Danger sat with his father under a tree on the side of the road. The ends of Joe’s long blond
hair were charred black with soot. His clothes were singed, and he was moaning in pain from the
burns he’d incurred. His old papa lay next to him barely breathing. The old man seemed close to
death.
Joseph’s voice came out raspy from the smoke he’d inhaled, and he coughed several times. “You
have cost me the carving, but I was wrong to take it from the Green Man. Even with waning power, he
is far stronger than me. Most of my strength is gone and now I have nothing to trade to get Jenny
back.”
“Where is she?” asked Ardal. “I would have helped you get her back, but you treated me like your
enemy.”
“You are my enemy if you keep me from getting my daughter. You have enemies of your own,
Ardal. People in the dark magick world who would rejoice if you were to be eliminated.”
“It was never my intention to keep you from getting your daughter back,” said Ardal. “Tell me
where Jenny is being held, and I’ll get her back for you.”
“I don’t believe you can,” said Joseph. “Even with your great power and your strong connection to
the goddess, it will not be enough.”
Ardal turned away and mumbled, “It will have to be enough.”
 Chapter Seven

Tuesday, May 24th.

Alligator Alley. Everglades. Florida.

Moonbeam screamed when Starlight appeared in her kitchen holding Roy in her arms.
“Starlight, you scared the daylights out of me. What are you doing here with the baby? Did you
take him from Gillette and Sonny, and from Glenda? Why would you do that?”
“Because it was the only thing I could do at the time, Moon. Please listen and calm down. I have
an explanation.”
“Gillette will be furious if the baby was moved again,” said Moonbeam. “You don’t want to cross
her and risk her turning her power on you.”
“As if I’m afraid of Gillette.”
“And I’m telling you, you should be, Star.”
“Listen to my story and you’ll see why I’m here.”
“Okay. I’m listening. Tell me.”
“Sonny and I were picking Roy up from the hospital when a terrible thing happened.”
“What terrible thing?” Moon gripped the kitchen counter to steady herself for what Star was about
to say.
“The person Sonny was possessing… temporarily… was gunned down in a drive-by shooting.
Sonny is dead, Moon. I’m so sorry.”
Moonbeam screamed loud and long.
Still holding the baby, Star hugged Moon and tried to comfort her sister.
“Are you telling me his spirit has been destroyed?”
“Yes. He’s gone, Moon. I’m so sorry.”
“And because Sonny is dead, that entitled you to take the baby from Gillette?”
“She wasn’t home.”
“Take him back, Star. That is Sonny’s son and Gillette is Sonny’s wife. Take the baby back to her.
It would be a foolish idea to anger Gillette.”
“No, Moon. I’m not taking him back. I have every right to raise him. I’m the person who has taken
care of Roy since the moment he came into this world. I’m not giving him back to Gillette. She’s not
stable enough to be a good mother.”
“Sonny wants his son raised with Saffron, and I agree. It would be wonderful for them to be raised
as siblings.”
“It’s not happening while I’m alive,” said Star.
“We’ll see about that,” said Moonbeam.

Nine Hemlock Way. Elgin. Texas.

I opened the garage door and was showing Clovis the riding lawn mower when Ardal suddenly
appeared on the grass behind the house.
He was standing all alone, looking pale and weak and smelling of smoke—wood smoke—and I
wondered what had happened.
“Why are you here, sugar? Did you find the carving?”
He nodded. “We found it and half the mission is complete. I’m taking a break here at home until I
figure out how to tackle the second half.”
“What do you mean… half?” I pointed at the patio table and Ardal walked over and sat down. He
looked like he needed to sit before he collapsed into a heap on the lawn.
A quick trip to the fridge and I brought him a glass of orange juice. “Drink that and tell me what
happened.”
“Rowanne burned down Joe Danger’s house and we did get the carving back. While the house was
on fire, Juniper and Jerome appeared. Jerome ran into the inferno and found the carving. He came out
and gave it to Juniper and she left with it for her father.”
“What about Jenny Danger?”
“That’s what I said.” Ardal sipped his juice. “Joseph told me where she might be but I’m not ready
to go after her yet. I need to rest and to talk to Misty before I go running off on a wild goose Chance.”
“I’ll call her, and she’ll be happy to come over and help you. She’s been so worried.”
Ardal sighed. “I needed this juice. Thanks. What have the boys been doing while I was away?
Have they been feeding the horses?”
“Freddie is always in the barn cleaning the stalls or brushing them. He won’t let you down.”
“I’m going for a long ride on Mirabelle while I think this thing through.”
“Do that, if you’re strong enough to ride, and be sure to take Freddie with you. He’s restless and he
needs fresh air to function.”
Ardal chuckled. “Is he fighting with Clovis and Felix again?”
“It’s ongoing… like a competition. But there haven’t been any fist fights today—not yet.”
“Maybe they’ll be friends after they get used to each other.”
I giggled at that notion. “Stay there and I’ll get you a coffee and some biscuits. Before you go on
your ride, I want to tell you about something else that happened.”
“Sure. I haven’t eaten anything today, but since the poison has been in my blood, I’m not hungry.
Mostly nauseated by the thought of food.”
“Your weight is down. You need to eat.”
I fixed Ardal a snack of Mama’s biscuits and strawberry jam and poured both of us mugs of coffee.
I put it all on a little tray and carried it out to the patio.
Ardal was hollering over to Freddie, “Saddle up, Freddie. You and I are going for a ride.”
Freddie left Clovis and Felix with the John Deere lawn tractor and ran past us on the patio and
straight to the barn.
Ardal chuckled. “He is so damned funny.”
I sat down and told Ardal the story about Sonny dying in Chance Watkin’s body and about me
moving the truck.
He listened until I was finished. “Jeeze, Gilly, it’s hard to believe Sonny could be gone. Every
time he’s been gone… he’s not really gone.”
“I know, but this time he’s gone for good. Chance Watkins was a mule for a cartel, and he must
have had a hit out on him. I looked up the police report and they’re fairly convinced of it.”
Freddie led the horses out of the barn, and they were both saddled. “Ready, Ardal?”
“I am so ready for this. I need a ride to clear my head.”
I hugged Ardal when he stood up. “Go and enjoy your ride, sweetheart. We can talk about all of it
when you get back.”
 “Call Misty for me.”
“I will.”

Elgin Forest.
Ardal was elated to ride Mirabelle again and so happy to have the strength to stay in the saddle and
hold the reins. He had been such a mess for the past weeks, and he missed his daily ride more than
anything else.
Freddie Binks was an excellent horseman and his horse, Jet, was just that—a fast quarter horse
who loved to gallop full out.
With Freddie aboard, Jet raced on ahead across the open fields and reached the forest first. The
horse slowed to cross the creek and Freddie waited for Ardal to catch up.
“Jet loves to run,” hollered Freddie.
“Sure does,” said Ardal. “He’s hard to catch.”
Surrounded by trees, some of the branches closing in and brushing against them, the horses slowed
right down. They cantered along the narrow path, a thick bed of pine needles cushioning their hooves.
They were about halfway through the hundred acres of protected forest when Jet nickered and
reared up on his hind legs.
“Whoa, Jet.” Freddie hung on and stroked Jet’s neck to calm him down. He slid off his horse and
hollered at the people on the path who had caused the upset to his mount. “Y’all shouldn’t jump out
onto the trail like that, Junie. You scared the shit out of Jet.”
“Sorry, Freddie.” Juniper moved closer and stroked Jet’s velvet nose. “I didn’t mean to startle
you, Jet.”
Ardal dismounted and with Mirabelle’s reins loose in his hand, he walked towards Juniper and
Jerome.
“Hi, Ardal,” said Juniper.
With Juniper and Jerome was a dark-haired girl riding bareback on a Paint. Her tan and white
pony was one of the prettiest Ardal had ever seen.
“What are y’all doing here?” asked Ardal. “I’m surprised to see you in Texas.”
Jerome spoke first. “As a reward for recovering the Xoanon for the Green Man and restoring his
power, he has sent you Annabelle as a gift.”
Ardal frowned. “He sent me a person as a reward?”
“Daddy still feels guilty about Ember,” said Juniper. “Her death was so unfortunate.”
Unfortunate. Is that what he’s calling it?
“You could call it unfortunate,” said Ardal. “I think of it more in terms of tragic. Thank your father
for me, Juniper, but I can’t accept a person as a gift. It wouldn’t be right.”
“Annabelle will help you,” said Jerome. “She is fully trained to be your assistant in whatever life
path you choose. We cannot take her back. The Green Man would be insulted.”
“Daddy spent many long hours choosing the perfect person for you, Ardal. Please accept
Annabelle with Daddy’s good wishes and his thanks for all you’ve done for him and for the balance
of Nature and for the greater good.”
Ardal nodded. There was no use arguing with them. He’d work it out later with the girl and send
her back home. “Thank you. I’m happy to accept.”
Juniper smiled. She and Jerome stepped back into the forest, blended in with the trees and they
were gone.
Ardal sighed as he approached Annabelle sitting astride her horse. “I’m Ardal. Happy to meet you
and welcome to Texas.”
Annabelle smiled. “I am honored to be given to the most revered soldier in the Green Man’s
army.”
“This is Freddie,” said Ardal. “Let him go first and we’ll follow him home. We don’t live too far
from here.”
“What’s your horse’s name?” asked Freddie.
“Butterscotch. That’s what I call him.”
“Hmm… nice name. I like it.” Freddie jumped into the saddle with a youthful energy Ardal envied.
He and Freddie were almost the same age and yet Ardal felt years older. The weight of the world
weighed him down.
Freddie let Jet have his head and they galloped off towards the main road.

Nine Hemlock Way. Elgin.

I was handing Misty a glass of iced tea at the patio table when Ardal rode through the back gate with
Freddie and a beautiful girl with long dark hair. She was riding a horse a little smaller than Mirabelle
or Jet.
Did they meet her in the forest?
The riders dismounted, cooled out the horses and put them in the corral. I wondered why Ardal
was putting her horse in the corral too. Did he know her? Was she staying?
Misty leaned over and whispered to me. “That’s Annabelle. The Green Man contacted me to ask
about a gift for Ardal. He wanted to reward him appropriately for finding and returning the Xoanon.”
“And he gave my brother a girl as a reward? I can hardly believe that’s appropriate.”
“For a companion and an assistant. The Green Man believes Ardal deserves comfort after all he’s
been through.”
“Sure, he deserves something, but I’m not sure the Green Man is going in the right direction. Ardal
likes to choose his own companions.”
“Give me a moment with Ardal,” said Misty. “We need to discuss what Joseph Danger has been
telling him. Danger is not to be trusted. He’s a known trickster and a manipulator of people.”
“I agree that he’s not easy to believe,” I said. “His eyes. There’s something so weird about his
eyes. The way he looks at you when he’s telling you something, that is downright off-putting.”
“Nothing Joseph Danger says can be taken at face value,” said Misty. “He is a well-practiced liar
and anything he says must be interpreted with a grain of salt.”
“Angelique warned us not to trust him.”
Once the horses were happily munching hay in the corral, Ardal, Freddie and Annabelle joined us
on the patio.
Ardal introduced Annabelle to us, and she smiled brightly. She seemed happy to be with him.
“Can I get y’all drinks? I’m Gillette. Ardal’s sister.”
“Merry meet,” said Annabelle. She shook my hand and then curtsied in front of Misty before sitting
down again. “It is a special day indeed for me to be in your presence, Great One.”
Misty smiled. “Thank you, Annabelle. So sweet of you to say that. I’ve heard good things about
you too. While Gillette gets the drinks from the kitchen, I’d like to meditate on Jenny Danger’s
location and see if I can come up with anything y’all can use in your quest.”
After several minutes of reverential silence, Misty opened her eyes and spoke. “The girl is being
held captive by Baba Sue, sister of the one we cannot speak of.”
“Location?” asked Ardal. “I’m sure Joseph Danger was lying to me when he told me how to find
his daughter. He will try to find her on his own, but he has nothing to trade now that the carving has
been returned to the Green Man.”
“I’m seeing an abandoned mine, Ardal,” said Misty. “In a mountainous area that could be in West
Virginia, but I’m not sure. I need more time to put the pieces of the vision together.”
Misty turned to Freddie, “Would you do a reading for me, sweetheart? I want to hear what the
Tarot says about the difficult puzzle we are faced with.”
“Sure, Misty.” Freddie beamed a grin. “Let me get set up in the dining room. I’ll call y’all when
I’m ready.”
“Thank you so much, Freddie. I’m looking forward to what the cards are going to tell us. I’m sure
Ardal will benefit from the reading as much as I will.”
“Freddie does say some amazing things,” said Ardal with a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

Alligator Alley. Everglades. Florida.

Star called Luna at the house they shared down the road and told her about Sonny. “He was killed by
a drive-by shooter, Luna. Moon is devastated that Sonny is gone for good this time.”
“Has she checked the burial glade to see if Sonny’s spirit has come to his grave?”
“I don’t think so. I’ll tell her to run down the road and look.”
“I’ll go first,” said Luna. “I don’t want to get her hopes up.” She put the phone down and ran down
the dirt road to the burial glade shared by all the families on the reservation.
The glade was usually haunted by the ghost of a dead pig farmer named Horaldo Twelvetrees. At
the time of his death, he had been tasked with keeping an eye on the graves of his ancestors.
Horaldo had never once wavered from his duties, and most nights he could be seen perched on one
of the burial mounds humming one of his favorite Tom T. Hall songs.
The focal point in the graveyard was a big oak tree in the very center of the glade. At the base of
the tree was a huge rock, and a small footpath edged with daisies that led up to it.
Running at top speed, Luna found the ghost of her uncle, Sonny Hart, sitting on the rock in the
center of the glade. He was still semi-solid and looked very much like the man he had been while he
was alive. He wasn’t far from his original grave but hadn’t returned to it yet.
“What happened in the hospital parking lot, Sonny?” asked Luna. “Star transported back to Moon’s
house with Roy.”
“She’s here? Gilly will be frantic. Tell Star to take my son back to Elgin,” said Sonny. “I want him
in Texas with Saffron. I’m not having it any other way. Starlight knows better than to mess with my
wife. When Gillette finds out Pete is gone, she won’t spare any measures to get our son back.”
“I’ll convey your last wish to Star,” said Luna. “Will you wait here until I get Moonbeam? She’ll
want to see you one last time before you get settled into your grave for all of eternity.”
“I’ll be right here, Luna. Tell her to hurry. I’m not sure how much time I have.”
“I’ll run, Sonny. Don’t move.”
Luna ran up the dirt road as fast as her legs would allow. She slammed through the screen door
into her sister’s kitchen and hollered, “Moon, Sonny is near his grave and he’s going to descend for
the last time in a couple of minutes. If you want to see him before he goes, you must hurry.”
Moonbeam screamed as she jumped to her feet and spilled her tea all over the table. She followed
Luna out the door, across the yard and down Alligator Alley to the burial glade.
“Oh, my goddess, he’s going into the dirt,” yelled Luna. “Wait, Sonny. Your mama is here to say
goodbye to you.”
Moonbeam ran as fast as she could but didn’t make it in time. Sonny’s dark head disappeared
below the dirt just as she got to his graveside.
Luna hugged her sister as she sobbed. “He had no more time, Moon. I’m so sorry.”
Moonbeam flopped down on the grass next to Sonny’s grave and wailed so loud the snakes and
gators in the swamp around them fled in terror.

Nine Hemlock Way. Elgin. Texas.

Freddie was all set up at the dining room table when Misty came in from the patio. “Which spread
would you prefer, Misty?”
“Celtic Cross will do fine, Freddie. That spread is one of your specialties.”
Freddie grinned. “You got it Misty.” He handed her the deck. “You’d better shuffle for me. You are
the querant and this is your reading.”
Everyone gathered around the dining room table to listen to the reading. Ardal sat next to
Annabelle who knew no one and looked a little tentative.
I sat between Clovis and Felix who didn’t have a whit of interest between them in what the Tarot
had to say. They didn’t even know what the Tarot was. But they were present and accounted for
because I was there.
Freddie greeted the Prejean brothers with a glare, and I winked at him.
Misty finished shuffling and handed the cards back to Freddie and he asked, “What’s the question
for the Tarot, Misty?”
“Where is Jenny Danger and what roadblocks will Ardal and Gillette be up against when they try
to find her?”
Freddie smiled. “Two-part question. Is that allowed?”
“Let’s try it, Freddie,” said Misty, “and see what the Tarot says about a two-parter.”
“Sure. Let’s give it a try.”
Ardal shook his head and sparks shot out of his jet-black hair. His Cajun heritage was becoming
more and more apparent as he grew a little older. He looked more like his father every single day.
I watched as Freddie laid out the cards. His confidence while handling the cards was becoming
apparent, and he definitely had a goddess-given affinity for the Tarot. No one could dispute that.
Misty had noticed it first and tutored him. She had been a professional reader in New Orleans for
many years and folks paid top dollar to have her interpret the cards for them.
When he was ready and the cards were laid out in the cross spread, Freddie picked up the card in
position number One.
“In the Present position is the Chariot. A powerful card from the Major Arcana and it is calling for
courage and determination and endurance. Those are the qualities necessary to complete the task
ahead.”
“I agree with that,” said Ardal “Gilly and I will need all of those things in abundance.”
“The Lovers card is in the number Two position. Another important card from the Major Arcana.
Two major cards in a row,” said Freddie. “This is the Challenge card filled with strong connections,
love and unity.”
“Why would the Lovers card be in the Challenge position?” Annabelle asked Freddie and Ardal
was impressed by her intelligence. He had wondered the same thing but didn’t bother asking Freddie,
figuring he would be wasting his breath.
Freddie wore a blank look and Misty took over for him. She said, “That may only become clear as
the mission progresses, but I have no doubt it will come to light.”
Annabelle nodded and I noticed Clovis and Felix both staring at her.
 “Go ahead, Freddie,” said Misty.
“Card number Three, representing the Subconscious, is the Three of Wands. A card of vision,
foresight, and leadership. This card refers to what makes Ardal the right person for the task ahead.”
Misty smiled. “You nailed that one, Freddie. So true.”
Ardal was surprised that Freddie had picked up on the connection.
Freddie beamed a smile back at his mentor and carried on with card number Four. “Card Four is
the Past card. In that position is the Five of Wands. The past is full of strife and conflict and
quarrelling. I think this tells why Jenny Danger was taken. Her father is at odds with the woman who
took her and has been for a long time.”
Misty nodded. “All true. Two tricksters butting heads and hating each other. An on-going feud that
has reached a dangerous level for both Joseph Danger and Baba Sue.”
“The Future card,” said Freddie, “is the Ace of Pentacles in shadow. This card tells us there will
be instability and stagnation and almost no connection with nature.”
“Difficult to interpret,” said Misty. “That card reversed indicates a lack of… let me give it more
thought. Go ahead with the next card.”
“Card Six is the Near Future.” Freddie picked up the Knight of Wands. “In the reversed position,
the Knight shows coming violence, anger, and reckless behaviour. The coming days will be filled
with it.”
Ardal rolled his eyes knowing he was not in peak shape for any kind of combat or hand-to-hand
fighting like he used to be when he and Gilly lived on the streets of Austin.
“The Seventh card represents Internal Influence, and it is the Eight of Swords in shadow. This card
is saying to wait for the fog to clear before the obstacles in your path can be overcome to complete
the task.”
“What would the fog be referring to?” asked Ardal.
Freddie glanced at Misty for her opinion.
“Joseph Danger has been known to throw up a huge smokescreen around him to hide the truth and
prevent others from seeing what he is doing. A common ruse used by tricksters.”
Ardal nodded. “That makes sense and I’ll be watching for it.”
“Card Eight represents External Influence,” said Freddie. The King of Wands in shadow
personifies the lack of confidence, lack of power and courage. A strong card and with so many Wand
cards showing up in the reading, this task will be filled with fire. I can feel nothing but violence and
force pressing in on Ardal and Clover.”
“Well read, Freddie,” said Misty. “This task will not be completed without a cost.”
“Nine,” said Freddie. “The ninth card is The Magician in shadow. A powerful card in the position
of Hopes and Fears. This card clearly shows a misuse of power and the Magician imposing his will
on others. The confrontation with the Magician will be extremely dangerous.”
“We’ve already met him,” I said, “and Joseph Danger will present a challenge. No doubt he is
already preparing himself for the final confrontation.”
Misty pointed to the last card and Freddie picked it up. “I don’t like this card,” said Freddie. “It
scares the shit out of me, but here it is in the Outcome position. Card Ten is the Devil card in
shadow.”
Misty smiled, “And we all know the Devil is the Devil in shadow or not. He is the king of
tricksters, master of delusion. Also, the king of bondage, addiction, and enslavement. He revels in
doubt and negativity. It delights him to pit people against each other and he often does it for
amusement.”
 Freddie nodded. “Ardal and Gilly will have to take down the Devil himself to get Jenny Danger
back.”
“Why help a trickster like Joe Danger?” asked Mama. “Let him get his own daughter back. Don’t
risk your lives to help him.”
“We are tasked to help the child,” said Ardal. “That is our ultimate goal.”
“But is there a child in peril?” asked Anabelle. “After listening to the reading and the apparent
tricks of the Magician, can you be sure there is a child and not a lie Joseph Danger is using to bait a
trap?”
“Excellent point, Annabelle,” said Misty, “but there is a child. I saw her in a vision. She is bound
and being held prisoner in an abandoned mine.”
“How old is she?” asked Ardal.
“Six or seven,” said Misty.
“Where is her mother in all this?” I asked. “Where is Joseph Danger’s wife?”
“When I try to bring the wife into focus,” said Misty, “all I see is a black veil. I’ve tried several
times to get in touch with the mother of the child, and each time the vision is the same. I cannot see
past the black veil. I’m afraid Joseph Danger has killed his wife.”
“Okeydokey,” I said. “Thank you, Freddie, and thanks to the Tarot. At least we know what we’re
up against now. This isn’t going to be a cakewalk.”
Ardal rolled his dark eyes.
 Chapter Eight

Wednesday, May 25th.

Nine Hemlock Way. Elgin. Texas.

“Misty thinks the mine might be in West Virginia,” said Ardal. “But we don’t know that for sure.
There are mines all over the entire country and we could be wasting time looking in the wrong state.”
“She’s still in the process of putting the pieces of her vision together,” I said. “Once she does that,
she may be more certain of the location.”
“Why don’t you try?” asked Ardal. “You haven’t done much with your psychic powers since you
received them.”
“It takes so much training and with the babies, I admit I’ve been lazy. I haven’t been diligent in my
practice since my last session with Misty.”
Ardal just looked at me and I could read the disappointment in his dark eyes.
I haven’t been doing enough to help him.
“You’re staring at me like I’m letting you down and I can’t stand it. Okay. Okay. I’ll try harder. I’ll
go sit on the patio and concentrate on the location of the mine. I’m doing it now.”
Ardal always smiled in a certain way when he won and got his own way. “I need you to lead the
way, Gilly, and I know damned well you can do it. Your power is great and I’m counting on you.”
Annabelle seemed to hang on Ardal’s every word and I didn’t dislike her. I didn’t like her either,
but I might get used to her in time. Maybe she was the right person for my brother. Umm… no.

I spent an hour on the patio alone trying to get my head around the abandoned mine where Jenny
Danger was being held prisoner. All the time I was focusing on visualizing the precise location of a
dark hole in the ground, I wondered if Joseph Danger knew who had his girl and where she was. If he
knew, why hadn’t he gone to rescue his child long before now?
If this was all one huge, tangled web of lies like the Tarot told us, what did he hope to gain? I
drifted into a deep trance and while my mind was receptive to the images, three things were shown to
me.
All three of them were crystal clear.
One: There definitely was a girl being held captive in a mine. No details on who she was or if she
belonged to Joseph Danger.
Two: The mine was in West Virginia.
Three: This was all a scheme to capture Ardal and strip him of his power because of his close
connection to the Green Man.
I would never let harm come to my brother and I wasn’t divulging that part of the vision shown to
me. I’d keep that little piece of news to myself and ramp up my defenses.
Freddie’s reading turned up many powerful cards from the Major Arcana and that told us there
were strong magickal forces in play. I would have to be on my best game to protect my brother and
take down his enemies.
When my period of meditation was over, I grabbed my boline from under my pillow and went behind
the barn to practice for an hour. I didn’t intend to draw a crowd, but Felix and Clovis had a habit of
following me around and the two of them showed up to watch me practice.
“You sure are good wid dat ting, Clover,” said Clovis. “What you call dat throwing sickle
anyway?”
I held the glowing pearl handle out to Clovis so he could have a closer look at it. “It’s a boline.
My weapon of choice in a tight situation.”
“Can I try it?” asked Felix.
“Sure.” I gave him a quick lesson and let him throw the boline a couple of times at the target I had
set up on a tall straw stack behind the barn.
“Got any spare ones like dat?” asked Clovis.
“I do have spares. Sometimes the handles break on impact, and I have to have spares at the ready.
You can each have one of the extras. I’m going to sharpen mine before Ardal and I leave this
afternoon. I’ll show you how I like to sharpen the blade.”
Clovis touched the curved steel with his thumb and nicked himself. “Yeah, Clover. Dat be razor
sharp. I want one like dat.”
“Does Ardal have one too?” asked Felix.
“No. My brother carries a bow and arrow. That’s the weapon he’s proficient with and he’s deadly
accurate.”
“Are me and Felix coming wid you to kill da bad dudes?”
“It might be better if you guys stayed here. It’s going to be difficult and extremely dangerous. I
don’t want either one of you getting hurt.”
“We ain’t scared of nobody, Clover. ‘Cept maybe dem Godins. Me and Felix better come wid you,
Clover. We’s damned good in a fistfight.”
“Ardal’s new girlfriend coming?” asked Felix.
“She got magick powers?” asked Clovis.
“Annabelle will be coming with Ardal. I have no idea what her powers or her strengths are
because I barely know her or where she came from. We haven’t had a chance to talk for any length
and I haven’t been with her in a pressure situation.”
“What dat mean, Clover? She got magick powers or not?” asked Felix.
I shrugged because the truth was, I didn’t know.

When we went inside for lunch, Freddie said, “I’m not going back to West Virginia, Clover. I ain’t
never going back there. Me and Bernadette live in Texas now and I have to stay here. I’ll take care of
the horses while y’all are gone.”
“Whatever turns your crank, Freddie. I don’t have time to argue with you.”
Wondering what the real reason was, I took Mama aside and asked her why Freddie wasn’t going
with me.
“Bernadette has the flu and Freddie is worried about her. He’s been over at her house twice today
already.”
“Okay, that makes more sense than him saying he’s never going back to West Virginia. He’s not a
good liar. Keep an eye on Bernadette while I’m gone, Mama. She might have to go to the clinic.”
“I’ll take some chicken soup to her later.”

After lunch I went to my room to pack for the mission and while I had privacy, I made a quick call to
Moonbeam to see if Star was on the way back with Pete.
When she answered, Moonbeam sounded hesitant. “Umm… she hasn’t left yet, Gillette, but I
guarantee she will bring the baby back.”
“Mama is worried sick about Pete, Moon. He’s just getting over the croup, and he needs to be here
at home. Can Star please bring him back today?”
“I’ll see that she does,” said Moonbeam.
“Wonderful. I’ll tell Mama Star is coming.”
“The girls also wanted to know when Felix and Clovis were coming back to Florida,” said
Moonbeam. “They’ve become attached to those boys.”
“Not for a few days. We have to help Ardal with something first.”
“I’ll pass that along to Luna. She’s missing Clovis.”
She can miss him for a while longer. I’ve got shit to do and Clovis and Felix are coming with
me.
I carried my backpack to the front door and as I passed through the living room, I heard Ardal
asking Tarn about the old coal mines around Wharton.
Tarn was born in that area and his father, Jimmy, had worked for one of the mining companies.
Tarn knew a lot about the locations of the mines, and the mountainous roads that serviced the mines.
He could be helpful—if he wanted to. The stubborn streak he inherited from his father—that
worthless piece of shit, Jimmy Lamont—often annoyed me.
“Is Tarn coming with us, Ardal?” I asked.
“Yes. He’s agreed to come on the mission and show us the abandoned mines he’s familiar with in
exchange for a second chance at living here in Texas with you and Saffron.”
“Nice one, Tarn,” I said. “I’m glad you and Ardal are seeing eye to eye and agreeing on
something.”
Tarn grinned at me in an eerie way. His dead eyes were almost impossible to read. Off-putting, to
say the least.

Alligator Alley. Everglades. Florida.

“Star, listen to me,” said Moonbeam, “you must take little Pete back to Gillette in Texas. And it has to
be today. She’s called several times and she’s not taking no for an answer.”
“I don’t give a rat’s ass what Gillette is saying, Moon. I’m not taking Pete back to her. She isn’t
half as good a mother as I am. You can't make me take him back. It isn’t happening today or any other
day. I’m keeping the baby.”
Moonbeam left her sister in the living room rocking the baby and sneaked down the hall. She
locked herself in the bathroom and called her other sister, Luna, to come and help her convince Star to
be reasonable. Star couldn’t kidnap someone else’s child without repercussions.
If Gillette turned her anger on them, they could all end up dead. Her powers were much stronger
than the three of them put together.
Moonbeam was the baby’s paternal grandmother and if anyone had a right to her son’s baby, it was
her or Sonny’s wife. Not her sister, Starlight.
Luna didn’t live far down the road, and she arrived quickly when Moon called her.
Moonbeam let her in and pointed to Starlight sitting with Pete in the rocking chair. “Let’s sit in
here and talk to Star.”
The two sisters gave Starlight all the reasons why she couldn’t keep Pete in Florida and she didn’t
seem to be listening.
 She rocked and hummed and hummed and rocked.
Suddenly the humming stopped, and Star turned her head and hissed at her sisters. “Y’all are
ganging up on me and it's not working. I’m not giving Pete back. He’s mine and I'm keeping him.”
“I was hoping it wouldn’t come down to this, Star.” Moonbeam stood next to the rocking chair
looking down at her youngest sister. “You’re my flesh and blood, but I think after all the kidnappings
and the trouble we’ve had with the Prejeans, you’re not thinking straight.”
“My mind is crystal clear, Moon. Crystal. I’m by far the best mother Pete could have and I’m
keeping him. I’m not changing my mind, so you and Luna might as well accept it.”
Luna cast her sister, Moon, a glance and gave her the nod to go ahead with the spell they had
discussed.
Moonbeam raised her arms and quickly chanted the spell to put her sister to sleep.

Goddess of the sun

Goddess of the moon
Let Starlight sleep
And not wake soon
She does not move
She does not stir
She does not protest
When I take the baby from her
So mote it be.

Moonbeam chanted the spell three times to make it as effective as possible. She flicked her wand
and blue and silver sparks flew around Star’s head.
Starlight’s eyes fluttered a couple of times and then closed. As soon as Star was breathing
rhythmically, Luna reached down and took Pete from Starlight’s arms.
Starlight’s eyes remained closed. She slept on and never moved.
“I’ll gather up all his belongings,” said Moonbeam. “We’ll transport to Texas and return him
before Star wakes up.”
“It’s for the best, Moon,” said Luna. “Star has been through several traumas and she’s not herself.”
“I agree,” said Moon. “Star needs treatment after all she’s been through. The baby will be better
off with Gillette and Glenda.”

High Mountain. West Virginia.

Ardal transported to his house on high mountain. Not his favorite place to live, but it would make a
convenient headquarters for the mission they were tasked with.
“A lovely home,” said Annabelle. “A barn too, for the horses.”
Ardal thought about the day he had turned nineteen and Rowan had brought him here to show him
the home she had created for the two of them. It took his breath away to think of how badly everything
had turned out.
Heartbreaking.
His heart was broken into small pieces, and he doubted if anyone could ever fix it.
He welcomed everyone into his mountain home and started a pot of coffee. “Please have a seat and
make yourselves at home.”
“Can I help you in the kitchen?” asked Annabelle.
 Ardal smiled at her. “I’m only making coffee. Why don’t you get the mugs out of the cabinet and
put them on a tray?”
“Sure.”
Standing next to Ardal, she was just as tall as he was. A beautiful girl, but she was a stranger to
him. It would take time to get to know her.
I’m not sure I want to get to know her. Gilly doesn’t like her. I can tell.
When everyone had coffee, Ardal spread out a map on the kitchen table and beckoned Tarn to
come closer and join the group. A first, and it pleased Gillette. Ardal could see the happiness in her
eyes.
They were pouring over the map of Wharton County when there was a tap on the door.
“I’ll get it,” said Gillette.
She opened the door and hugged the person standing there. “I’ve missed you.”
“I saw the light and figured Ardal was home.”
“Come in, Kylo,” called Ardal. “I’m happy to see you.”
Kylo came in and joined the group and Gillette got him a coffee.
“This is Annabelle,” said Ardal. “My new helper.”
Kylo held out his hand. “Nice to meet you.”
Ardal looked across the table and said, “Gilly, will you call Daddy and tell him to come join us
here? We’ll need him for the mission.”
“Sure. I’ll do it now.”

Nine Hemlock Way. Elgin. Texas.

Moon and Luna transported from the Everglades with baby Pete, and they appeared on the patio at the
back of Gillette’s house.
Luna tapped on the sliding glass doors.
Glenda came running and she burst into tears when she saw they had brought Pete back to her. “Oh,
please come in. I’m so happy you brought my grandson home to me. Gillette has been frantic since
Star took him from the hospital.”
“I apologize for my sister doing that,” said Moonbeam. “Starlight isn’t herself right now. She’s
been through so much since that horrible Eddie Prejean kidnapped her and did who-knows-what to
her.”
“I understand,” said Glenda. “I’m not sure my daughter will be so forgiving.”

Alligator Alley. Everglades. Florida.

Dazed and disoriented, Star woke up in the rocking chair after the spell wore off. She glanced around,
unsure of where she was or why she was sleeping. The house was eerily silent as she got to her feet
and tried to remember what she was doing at Moon’s house.
Then in a rush, it all came flooding over her. The fight with her sisters and Moonbeam preparing to
cast a spell on her.
Both of her sisters were gone and fearing what had happened, Star let out a blood-curdling scream.
She ran through Moon’s house from front to back and the baby was gone.
“Pete,” Star screamed at the top of her lungs, “where are you?”
Starlight cursed her sisters. “Moon and Luna, I will get y’all for this if it’s the last thing I do. I’ll
make y’all pay for taking my baby.
Still screaming like a wild woman, Star ran outside and instantly transported to Texas.
Nine Hemlock Way. Elgin.
As quick as lightning, Star transported to Gillette's house in Elgin, Texas. She knew that's where her
sisters had gone with the baby. It didn’t matter that they were returning Pete to Gillette. It wouldn’t be
for long.
Star reappeared on a large expanse of lawn between Gillette’s house and the red barn. Star ran
into the barn to hide. She would stay there until her sisters left to go back to Florida, and then she
would go into the house and take Pete when Glenda was sleeping. She would reclaim the child that
was rightfully hers.
She closed the barn door behind her and was looking for a safe place to conceal herself until dark
when she heard footsteps coming towards the barn.
Quickly she ducked into one of the stalls.
Coming to do the evening chores, Freddie opened the barn doors wide and pushed the
wheelbarrow inside.
When his horse, Jet, saw Freddie, the horse reared up and kicked hard at the sides of his stall.
“Jet, what the hell is wrong with you, boy?”
Freddie opened the door to Jet’s stall and Star jumped up from her hiding place at the back of the
stall. She pointed her wand in Freddie’s face and shouted at him.
“You get out of here, Freddie Binks, and leave me alone. I’ve got more important things to do than
mess with you.”
Grabbing for the closest weapon he could find to fend off Star and her fuckin magick wand,
Freddie reached for the pitchfork. He grunted loud as he swung it at her with all his muscle—and
Freddie had a lot of muscle—and two of the fork tines stuck in the side of Star’s head.
Without a sound, she crumpled into a heap in the mixture of straw and horseshit underneath Jet.
“Don’t step on her, boy. I’ll get her out of there, and then I’ll clean out your stall. She is one nasty
mess.”
Freddie not-so-gently extracted Star’s body from under Jet and flung her on a bale of straw in the
next stall. There was a helluva lot of blood that had gushed out of her head through the two fork holes.
It made Freddie sick to look at her, so he turned his head as he moved the wheelbarrow closer and
loaded Star’s body into it.
“I’ll hide you behind the barn until everybody goes to bed, and then I’ll come on out here and dig a
nice deep grave for you, you witch bitch and baby snatcher.”
On the way out of the barn with the wheelbarrow, Freddie turned to Jet. “Don’t you worry, boy.
I’ll get rid of this bitch and clean out your stall. I don’t want you in a stall with blood all over your
straw. Make you puke.”
Jet nickered as Freddie left the barn.

After dinner, Freddie went next door and checked on his foster mother, Bernadette. He watched a
couple of TV shows with her, then said he was going home to bed.
Choosing a spot in the far corner of Clover’s six acres, Freddie raised his arms and cast the grave
digging spell he had memorized.

Earth remove
The way pave
Six feet deep
 I dig this grave
Digging a place
For body soul and heart
To sleep forever
As you depart
So mote it be.

Freddie repeated the spell three times and then smiled as he watched the dirt fly out of the hole and
into a neat pile that would be easy to shove back in.
A quick trip behind the barn for the wheelbarrow with Star in it, and running at top speed, Freddie
pushed her across the back lawn.
Stopping suddenly right next to the hole, Freddie tipped the wheelbarrow down and Star slid right
into the deep hole.
“There you go, witch. You’re home.”
He grabbed his favorite shovel and made short work of filling in the hole. When the dirt was all in
place, he raked it smooth.
Wiping the sweat from his forehead, Freddie stood next to the fresh grave and admired his
handiwork.
“Tomorrow, I’ll tell Bernadette I made her a new flowerbed and she’ll make me a pie.”
 Chapter Nine

Thursday, May 26th.

Nine Hemlock Way. Elgin. Texas.

Freddie hated sleeping in their big bed without Clover. He kept waking up and reaching for her hand.
He liked to hold on to her while he slept to make sure she was there, and she belonged to him.
His phone made the texting sound. Clover had made his cell sound like Jet nickering when there
was a text and it made him laugh every time.
Freddie grabbed his phone from the nightstand and squinted as he tried to read the words.
“I miss you. How’s Bernadette?”
“Better.”
“Did Star bring Pete home?”
“Yes. He’s sleeping in his own bed.”
“Great. Watch over him, Freddie. Don’t let anybody take our baby boy.”
“I won’t.”
Freddie stared at the screen wondering if he should tell Clover that Star came to take Pete and he
killed her. He decided to wait until she came home.
Clover might be mad at him about the pitchfork, and he hated it when Clover was mad at him.
Sometimes when she was mad, she didn’t want to have sex and he didn’t want that to happen.

Alligator Alley. Everglades. Florida.

“Where can she be?” asked Luna. “She’s not answering her cell.”
“I called and Glenda said she’s not in Elgin,” said Moonbeam.
“She didn’t come back to our house,” said Luna. “I already looked for her there.”
“Perhaps she went to find Felix.”
“I guess that’s a possibility, but I thought when the spell wore off and she came out of it, she would
transport to Texas looking for the baby.”
“That’s why we warned Glenda about Starlight while we were there, but that didn’t happen. Star
hasn’t been there.”
“A mystery,” said Luna. She sighed and changed the subject. “I wish Clovis would come home. I
miss him.”
“Why don’t you call and see how much longer he’ll be away?” suggested Moonbeam. “If you knew
when he was coming back, that might make you feel better.”
“He might not have service where he is,” said Luna.
“Try anyway.”

High Mountain. West Virginia.

At breakfast, Ardal and Tarn talked about the abandoned mines scattered through the mountains near
Wharton. Tarn knew where many of them were located because he played cops and robbers in the
mines with Brady Thaxter while they were growing up.
 Munching on a piece of toast, I asked Ardal if we had a plan yet.
“I’m not sure where we should start looking,” said Ardal. “We have a vast area to cover.”
“I have a suggestion,” I said. “We move to the shack I renovated for Tarn on Blue Mountain. I’ll do
a quick update and that place can function as our temporary headquarters.”
Ardal nodded thoughtfully as he stroked Rosita’s head.
“Blue Mountain is in the area of West Virginia where we need to be, and the shack I’m talking
about will be a central location where we can eat and sleep.”
“Sounds great, Gilly,” said Ardal. “I haven’t come up with anything better. Let’s get ready to go.
I’m anxious to see Blue Mountain.”
“I want to see more mountains too,” said Clovis. “I can’t believe how fuckin high up we are. Like
almost close to the sky.”
“When you’ve spent your entire life in the bayou,” I said, “the mountains do seem high.”
“Can we get more practice in wid dem bolines, Clover?” asked Felix. “I’m hitting the target now,
but I want to stick dat blade right in da middle like you do.”
“As soon as we get to our new location, I’ll set up a practice range and you and Clovis can work
on your aim.”
“Good enough,” said Felix. “Gonna take me a couple more days to get as good as you, Clover.”
“We can practice together, Felix. I like to be ready.”
“Let’s clean up here,” said Ardal, “and everybody get your gear together. We’re moving to the
other side of the state.”
“I’m going home,” said Tarn. “Sort of. Close to where home used to be… when I had one.”

Blue Mountain.
We all transported to the little shack high up Blue Mountain where Tarn hid from the law in the weeks
before he died.
“Here we are, and yes, I realize it’s a small wooden shack and it isn’t up to much. Give me a few
minutes to modify the building to suit our needs.”
“Take all the time you need, Gilly,” said Sylvan. “You are amazing at making comfy places to live
out of… nothing.” He laughed. “Every single day, I’m thankful for the house you made for me on the
river.”
I went inside and closed the door behind me. With my wand in my hand, I got rid of the rodents and
snakes that had taken over and began my task.
From being a square box with one room, I made the wooden structure twice as long by adding a
sleeping room with four sets of bunks. A bathroom with a shower was a luxury I gave us because it
didn’t take much magickal effort.
In the main room, I got rid of Tarn’s cot and turned one end into a functioning kitchen centered
around the woodstove that was already there, and the other side of the room I furnished with a sofa
and a couple of chairs.
When the new interior was ready for viewing, I opened the door and let the team in.
“Wow, Clover, dis is nice. How you do dat so fast?”
“Magick, Clovis. I used up a lot of energy and I’ll have to rest until I power up again.”
“I know a good way to power you up, Clover.”
“I bet you do.” I winked at him and waved Sylvan over.
“You need me, Gillette?”
“The woods up here are teeming with black bears. We’ll need a perimeter to keep them away from
our house.”
“Do you know a spell I can use?”
I wrote down the spell I had used successfully on this mountain once before. “Try this one. It
worked for me.”
“I’ll take care of it right now.”
Sylvan tramped outside to the edge of the clearing and raised his arms.

Bears scatter away from here

The traps I set fill you with fear
Hunters come and shoot you dead
When you try to steal a loaf of bread
Run away and do not tarry
Find a bush and eat a berry
From this cabin you stay clear
Cross the ward and lose an ear
So mote it be.

Clovis and Felix watched Sylvan cast the perimeter spell and they were impressed when the bright
orange glow showed up and circled our camp.
“Can we step over the orange line?” asked Felix.
“We can step over it and go in and out, but any bears who come can’t get past the orange line,”
said Sylvan.
Clovis chuckled. “I’d love to see one of dem fuckers try to cross it. What’s gonna happen to dem?”
“Just like the spell says,” said Sylvan. “They’ll lose an ear.”
“How?” asked Felix. “Who gonna chop off der ear?”
Sylvan shrugged. “That’s the thing about magick, Felix. You don’t have to worry about how it’s
going to happen. You just have faith that it will happen.”
“I’m gonna sit my ass on dis here log and wait for it to happen,” said Felix. “No fuckin way I’m
gonna miss it when dat bear’s ear flies off his head.”
“Might be a long wait,” said Sylvan. “Probably no bears will show up until after dark.”
“Don matter. Me and Clovis ain’t doin much.”

Settled into our temporary headquarters on Blue Mountain, I left the others and jogged into the forest.
The first comfy looking log I came to, I sat down and meditated.
Ardal needed me to see where we should look for the girl being held in the mine. If a vision
happened to show me where Baba Sue lived, I’d take that too.
The serene spot I’d chosen to sit and meditate was outside of the ward, so I was counting on
daylight to keep any nosy bears away from me.
Deep into my trance, I was startled back to reality by angry voices next to me.
“I dragged you out of that fuckin ravine and saved your worthless life and you turned around and
killed me.”
“You were going to take my baby and hold her for ransom. Gilly told me what you did. I had to
protect my baby. You made me kill you.”
Brady Thaxter’s ghost was haunting Blue Mountain, and now Tarn had come back to face him.
“Don’t fight. Both of you are dead so there is nothing left to fight over.”
 A low growl too close for comfort made me jump up off my log and hightail it back towards the
cabin.
When I got as far as the ward, I jumped over it and almost toppled over Felix and Clovis who
were on bear watch. This was their chance to see if the ward was going to stop the bear.
I ran past the glowing orange light with a large black bear not far behind me. She stopped dead at
the ward, reared up on her hind legs and let out a roar.
“Wow, dat was something,” said Clovis. “Dat bear stop dead at da orange line. Dat’s working
fuckin good, Clover.”
“Good thing,” I said. “That bear nearly got me.”

Ardal and his father were drinking coffee inside at the kitchen table when I returned a little out of
breath.
They didn’t notice I’d been running. “How did it go, Gilly?” Ardal asked. “Get us any kind of
direction?”
I poured myself a coffee from the pot on the woodstove and sat down across from Ardal.
Annabelle sat next to him, gazing at his face with adoring eyes. I wasn’t sure about her. Something
about her didn’t ring true.
“What I saw was a building gutted by fire. Burned down to the foundation. Deserted and
surrounded by weeds gone to seed and scrub bushes, there was a flagpole in the front yard. The
tattered flag was still flying, flapping around in the wind.”
“That’s a definite marker,” said Ardal. “Where’s Tarn? I want to ask him about it.”
I went to the door and called him out of the woods. He could leave that nasty Brady Thaxter for
later.
“You call me, Gilly?” Tarn came rushing into the cabin on a freezing gust of wind. A wind so
strong curtains would have blown off the window—if we had any.
I told him about what I had seen in the vision and let him think about it.
“Umm… not close to where we are, but I think I remember one of the mine offices burning down
years ago. Daddy said it was high school kids, so he knew for sure it wasn’t me. Would have beat me
senseless if it had been. The building was abandoned and there was nothing inside, but kids burned it
to the ground for something to do.”
“Can you get us there?” asked Ardal.
“We would pretty much have to go down the back side of Blue Mountain to hit route 17. Then
drive south and go up the next mountain.”
“Does that mountain have a name?” Ardal asked.
“Might, but I forget what it is.”
“Doesn’t matter, sugar. As long as you get us to the burned building with the flagpole.”
“Are we on the wrong mountain?” asked Sylvan.
“Tarn says we are,” said Ardal.
Clovis and Felix came in when we were finished our discussion and Clovis got a call.
I was amazed he had service up here.
“Hi, Luna. No, she ain’t here wid us. Never been wid us. Nope. Me and Felix are up a high
mountain wid Clover, and Star ain’t here.”
He shoved his phone back into the pocket of his jeans.
“Is Star missing?” I asked Clovis.
“Luna can’t find her down der in da swamp.”
 “She’ll turn up,” I said.

Nine Hemlock Way. Elgin. Texas.

Freddie ran next door to see how Bernadette was feeling and to show her the new flowerbed he made
in her portion of the combined acreage Clover owned.
“Come outside, Bernadette. I want to show you something.” He led her across the grass to the spot
next to the back hedge.
“That’s a nice wide flower bed, Freddie. I think I’ll plant rose bushes there.”
“I can drive you to the flower place,” he said.
They were both staring down at the black earth when the faint sound of a phone ringing came from
deep in the dirt.
Bernadette laughed. “That sounds like a phone ringing in the flower bed, Freddie. Did you drop
your phone when you were digging up the sod?”
“Don’t think so.” Freddie took his phone out of his pocket and showed Bernadette he had it. “See.
It's not in the flowerbed. Maybe it's a ghost phone.”
Bernadette laughed at the boy she had raised. “Good one, Freddie. I haven't seen too many ghosts
with cellphones lately.”
“Something fell out of your pocket when you pulled your phone out.” Bernadette bent down,
picked it up and held it in her hand while she studied it. “It's a wand.”
“Not mine. I don't have a wand. Must be Clover’s.”
“I don’t think she would have gone on a dangerous mission without her wand,” said Bernadette.
She walked closer to the flower bed and noticed something else lying in the grass.
Freddie’s heart pounded, wondering what else he’d dropped in the dark.
Bernadette held the gold necklace up to the sun to read the inscription. “This says Star, Freddie.
Was Star Two Canoes here?”
Freddie shrugged. “Yeah, she was here a while ago. Might have dropped it when she was here
with that asshole Sonny when Pete was sick.”
“That’s true,” said Bernadette. “I’ll keep it safe for her in the house until we see her again.”
Freddie wanted to jerk the necklace out of Bernadette’s hand, but he kept his cool and watched her
go into the house with it.
He ran to the barn, closed the door, and called Clover.
“Hey, sweetheart. I miss you.”
“I want to come there, Clover.”
“Aren’t you taking care of the horses for Ardal?”
“Oh, yeah, I forgot.”
“What’s wrong, sugar? You seem upset.”
“How long does it take for batteries to go dead on your phone?”
“Plug yours into the charger like I showed you.”
“How long if I didn’t do that, Clover? I need to know.”
“What’s wrong, Freddie? I can tell something is.”
“I need to know about the batteries. Tell me the answer.”
“Couple of days and the phone would be dead.”
“Okay, good.”
“Do you want to tell me what’s going on? I know something is, sweetheart. I can tell by your voice
how upset you are.”
“Umm… I shoulda gone with you, Clover. That’s all it is. Come back fast, okay?”
“Okay, as fast as I can. I love you, Freddie. Don’t do anything crazy, okay?”
“I won’t do nothing crazy.”
“Promise?”
“Yep. I promise.”
 Chapter Ten

Friday, May 27th.

Blue Mountain. West Virginia.

Sylvan helped me make breakfast for the hungry crew with us in the shack on Blue Mountain. Felix
and Clover Prejean were both huge eaters and they could pack away a lot of groceries. Even
magickal groceries.
Annabelle offered to help in the kitchen and I put her on cracking eggs into a big bowl and
scrambling them while Sylvan watched the pans sizzling on the woodstove.
I made stacks of toast but we had no jam—only the basics but I didn’t hear any complaints. Crisp
mountain air encouraged huge appetites.
Drinking coffee at the table, Ardal worried about the mission like he always did. “We don’t know
where to transport to, so we’ll have to drive. That’s a bit of a problem because we don’t have a
vehicle.”
“Is there a rental place in Wharton, sugar?” I asked Tarn. He was sticking close to me because
Brady Thaxter’s ghost was hovering outside the cabin waiting to get even.
“Nope. No rental place but there’s a used car lot. My Uncle Jeff owns it.”
“Your uncle? Jimmy’s brother?”
“No, Gilly… like my mama’s brother.”
“That’s helpful, Tarn. Right after breakfast, we’ll transport to the car lot and buy a vehicle.”
“It has to be big enough to transport all of us,” said Ardal. “We’ll buy a van.”
“Van it is,” I said.

Nine Hemlock Way. Elgin. Texas.

First thing in the morning after he’d fed the horses, Freddie helped Glenda get the babies up. He sat in
the rocker and gave Pete his bottle while Glenda spooned pablum into Saffron in the kitchen.
Right after breakfast, Freddie put the horses in the corral and mucked out their stalls. The
wheelbarrow was giving him the creeps even after he gave it a good hosing down after that bitch Star
got her blood all over it.
Chores done, Freddie cleaned up and drove Bernadette to the garden center to pick out the rose
bushes she wanted for the new garden.
When they got back, Freddie unloaded the truck and hauled the heavy pots full of dirt and half-
grown bushes around to the back of Clover’s other house that Bernadette lived in.
He set the pots down next to the flowerbed and in his rush to get the job done, a couple of the
bushes stuck their thorns into him. Freddie cursed the bushes and swiped at the blood trickles on his
arm.
On the next trip to the truck he hefted the two bags of rose fertilizer and ran around the house with
them on his shoulder.
He had wanted to use the horseshit they had a never-ending supply of, but the garden guy told
Bernadette she would like the expensive stuff in the bags a lot better. And she believed him. Freddie
knew the fucker was lying and wanted to punch him in the head, but he didn’t because it would’ve
made Bernadette mad. Freddie couldn’t stand it when anybody he loved was mad at him.
He got the shovel and all the time he was getting ready to plant the roses, Freddie was freaking out
thinking Star’s phone was going to ring again.
“You can go drink coffee, Bernadette. I’ve got this. I’ll call you when I’m done and you can come
see how it looks. It’s gonna be too hot out here for you soon.”
“No, I’ll help you, Freddie. We haven’t done anything together for a long time and gardening is
good therapy after you’ve had a loss. Digging in the earth helps you forget about all your problems.”
“What problems, Bernadette? Don’t you like living here in Texas with me and Clover? She gave
you your own house, for chrissakes.”
“For now, it’s okay, Freddie, but I do miss our farm. And I miss West Virginia. I was born there.”
He got the bushes planted exactly where Bernadette wanted them and he was evenly spreading the
fake manure around the base of each thorny bush when the ringing started up again.
Bernadette jumped to her feet and stared down at the dirt. “I can hear that phone ringing again and
it’s coming from this flower bed. We should dig in a little and try to find it.”
“No,” Freddie screamed at the top of his lungs and threw the rake. Propelled by Freddie’s great
strength, the rake flew through the air and landed on top of the hedge next to the wrought iron fence.
The rake coming at her scared Zing out of her wits. She cawed loudly and flew into the highest tree.
“We’re not going to dig these fuckin roses up that I just planted to find a phone that ain’t there. I’m
not doing it. The battery will be dead by tomorrow and it will stop ringing.”
Bernadette stared at her foster son. “You knew there was a phone buried in the dirt, Freddie?”
“Nope. I don’t know nothing about no phones, Bernadette, or where the hell they came from.”
Freddie tugged on his long blond hair and left her standing there.
He took off running towards the barn like he always did when he was upset. The barn was his safe
place.
“Stop, Freddie,” shouted Bernadette. “I want to talk to you about the phone.”
He stopped and turned around and saw Bernadette chasing him across the grass. Freddie
completely lost control. His arm shot out to stop her and Bernadette dropped to the grass without
making a sound.
Freddie changed directions and ran for it.
He sprinted through the iron gate that led to the front of the property, jumped into his truck, and
took off at warp speed.

Better Than New. Wharton. West Virginia.

On Jeff Tucker’s car lot there weren’t many vans to pick from. “I’ll leave it up to you guys to choose
the best one,” I said. “Figure out which one is in decent shape for the money he’s asking and I’ll put it
on my credit card.” With not many choices, it didn’t take them long to decide on a dark gray one. A
big Dodge van without a lot of miles on it that could transport seven people.
I went into the office and paid for the purchase and waited for the paperwork to be completed by
Tarn’s Uncle Jeff. With all the legal aspects taken care of and the van paid for, we were finished.
Because we were in a hurry, I didn’t bother telling Uncle Jeff that his nephew, Tarn, was dead and
he had left behind a beautiful baby girl. What would be the point?
According to Tarn’s version of the story, Jeff had never bothered with him after his mother ran off
and left him and Jimmy. Why would Jeff Tucker care now? He wouldn’t.
 I left the office waving the keys in the air. “Who wants to drive?” Right away I had a volunteer.
“I’ll drive,” said Felix. “I ain’t doing much, Clover.”
“Thank you, sweetheart. Let’s go gas up and grab some snacks and drinks before we leave town.”

Hollow Mountain.
We all fit nicely into the van. Felix behind the wheel with me riding shotgun and looking for the
mountain road we needed. Ardal and Anabelle in the center seats with Rosita on the floor between
them, and Clovis and Sylvan in the back.
Tarn rode on the roof and hollered directions down to me. “I think it’s this one, Gilly. Hollow
Mountain Road. Take a right.”
“Can you hear Tarn?” I asked Felix. “I wasn’t sure who in this little group of witches could hear
the dead and who couldn’t. Best to check before we missed a turn.”
“I heard him,” said Felix, “and I can hear him talking to you and Ardal, but I ain’t seen the fucker
yet. Not sure I wanna see a ghosty up close.”
Felix took the road Tarn suggested and we climbed higher and higher up the mountain on
switchbacks—one sharp turn after the other.
Finally Felix pulled over and stopped at a lookout point where the road was a little wider. “I need
a smoke.” Felix shut off the engine and let out a breath. He was holding a lot of tension.
“Do you want someone else to drive for a while, honey bunny?”
He nodded. “I hate being so fuckin close to da edge, Clover. Gets my guts riled up.”
“I’ll drive for a while,” said Sylvan.
“You’re up, Daddy.”
Tears came to his eyes when I called him that for the first time and he hugged me. “How’d I get so
lucky?”

Houston. Texas.
Freddie drove east on the interstate without a clue where he was going. His idea of where West
Virginia was located was foggy at best. Someplace far away where he used to live. Now it was a
place where Clover was working and he had to get to her. Bad shit happened and Clover was the only
one who could help him fix it.
At one of the Houston interchanges, Freddie picked a service center and pulled in to fill up his
truck. While he pumped the gas, he asked the guy at the next pump how to get to West Virginia.
“Got a GPS?” asked the guy.
“Yep. Clover had it installed so I wouldn’t get fuckin lost.”
“But you are lost anyway?”
Freddie shrugged.
“If you put West Virginia in the nav system as your destination, it will tell you how to get there.”
The guy came around and opened the door of Freddie’s truck. “Let me see.” He slid behind the
wheel and turned to Freddie, “Got a town or city in mind?”
“Shadow Valley is the only town I know.”
“Okay. Shadow Valley, West Virginia. Got it.” The guy jumped out of the truck. “You follow the
directions like the map lady tells you, and you’ll get there, maybe not today, but tomorrow for sure.”
“Thanks,” said Freddie. He went back into the convenience store and bought a Coke and two
packs of smokes. Feeling a lot calmer, Freddie listened to the map lady and did what she told him to
do. He got back on the interstate like she said and headed east.
Nine Hemlock Way. Elgin. Texas.
Glenda didn’t miss Freddie until dinner was ready and he hadn’t come in from the barn. She ran out
onto the patio to holler for him and saw Bernadette lying on the grass.
Stifling a scream, Glenda ran to Bernadette, dropped to her knees on the grass and felt for a pulse.
Couldn’t find a pulse and couldn’t rouse Bernadette. Her body was cool to the touch and felt stiff.
Glenda ran back to the house, found her phone on the kitchen counter, and called 911. She stayed
inside with the babies, watching out the front window for the ambulance.
It took about ten minutes before she heard the sirens in the distance. The noise grew louder and
Glenda ran outside to open the locked gate for the paramedics. She showed them into the yard and
pointed. “She’s on the grass right over there.”
Carrying a stretcher, the attendants ran to Bernadette and Glenda followed them. “Bernadette lives
in the house next door.”
“Any medical history you can give me, ma’am?”
“No, I’m sorry. I don’t know that. Her son was here this morning, but I can’t find him now.”
“Appears to be a heart attack, but I can’t say for certain. She’s been dead for a few hours. We’ll
have to leave her for the local medical examiner.”
“Okay. I’ll call my daughter and see if she knows where Freddie is.”
While the paramedics waited for the medical examiner to come, Glenda went to the garage and
there was no sign of Freddie’s truck.
She went inside so she could hear Saffron and Pete if they cried, sat down at the kitchen table, and
called Clover in West Virginia.

Hollow Mountain. West Virginia.

We arrived at the desolate place I’d seen in my vision and the details shown to me had been accurate.
All that was left was a stone foundation filled with scorched rubble. Inside what was left of the mine
office weeds and scrub bushes had grown up through the black detritus.
A mess, and the waste of a building because some stupid kids thought it would be fun to watch it
burn down.
Out front and a little to the side of what used to be the parking lot, stood the flagpole flying the
tattered flag. No other hint of civilization around for miles.
This would be another camping situation we had to make the best of.
Felix stood next to me and stared at the rubble. “You gonna make us a new house to stay in,
Clover?”
“I guess I’ll have to. We’ll need a place to stay when it gets dark and the bears come out looking
for food. I don’t want to be in a tent when that happens.”
“Can I watch you?” asked Felix.
“Sure. I might as well get started.”
I took my wand out of my pocket and cleared all of the charred debris. When the crap and the
weeds were gone, I was left with a lovely solid stone foundation.
“We’ll start with the foundation and work out way up,” I said to Felix. With my wand in my hand
and my arm outstretched, I started at the foundation and worked through the building process.
Floor joists, floor boards, studding, walls, windows and doors, roof trusses and then a roof. When
the basics were in place, I went inside with Felix and Clovis and furnished the interior with what we
needed for the next few days.
 I hope we don’t have to stay here too long. I don’t like the feel of this place.
The original building had been large and probably divided up into offices, but that was only a
guess. Revamping on top of the foundation gave us tons of space for a large kitchen, long table with
six chairs, stove and fridge and a long run of cabinets with a sink in the center.
Not that we had time for lounging, but I added a sitting area with a comfy couch and matching
chairs. Moving on to the bedrooms—one for Sylvan and Ardal, Clovis and Felix and a third for me
and Annabelle.
A large bathroom with a shower and I was finished. Felix and Clovis were admiring my craftiness
when Mama called me sounding a little desperate.
“Clover, I have a problem.”
“What’s the matter, Mama? Are the babies sick?”
“No. The babies are fine, and I know you’re busy helping Ardal but Freddie is missing and
Bernadette is dead.”
“What? She can’t be dead. She’s not even fifty.”
“Age has nothing to do with it, Clover. I found her dead on the grass about halfway to the barn. The
paramedics thought it was a heart attack, but the medical examiner wasn’t forthcoming.”
“And Freddie isn’t there with you?”
“No. His truck is gone.”
“He’s supposed to be helping you with the babies and looking after the horses. He would never
leave the horses—especially not Jet—unless … unless he completely lost it.”
“He’s gone, Clover, and I’m alone here now.”
“Okay, Mama, I’m sending you help right away.” I ended the call and hollered to Ardal.
He came running in the new front door from outside and had a quick look around at what I’d done
with the building. “What is it, Gilly?”
I told him about Bernadette dying and Freddie being gone. “That leaves Mama all alone with two
babies and a barn full of horses.”
“Yeah, that’s too much for Mama,” said Ardal. “I’ll send Daddy to help her.”
“Good idea.”
Sylvan was happy to go back to Texas and take over the barn chores and help Mama. He was
always willing to help me and Ardal. Sylvan was a great father to the two of us. We were so lucky to
have him.
After Sylvan left for Texas, I made dinner in our new house and we talked about our quest that
would be starting the following day.
“We have no idea where the mine is,” said Ardal. “How can we start searching for the girl if we
don’t even have a direction?”
“We have Tarn,” I said. “He can check every mine in this vicinity and rule out the ones we don’t
need to search. Every one he goes into and finds nothing is one less we have to worry about.”
Ardal nodded. “That’s a good plan. Eliminate the mines one by one until he finds the right one.
That will save us days of tramping around and pointless searching.”
Tarn grinned. He loved to be important.
 Chapter Eleven

Saturday, May 28th.

Alligator Alley. Everglades. Florida.

At her little house in the Everglades, Moonbeam woke out of a dream screaming. Screaming gave
way to sobbing thinking the dream might be true. Waiting until she was fully awake, it was a few
minutes before Moon stopped crying and got out of bed.
She reached for her phone on the nightstand and called her sister Luna who lived three houses
down the road. “Luna, I had a terrible dream. Can you come over?”
“Moon, I’m still in bed. It’s not even daylight.”
“I don’t care what time it is. This is important. I had a bad dream—not a bad dream—a terribly
realistic dream about Star.”
“In the dream, did you see where she was?”
“Yes, she was in Gillette’s barn with Freddie, and he killed her with a pitchfork. It was sticking
out the side of her head and she was covered in blood.”
“I’m coming over. Make tea.”
Moonbeam got out of bed and ran to the kitchen. She unlocked the door and put the kettle on. There
was no going back to sleep, not now.
Luna was at the door, fully dressed, five minutes later.
Moonbeam locked the door behind her sister and pointed at the kitchen table. “Sit down. I’m
pouring tea.”
“That was a terrible dream, Moon. A pitchfork? Do you think there is any truth to it?”
“Oh, yes. It was so real. Star is telling us what happened to her. Showing us why we can’t find
her.”
“But Freddie Binks, Moon? I don’t think he would kill anyone. He’s not too bright, but he’s always
been a good soul. I don't feel that Star is dead. I’m sure I would feel it if my sister was dead. She’s
probably hiding somewhere.”
“No, Luna. You didn’t see her. Star couldn’t have survived the holes that the pitchfork made in her
head. She is dead and it’s our duty to find Freddie and bring him to justice.”
“Your justice? Or are you talking about something like a mundane sheriff’s office?”
“You know what I mean,” said Moonbeam.
“As soon as it’s a decent hour,” said Luna, “I’ll phone Glenda and see if Freddie Binks is there
with her. If he is, we’ll go to Texas and confront him.”
“Yes,” said Moon. “That’s what we’re going to do.”

Rest Area. Knoxville. Tennessee.

Freddie woke up wondering why he was sleeping in his truck and not in bed with Clover at their
house. He tried to remember parking in this place with a lot of grass and trees, but he couldn’t think of
it. The engine was shut off, so he must have turned off the key.
He checked his phone to see if Clover had texted him and there was one missed call and a message
he didn’t know how to get. And one text from Clover.
“Call me.”
Freddie pressed Clover’s number and it rang.
“Freddie, I was trying to get you. Are you okay?”
“I’m trying to find you, Clover.”
“Why did you leave Texas, sweetheart? Mama and Sylvan are alone with the babies and the
horses.”
“I forgot about the horses and the babies for a while.”
“Did you forget because something bad happened?”
“Yeah, maybe that made me forget.”
“How was Bernadette when you left her?”
Freddie’s heart pounded when Clover asked about Bernadette. He ended the call and couldn’t talk
to Clover no more.
I can’t talk about Bernadette.
He lit up a smoke and tried to think of what to do.

Hollow Mountain. West Virginia.

While Tarn was out on his own searching all the mines in the area for the right one, I sat on a fallen
tree in a serene part of the woods trying to meditate and focus on where Baba Sue was holding the
child.
I was so worried about Freddie and what had taken place in Texas in my absence, I couldn’t focus
on where the woman was with the girl.
I never should’ve left Freddie in Texas.
A twig snapped behind me and Clovis came out of the woods and sat down next to me. He lit up a
smoke and offered me one.
“Thanks. I could use a smoke.”
“Something wrong wid you, Clover? You ain’t smiling.”
“Yeah, something is very wrong. Freddie took off from our house in Texas and I don’t know where
he is.”
“Freddie’s taking care of y’all’s horses, ain’t he?”
“Supposed to be, but Mama says he’s not there. I’m going to call Sylvan, but I’ll have to get out of
these trees to get service.”
Clovis followed me and stood next to me while I called. “What’s going on there, Daddy?”
“Hey, Gilly, the babies are fine and the barn is ship-shape. No worries for you or Ardal.”
“Thanks, Daddy. What was the verdict on Bernadette? Did you hear from the morgue?”
“Heart attack. She died of natural causes.”
“Natural causes.” I let out the breath I was holding, thinking it was something Freddie had done. “I
talked to Freddie for a minute this morning, but I don’t know where he is. He hung up on me. He’s
acting like he’s in shock and I’m wondering if he saw Bernadette have the heart attack and that made
him run.”
“I’m not sure, Gilly. Glenda didn’t see it happen. She went out to call Freddie for dinner and
Bernadette was lying on the grass.”
“I’ll call him again in a little while and see if he’s any calmer.”
“All good here,” said Sylvan. “Stop worrying. Did you make any progress finding the mine?”
“We’re waiting on Tarn to find the right one and then we’ll take action. He’s not back yet from his
search.”
“Hope you find the girl today.”
“I hope so too. I keep thinking about what I saw in my vision, that this was all a ruse to capture
Ardal and strip him of his power.”
“I hope that’s not the case,” said Sylvan.
“I have to protect Ardal, and at the same time I have to find Freddie. Something has set him off and
he’s on the run.”
“I’ll call you right away if he comes back here.”
“Thanks, Daddy.”

Alligator Alley. Everglades. Florida.

Moonbeam set the kitchen table up to do a magickal working and took her favorite scrying bowl out
of the cupboard. She had several but always had the best luck with the blue one.
Luna purified the water they were about to use and then cast the tried and true spell that always
worked for them in the past.
Luna peered into the water and she could see Freddie Binks. “There he is, Moon. His truck is
parked at a highway rest area.”
“Look for signs to see where that rest area is,” said Moonbeam. “There are hundreds of them along
the highways and the interstates.”
“There.” Luna pointed at a ripple in the water. “Knoxville, Tennessee. We’ll transport to the rest
area and make Freddie tell us what he did with Starlight.”
“He killed her, Luna. Starlight is dead.”
“You don’t know that for sure, Moon. It could have been a bad dream.”
“Star is dead. I’m sure of it.”
“Please stop saying that, Moon. I don’t want my little sister to be dead.” Luna fought back a
cascade of tears and lost. She sobbed and couldn’t stop.

Rest Area. Knoxville. Tennessee.

Transporting magically from Florida only took a minute and Moon and Luna reappeared next to the
vending machines between the men’s and ladies’ washrooms.
They arrived just in time to see two cops handcuff Freddie and shove him into the back of a squad
car.
“Those cops are taking Freddie away,” said Moonbeam. “We have to follow them.”
“Only one choice,” said Luna. “We’ll have to drive Freddie’s truck. Come on, Moon. Run. We
don’t want to lose them.”
The truck was unlocked and the keys were in the ignition, right where they were when the cops
hauled Freddie out of his truck.
“Why didn’t the cops take the keys?” asked Luna.
“They left them for us,” snapped Moonbeam. “Get going or we won’t be able to catch up.”
Luna turned the key and the engine jumped to life. She rammed the truck into gear and zoomed out
of the rest area and back onto the highway.

Sheriff’s Office. Jonesborough. Tennessee.

The two arresting officers marched Freddie into the station and processed him in their booking area.
He was advised of his rights and when all was said and done, he was allowed to make a phone call.
 “You go ahead and make your call, son,” said the sheriff. “Bob, wait with him.”
“Roger, sheriff.”
It had taken time for Freddie to learn to use his cell phone, but the cops took it away along with his
wallet and put his stuff in an envelope. They wanted him to use their phone to call Clover and the
landline was unfamiliar to him. He was already upset and not thinking clearly and the cops’ phone
gave him trouble. On the third or fourth try, he finally entered Clover’s number successfully and
waited for her to answer.
“Freddie? My screen said sheriff ’s office.”
“Cops got me, Clover. Come and get me.”
“For what, Freddie? What did you do?”
“Nothing, Clover. I was sleeping.”
“Is there a cop near you, sugar?”
“Yep. Right beside me.”
“Give him the phone.”
“Okay.” Freddie said, “Clover wants to talk to you.”
“Deputy Bob Harper here, ma’am. Sheriff’s Office.”
“Bob, my name is Gillette Hart and I’m a Texas Ranger working for the Chief in Austin. Could you
tell me where you’re holding Freddie? He has diminished capacity and he won’t know where he is or
why you arrested him.”
“Oh, I see. I kind of wondered if he was all right or if he was on something. We’re here at the
sheriff’s office in Jonesborough.”
“Jonesborough. Got it. You have him on an old warrant but I think if you double check you will
find Freddie has been cleared of those charges. He was exonerated on the robbery charge. His truck
was stolen and used in a robbery, but Freddie wasn’t there. Just check into it and call me back if you
don’t mind.”
“Sure thing, Ranger Hart. Freddie is your… ?”
“Live-in boyfriend. He lives with me in Texas. I take care of him.”
“Understood, Ranger Hart. We’ll look into the charges and if he’s clear, he can go when impound
gets here with his truck.”
“Thanks so much. He gets upset when I’m not with him or if he doesn’t know what’s happening to
him.”
“Yes, ma’am. We’ll take that into consideration.”
Bob turned to Freddie and said, “Sit over there, son. Ranger Hart wants us to check to make sure
the warrant is valid. You may be able to leave in a few minutes.”
Freddie sat where the deputy pointed and said, “Can I smoke?”
“Not until you’re outside.”
“Okay.”

The cops checked on the charges and found that the warrant was out of date and no longer valid.
When they called the tow truck driver to find out how long he’d be, they discovered Freddie’s truck
had been stolen before the impound guys got there.
“You’re free to go, Mister Binks, but your truck was stolen from the rest area and you’ll have to
wait until we get it back for you.”
“Who stole my truck?” Freddie jumped up off the wooden bench and ran outside in time to see his
truck roll into the parking lot.
 “You stole my truck.” Freddie was hollering and yelling as he ran towards his truck.
Luna parked and opened the driver’s door to get out just as Freddie got to the truck.
“You stole my truck, you bitch.” He grabbed Luna’s arm, yanked her out of the driver’s seat and
threw her down on the asphalt.
Freddie jumped into the driver’s seat and with a loud holler, he raised his foot and pushed Moon
up against the passenger door. “Get out of my truck or I’ll kill you. You witches get away from me.”
Moonbeam screamed and scrambled out the door.
Freddie zoomed away from the sheriff’s office and into the street with the passenger door hanging
open.
Horns honked as Freddie swerved all over the road in his rush to get far away from Luna and
Moonbeam.

Hollow Mountain. West Virginia.

Tarn returned to the base camp after hours of searching and told me he had good news. He had found
the mine with the girl tied up inside.
“Were there others with her?” I asked. “A guard?”
“Kind of a guard,” said Tarn. “Old lady in a rocking chair outside of the entrance to the mine, but
she was the only one I saw.”
“Come in and show Ardal on the map, Tarn.”
“It’s about three miles from here,” he said with a smirk. “As the crow flies.”
Ardal spread the map out and moved his finger around pointing until Tarn told him to stop.
“That’s where I was, but the road is washed out and there’s no way to get there but on foot. Y’all
can’t drive the van close to the mine.”
“When we get there, everybody be on the lookout for Joe Danger and anybody else he has with
him. We already know this could be a trap and we’re walking right into it, so be ready to defend
yourselves.”
Clovis smiled. “Dis is where we get to try out dem bolines, Clover. Can’t wait to do dat.”
“Yep. You might get your chance today, Clovis. You and Felix can show me how good you are.”

Jonesborough. Tennessee.
“He’s getting away, Moon.” Luna slowly got up from the pavement and brushed herself off. Her hand
went to her cheek where the skin was badly scraped.
“Are you hurt?” asked Moonbeam.
“Only a little,” said Luna. “We have to follow Freddie—a little scrape won’t slow me down.”
Moonbeam conjured up two brooms and handed one to Luna. “Come on, we’ll fly above the truck
and follow him until the next time he stops. Then we’ll get him.”
“He’s stronger than I thought, Moon. Freddie Binks has more power than I gave him credit for, and
he’s angry. Very angry about something.”
“Maybe Star made him angry,” said Moonbeam. “She’s been abrasive lately and has been making
a lot of people angry. That’s probably how she got herself killed.”
“You keep saying that Star is dead, but we don’t know for sure.”
“I saw her in the dream, Luna. I saw Star’s eyes and she was dead. No question.”
They mounted the brooms and flew east following the highway, trying to catch up to Freddie’s
truck. In the air with no speed limits, they had no trouble gaining on him.
Freddie cruised along the highway happy that he got his truck back from Star’s mean sisters. They
were so fuckin mad at him for killing Star they wanted to kill him back and he knew it.
His magickal powers surged inside him and right then he knew the sisters were flying above his
truck. “I wish Clover was here to shoot the bitches out of the sky with her Ranger gun, but she’s not.
I’ll have to get rid of them some other way.”
I’ll stop and let them try to get me, then I’ll get them instead. I can take two women. No sweat.

Welcome Center. Tennessee/West Virginia Line.

Having a loose plan in his cluttered mind, Freddie pulled into the welcome center and parked near the
doggie area away from the buildings.
His powers had been coming on strong since he killed Star and buried her in the dirt. Freddie
figured he got her power piled on top of his. He didn’t need Star’s power, but he figured he got it just
the same and it was added onto his own. “Let those bitches come get me.”
Freddie got out of his truck, lit up a smoke and strolled along the dog path waiting for Luna and
Moonbeam to come after him.
A few minutes later he heard a whooshing sound and the two witches flew down to the ground on a
cold gust of wind. They dropped their brooms and Moonlight pointed her wand at him. “Stop right
there, Freddie Binks.”
Freddie turned, extended his arm, and shouted out words he’d never used before. He didn’t know
where the words were coming from so he figured they were from Clover. She was the one who loved
and protected him. She sent him the words to fix the witches.

Goddess of the midnight hour

Witches kneel and give up their power
Helpless as a wilted flower
Cry with hearts sad and sour
Goddess of the midnight hour
Support me as I take their power
So mote it be.

Three times Freddie hollered out his spell with Luna and Moonbeam kneeling on the path in front
of him.
Both of them were crying and feeling weak and depleted as Freddie tied them up with rope he
always carried in the back of his truck. For good measure, he ripped duct tape off his brand new roll
and covered their mouths so they couldn’t scream or call for help.
With both witches tied up tight, Freddie rolled them down the hill into the ravine at the back edge
of the highway property.
He picked up the two besoms and broke them into pieces with his bare hands. Stacking the broken
brooms in the middle of the doggie path, Freddie added a few dried leaves and set fire to them.
Leaving the blaze behind, he ran to his truck feeling strong and powerful.
“I can do anything, Clover. My power came to me like you said it would. I love you, Clover. I’m
coming to find you.”
 Chapter Twelve

Sunday, May 29th.

Hollow Mountain. West Virginia.

I woke in a cold sweat in an unfamiliar bed and couldn’t remember where I was until I saw
Annabelle sleeping in a bed across the room. Did I scream out loud when I saw Freddie? I couldn’t
say for sure, but Annabelle didn’t wake up if I did.
More than just a simple dream, it wasn’t like that at all. After several sessions with Misty, I had
learned to tell the difference between a dream and a vision.
What I had experienced was clearly a vision, sent to show or tell me something important. Show
and tell.
What the vision showed me and told me was terrifying. My sweet harmless Freddie had become a
Warlock with powers beyond his control. The anger and determination written on his was frightening
and I wondered how such a thing could have happened to him.
Would it be possible to turn him back?
Freddie had gone over to the dark side and there was no explanation. Was Freddie aware of what
was happening to him? Was some outside force using Freddie? Why? For what purpose? Many
questions popped into my head and there were no answers.
Sleep was impossible after a disturbing revelation like I’d been handed, so I picked up my smokes
and my lighter and wandered outside to watch the sun come up. The air was cold and crisp this high
up the mountain and I inhaled a big breath of pure oxygen to clear my head.
The chill wasn’t bothering Clovis. Solidly built, coppery skin, black hair hanging in his face, he
was standing outside the back door of our little mountain lodge in his boxers, a cigarette between his
lips.
“Hey, Clovis. You’re up earlier than me.”
“Had to take a piss and I needed a smoke. I figured I might get to see a bear mad at dat new ward
you made for us at our new camp.”
“See any?”
“Nope.”
“Today will be the day you and Felix get to test your aim with the bolines. That’s if we meet up
with Joe Danger’s people who are luring us to the mine for their own purposes.”
Clovis offered me another cigarette and we stood together and watched the sun break through the
gray sky in the east. High on a mountain far from civilization, getting lost would be so easy.
It wasn’t long before Ardal came out the back door. He lit up a smoke and we had the same
discussion all over again.
“If the girl in the mine is the bait in a trap, we need to have a solid plan in place. We can’t wait
until we get there. It will be too late then.”
“I have a couple of ideas,” I said, “but if we’re greatly outnumbered it will be next to impossible
to make any plan work with only five of us.”
When Clovis went inside to get dressed, I told Ardal about my Freddie vision.
 “A Warlock? Are you sure?”
“Pretty sure. I saw that look in his eyes. His eyes were different and I wasn’t sure what color they
were anymore. What do you think it means?”
“No idea,” said Ardal, “and not something we can dwell on today. Freddie ain’t here and we are.
We have to focus on what’s ahead of us.”
“You’re right. The girl could be dead by now. It’s been quite a few days since this Chance started.
I’m still pissed that the Green Man took what he wanted and left you out in left field.”
Ardal didn’t comment but I could tell by the look on his face he had unresolved issues with the
way he’d been treated.
He finished his smoke and ground the butt into the dirt with his boot. “Let’s have breakfast and go
over the plan once more before we transport to the cave.”
“Tarn saved us a lot of searching.”
“He did,” said Ardal. “I already thanked him.”
“That will make him happy. He needs your approval.”
Annabelle helped me with breakfast and with the cleanup while Ardal went over the plan one
more time.
“Ideally, more people would help us out a lot,” he said, “but we don’t have more bodies. Gilly
will cast a spell on whoever is at the mine watching over the girl and while they are immobilized, we
get the girl out of the mine and transport back here.”
Felix and Clover listened closely to Ardal.
“Remember, we can’t all run into the mine. That’s what they want. If we do that, we’ll all be
trapped and every one of us will be dead.”
“Yep,” said Clovis. “We ain’t doing dat.”
I gathered up my gun, my boline and my taser and headed for the door. “If everybody is ready, let’s
go.”

Logan. West Virginia.

Freddie powered his truck heading north through West Virginia and he drove on roads he’d never
driven on before. Something had gone wrong inside of him. Freddie knew it and he had to get to
Clover. She was the only one who could fix it.
He felt like a different person—a powerful, mean person who wanted to hurt people. He was mad
at everybody and he didn’t know why.
Freddie had already killed Star and Bernadette, and he had tied up Moon and Luna and tossed
them in a ravine hoping they would die too.
He couldn’t stop himself. The dark force had hold of him now. Bernadette had told him over and
over since he was a little boy that it would happen when she died, and she was right.
The truck drove itself up a road that said, ‘Hollow Mountain’. Freddie had never once been on this
side of his home state and yet his truck knew the way to where Clover was.
His truck turned down a dirt track overgrown with bushes and weeds and he came to a building
with a flagpole out front.
Clover was standing outside with Ardal, Felix, Clovis and a new girl. Seeing Clover made
Freddie’s heart beat faster. He loved Clover and she could help him. She always helped him get
straight.
He parked his truck, shut it off and jumped out.
“Freddie, how did you find me?” Clover ran to him and held him in her arms in a tight hug. “I was
so worried.”
“My truck found you. It has powers of its own.”
“Hmm… I want to hear about that, but right now we’re all going to the mine now to rescue the
little girl. Do you want to come with me?”
“I have to be with you, Clover. You’re the only one who can help me. I’m having trouble with my
powers.”
“I’ll help you, sugar, as soon as we finish this job. Stick close to me.”

Abandoned Mine. Hollow Mountain. West Virginia.

Ready to transport to the abandoned mine, I hung onto Freddie and Clovis, Ardal hung onto Annabelle
and Felix. “Everybody ready? Hang on. Here we go.”
We reappeared in the woods far enough away from the mine entrance not to raise any alarms. To
those lying in wait for us, surprise would be our most powerful weapon.
The old woman, Baba Sue, who had been watching over the kidnapped girl, had been sitting
outside the mine entrance for days waiting for us to come. As soon as we arrived, her co-conspirators
would spring the trap she and Joseph Danger had carefully laid for Ardal.
I had to get close enough to cast a spell on her and on anybody else who might be on hand to help
her. As I started a slow walk up to the mine entrance, Baba Sue jumped out of her chair and shot
fireballs at us.
The blazing balls zoomed in all directions and we had to zig-zag on the run to avoid getting hit.
Making a temporary retreat and using the forest for cover, I did my thing from just past the tree
line. I recited the words I knew by heart and blanketed anybody near the mine with an immobility
spell.

Enemy of mine
I hex your spine
I render you lame
Loser of the game
You cannot walk
You cannot run
I hex you now
Til day is done
So mote it be.

After shouting out the spell in triple time, the old woman froze in her chair. Trying her damndest to
get to her feet, and screaming loud enough to wake the dead, she weakly lifted her wand and tried to
cast evil upon us but she couldn’t do it.
I threw my boline at her and it whizzed through the air making the whispering noise that I loved.
The curved blade caught Baba Sue in the side of her neck and cleanly separated her head from her
body. With her long gray hair flying like wings, her head flew backwards into the mine entrance and
landed with a thud.
Baba Sue’s screams signaled Joe Danger’s people and they emerged from the trees like wasps
buzzing out of the hive. A dozen or more and all heavily armed.
Felix and Clovis both threw their bolines at the enemy but their aim wasn’t perfect and they didn’t
take anybody out. I didn’t blame them. From my own experience, I knew it took a long time to master
that particular weapon.
Seeing a dozen armed witches running towards me, Freddie turned into his Warlock berserker
mode and put up a shield. I had no idea he knew how to do that, and neither did he.
Shouting out the words, his face contorted and he resembled a demon from the dark side. Freddie
Binks looked like a monster I’d never seen before.
He raised his arms and screamed out the words.

I put up a shield
I will not yield
No spell can take hold
On a warrior so bold
I summon power from my kin
Joe Danger cannot win
So mote it be.

Once the shield surrounded him, Freddie was untouchable. He charged into the midst of Joseph
Danger’s men and killed them one by one. They tried to fight Freddie off but a killing frenzy
possessed him and it was impossible to subdue him.
Freddie inflicted brutal deaths on all of our enemies. Their necks were snapped like twigs,
eyeballs gouged out with Freddie’s hunting knife, throats slit. The methods were varied but the results
were the same. Blood gushed like water from an artesian well as the enemy fell.
Freddie Binks was a killing machine.
Joseph Danger and all of his helpers had been eliminated by the new and improved Freddie Binks,
Warlock.
Listening for more of Joe Danger’s men coming for us and not hearing a sound, Ardal said, “I think
it’s safe to go inside now and get the girl.”
He posted Freddie, Felix and Clovis to keep watch at the shaft entrance while he went into the
mine with me and Annabelle to get the little girl.
By this time we were pretty sure she was not Joseph Danger’s daughter, but some other poor child
who had been used as a lure.
The mine was pitch black inside and you couldn’t see a foot in front of your face. The air smelled
of death and the dank musty odor of mold and wet soil choked us.
With air heavy and bereft of oxygen, breathing was labored for all of us. Old torches that had
rotted over time hung on the walls, drooping with age and decay.
Long, fat spiders, rats and mice scurried away at our approach. The spiders had webs everywhere
—on the walls, hanging from the roof above and inside the tunnels.
Not the place for anyone suffering from arachnophobia. I didn’t care for spiders, but they didn’t
scare me.
Ardal went ahead leading with his flashlight and sweeping the hanging webs away with his free
arm. I kept an eye on Annabelle and she didn’t seem frightened in the slightest.
“Little girl,” I called. “Don’t be afraid. We’re coming to help you. Where are you?”
The only sound was the wind whistling through the crevices and around the tunnels like the soul of
a lost spirit. The mere echo of our footfalls made the ground shudder. We sounded like a herd of
elephants running through the mine.
With the possibility of a cave-in lurking in the back of my mind, I wanted to get the child and get
out as fast as we could.
Ardal shone his flashlight back and forth in an arc as we went forward, and still no sign of her.
The passageways were narrow, and the walls were rough and damp as we brushed against them. It
felt like we were in a crypt six feet under and walking through a ready-made grave. I shivered.
Ardal reached for my hand and held it with his right while he shone his light with the left.
Annabelle stayed close to both of us as we changed direction and walked along a dark corridor, the
walls of which were covered in webs, spiders, and their eggs.
“How deep do you think the mine is?” asked Annabelle. “We’ve gone down hundreds of feet
already.”
“Don’t know,” said Ardal. “Call her again, Gilly.”
“Little girl, where are you? Can you talk or make a noise? We’re trying to find you.”
We stopped and listened, and this time Annabelle was sure she’d heard a child cry. She pointed in
a different direction.
“Down this tunnel.” She turned and ran into the pitch black, and we lost sight of her.
Ardal and I hurried to catch up. It was so black in the tunnel I didn’t know how Annabelle could
see where she was going.
“Here,” called Annabelle. “She’s here.”
Ardal followed the sound of Annabelle’s voice and gave her light to work with. She was trying to
untie the little person and free her from her bondage.
Kneeling down while I held the light, Ardal used his knife and cut away the ties that were holding
the child.
Because of the poison in his bloodstream, he wasn’t strong enough to carry the little girl, but
Annabelle was a warrior. She easily picked the child up off the damp dirt and cradled her in her arms
as we made our way back to the mouth of the mine.
Retracing our steps to get out of the mine took a lot less time than our search had taken. The boys
waiting outside were happy to see us and Freddie grabbed me in a hug.
As he held tight to me, the increase in his physical strength was noticeable. I had to figure out what
the hell had happened to him.
Could he go back to his former self or was this the new Freddie Binks?

Base Camp. Hollow Mountain.

The child we found was barely conscious and needed a hospital. I gave her water and offered her
food, but she wouldn’t eat or drink.
“Can you tell me where you live?” I asked and she just stared at me. “We have to get her to a
hospital.”
“Logan would be the closest,” said Ardal. He had already located a hospital on his phone. “We’ll
take her there now.”
Annabelle fixed the little girl up on the back seat of the van and sat next to her. Felix and Clovis
sat in the middle seats with Rosita sprawled on the floor, and Ardal drove.
Rosita hadn’t been much help in the search for the child. Without the scent of the little girl to guide
her, Rosita was just running in the dark.
Freddie and I followed the van in his truck, and riding down the mountain with him was my first
opportunity to see what a bad state he was in.
“I can’t go back to Texas, Clover. I can never go back there… like ever.”
“Why not? Can you tell me what happened to you? I know something did. You’re… different.”
 “Star came back to our house again to take our baby.” Freddie was talking so low I could barely
hear him. “She hid in the barn and when I went out to do the chores she was hiding in Jet’s stall.”
Freddie took a long drag on his cigarette before he continued his story. “I opened the door to clean
Jet out and she jumped up and pointed her wand at me. Scared the Jesus crap out of me, Clover. I
grabbed the pitchfork and swung it at her, and it went right into her fuckin head.”
“Right. She startled you and you reacted. I get it.”
“Then she was covered in blood, and she was fuckin dead. I had to bury her.”
“Okay. And you dug a grave?”
Freddie nodded. “Used the grave digger spell and got the bitch buried. I didn’t want her on our
side of the yard, so I put her back by Bernadette’s fence. Then I told Bernadette I made her a new
flower bed. She wanted roses for the new spot, and we got the bushes next day.”
“Okay, rose bushes are nice.”
Freddie didn’t say anything else for a while. He could barely bring himself to tell me about
Bernadette and I knew why.
“You didn’t kill her, sweetheart. Bernadette had a heart attack. Mama and Sylvan both told me that.
Bernadette died of natural causes. The Medical Examiner for Elgin said so. We have to go back to
Texas and give her a lovely funeral. She had a heart attack.”
“Like she died by her ownself?” Tears of relief streamed down Freddie’s adorable face.
“She died because of her heart, Freddie. That’s probably why she hadn’t been feeling well for a
while. She didn’t tell you how poorly she really felt.”
“I kept going over to her house, but she said she was okay, Clover. I didn’t know about her sick
heart.”
“She went downhill after Billy Bob killed Jinx Dowling,” I said. “I noticed a change in her.”
“Can you drive, Clover? I want to cry for Bernadette for a while.”
“Sure, honey bun. Pull over and I’ll drive.”
“I love you, Clover.”
“I love you, Freddie.”

Logan General Hospital.

It took hours at the hospital to explain about the unidentified child we had rescued. I used my badge to
get the hospital administrator to listen to what I was telling her.
The child had been kidnapped. We had no idea who she was, but she was in dire need of medical
attention. She also needed help from missing persons and child services.
By the time people in authority were contacted and the child was the focus of their combined
attention, hours had passed.
I sent Freddie on his way. He insisted on driving his truck back to Texas and I had no time or
inclination to argue with him, so I sent Felix and Clovis with him.
“You guys watch out for Freddie. He’s not feeling like himself because his foster mother just
died.”
“We’ll watch him, Clover,” said Clovis.
Ardal, Annabelle and I would transport when we wound up things at the hospital. The little girl
belonged in West Virginia and taking her to Texas would only drag things out. Missing Persons in
West Virginia had to find out where she was taken from and return her to her distraught family.
Before we left the hospital, I called Mama to let her know we’d be home before the end of the day.
She had concerns about Bernadette’s funeral and people who should be notified. Neither one of us
knew any of Bernadette’s kin. We’d have to depend on Freddie for that. Did he have aunts and uncles?
He’d never mentioned them to me if had.
“We’ll sort it all out tomorrow, Mama. How are my babies doing?”
“Good as gold and more adorable every day.”
“I can’t wait to get home and hug them.”
 Chapter Thirteen

Monday, May 30th.

Welcome Center. Tennessee/West Virginia Line.

Luna sobbed all night beside Moonbeam. She was unable to move and had no way to help her sister.
They had been struggling for hours to get free of the ropes Freddie had tied them up in and get out of
the creek at the bottom of the ravine.
The water they lay in wasn’t deep, but it was icy cold and the creek was lined with rocks and
pebbles that were uncomfortable to lie on. Cold, helpless, and hungry, with frogs croaking and
jumping in and out of the shallow water around them, Luna and Moonbeam had put in a long,
terrifying night.
They made no headway with the rope. Freddie was strong and he knew his way around a knot that
would hold. Moonbeam had to give him that much.
The duct tape over Moonbeam’s mouth was wet and soggy, and she managed to chew some of it
away. Enough that she could make a noise and call for help.
Just past dawn, a tourist walking his dog heard her calling and climbed down the steep bank to
investigate.
“Oh, my. I can’t believe I found two women tied up.”
As he labored over the knots that Freddie had expertly tied, the man asked, “Who did this to you?
Was it a mugger? Someone who stole your car?”
“A bad person,” said Luna. “He tied us up and left us here to die.”
“I’m Weston Charles,” said the old guy, “and I’m on my way to visit my brother in Memphis. I can
give you girls a ride to the nearest sheriff’s office if you like.”
“That’s a wonderful offer,” said Luna.
“Yes, wonderful,” said Moonbeam. “We accept.”

Nine Hemlock Way. Elgin. Texas.

Ardal and Annabelle and I were happy to be home in Texas. Ardal and I more than Annabelle. Rosita
was happy to be home too and she ran in crazy circles around the yard with Lulu.
Zing flew in lazy circles over our six acres cawing loudly. She was always elated when everyone
was at home. She hated sitting on watch in her tree all alone.
Mama and Sylvan were so thrilled we were back safe and sound, they cooked breakfast together
and put on a big spread for us.
“Freddie won’t be here until tomorrow,” I said. “We can’t have Bernadette’s funeral until
Wednesday at the earliest.”
“We’ll go this afternoon and make all the arrangements,” said Mama. “I’m still not over finding her
dead on the lawn. What a shock. The poor woman was lying out there for hours before I ever noticed
her.”
“Not your fault, Glenda,” said Sylvan with a tenderness in his voice I hadn’t heard before.
I risked covert glances at him and then at Mama to see if I could sense something going on between
them. Did Ardal notice it? I’d be sure to ask him later.

Memphis. Tennessee.
Freddie got tired of driving and he let Felix take a turn behind the wheel. Then Felix got tired and
Clovis took over for the next couple of hours.
Clovis pulled into a rest area and he and Felix used the men’s room and left Freddie sleeping in
the back of the truck.
Standing in front of one of the vending machines waiting for his Coke to come out, Clovis said,
“What you tink, Felix? You tink Freddie got problems?”
“Yeah, he got problems for sure. He so fuckin mixed up, he don talk right no more. He opens his
mouth and crazy shit comes out.”
“Clover be better off widout him to watch over like she does. What you tink?”
“Yeah, for sure, Clovis. I tink da same way. Dat big asshole is a pain in da ass for Clover to
manage. Want to dump him here?”
“Sure do. We be doin her a favor.”
They were on their way back to the truck when two witches on brooms came flying out of the sky
and touched down next to the truck.
“Dem witches on da brooms are Moon and Luna,” said Felix. “What you tink dey wants?”
“Don know,” said Clovis. “Luna gonna want me back in her bed. Dat’s a for sure ting, but I ain’t
going back der to dat swamp. Too many of dem big fuckin snakes.”
“Let’s go see why dem witches are here.”
Felix took off running and Clovis followed. They ran across the parking area and got to the truck in
time to see the girls open the back door of Freddie’s truck, grab him by the arms and try to drag him
out.
“What did you do with Star?” Luna screamed at him.
Freddie woke up in a hurry and let out a roar so ferocious it scared the shit out of Felix and
Clovis.
The awakening of the hell hound.
Growling like a wild dog, Freddie jumped out of the truck and with one horrific shove, he sent
Luna and Moon tumbling away from him. They crashed to the pavement screaming while Freddie
yelled out a curse at the top of his decibel range.
Felix and Clovis stepped back into the shadows and stayed out of sight until it was all over and
done.

Goddess of the Moon

Goddess of the Sun
Keep Moonbeam and Luna away
Til day is done
Send them to the Glades
For all the rest of their days
They never more roam
Away from their home
I banish Luna
I banish Moon
Double hexes
 If they come to Texas
Stay in the Glades
Or face Freddie’s blades
So mote it be.

Freddie growled out the banishing curse and when he was done, he lowered his arms. Moonbeam and
Luna disappeared from the parking lot. Goners.
“You bitch witches stay away from me for good. I see y’all again and I’ll bury y’all right next to
Star. Y’all can listen to her fuckin phone ringing but y’all won’t be able to answer.”
He waved to Felix and Clovis to hurry up. “Come on. Let’s go get some food. I’m fuckin starving
after getting rid of those witches.”
“Luna ain’t dat bad,” said Clovis.
Freddie spun around and took a stance. “What did you say? Those witches are on my case and if
they don’t stay in the fucking swamp and mind their own, I’m gonna kill them dead.”
“Why you so mad at dem?” asked Felix.
“Because I am.” Freddie slid behind the wheel and started his truck.
With a new respect for Freddie Binks and his powers, Clovis and Felix scrambled in quickly
before Freddie took off without them.

Elgin Funeral Chapel. Texas.

At two o’clock, Mama and I entered the funeral home to make arrangements for Bernadette Calarook.
Roger Baldwin, the owner and funeral director, met us at the door and we entered the reception area.
The interior of the place seemed modern and up to date, but the air had a chill to it and I could feel
the spirits of the recently departed lingering.
Mama shivered and I could tell she felt it too.
“Welcome, ladies. I’m Roger Baldwin and my staff and I will do everything in our power to help
you through this difficult time.”
“Thank you,” said Mama.
Tall and straight, his mundane face was steeped and mapped by the death of others. He made a
living from death and sorrow and reaper vibes radiated from him like the last flicker of a candle.
I didn’t like him from the get-go, but kept my mouth shut and followed him to his office. He offered
us coffee and we weren’t there for a social visit.
“No thank you,” said Mama. She was holding it together better than I was. The place gave me the
creeps.
Freddie wasn’t home yet to pick out a casket for his foster mother so the task fell on us. Mama and
I looked at the pictures Roger showed us and we chose one Bernadette might have liked.
I pointed to one, black lacquer with silver handles.
Mama agreed with my choice of black, and we moved on to picking floral tributes.
Bernadette loved roses and we kept that in mind as we chose the spray that would decorate her
casket. White roses with a generous helping of baby’s breath.
After everything had been selected and duly noted by Roger Baldwin, he asked for a date and time
to hold the service.
“How about Wednesday?” I asked.
“Will there be a burial for her in Elgin, or are you leaning towards cremation?”
Mama looked at me and I said, “Cremation. Her ashes will be scattered on her farm in West
Virginia.”
Mama nodded. “Yes. West Virginia.”
“Cremation it is.” Baldwin sounded happy he could add another charge to our bill. As soon as the
decision was made to cremate Bernadette, he whipped out glossy pictures of urns and tried to sell us
one of those.
“We don’t need an urn,” I said. “We’re going to dump the ashes out when we get to the farm. Don’t
they come in some kind of packaging from the crematorium?”
“Yes, they are packaged.” His voice was tinged with disappointment. Baldwin was exactly the
same as a car salesman adding on all the extras after you’d agreed on a price for the goddamned car.
“That’s good enough,” I said. I wasn’t crazy about the funeral director and I was liking him less by
the minute, but we had to tolerate him for the next two days and hopefully after that, we’d never see
him again.
“Mama, is there anything else you can think of for Bernadette?”
“Not at the moment, dear. I think we’ve covered everything.”
“Numbers for the reception,” said Baldwin who wasn’t giving up. “How many people do you
anticipate will attend the service and remain for refreshments?”
“Family only. No one from West Virginia will be here. Perhaps we’ll hold a wake for her when
we spread the ashes on her farm.”
“That’s a lovely idea,” said Mama. “Then all her friends and neighbors could come to say
goodbye.”
“That’s what we’ll do then. I’ll tell Freddie when he gets home.”
“He’ll go along with that idea,” said Mama. “Freddie will want to take Bernadette home to the
farm.”
We finished by coughing up eight thousand dollars and as Roger Baldwin tucked away my check in
his black leather briefcase, he assured me and Mama that everything would be perfect.
I doubted anything in my life would ever be perfect but I nodded anyway to be polite. A shiver
crept up my spine and I was overwhelmed by a pressing desire to get out of that funeral home as
quickly as possible.

Elgin Forest.
After breakfast, Ardal and Annabelle saddled up and went for a ride to the forest. One of the few
pleasures Ardal had left. He wasn’t thrilled having Annabelle sent to him as a gift or a reward or
whatever she was being called by the Green Man. He needed to find out more about her and where
she came from and after explaining the way he felt, he would send her home to her family. He had
already made up his mind she couldn’t stay.
They had ridden deep into the forest when Jerome stepped out onto the trail and startled both
horses. Mirabelle nickered and reared up.
This is their new way of contacting me and I don’t like it.
“Whoa, girl.” Ardal patted Mirabelle’s thick neck to settle her down and hollered at Jerome at the
same time. “Jerome, step back off the path. You’re going to get hurt.”
Jerome backed up a little to get out of the way.
Ardal jumped off Mirabelle and holding her reins loosely, he walked towards the gnome. “Is
Juniper with you?”
“Yes, she’s here behind me... in the trees.”
“Why have you come to Texas? Are you delivering another message? If this is about an assignment,
I’m not up for it and I won’t be accepting any more missions.”
“We came to tell you that the one who cannot be named is furious with you for killing her sister,
Baba Sue. She has sworn revenge on you on behalf of her family.”
“Let her come. I’ve done all I’m doing for the Green Man and the greater good. I’m through. Until
my blood purifies and my strength returns, I’m good to nobody. Not even myself.”
“I understand you are not physically well, Ardal, but you are in grave danger and the Green Man is
concerned. He sent us to warn you.”
Sitting astride her horse, Annabelle spoke for the first time. “The Green Man doesn’t need to
worry, Jerome. I’m here to protect Ardal. All will be well if Baba Yaga comes—I for one am not
afraid to say her name. There is no circumstance I can’t take care of on my own.”
Ardal had no idea of the power Annabelle possessed but she sounded pretty confident and she
talked a good game. Even so, he couldn’t picture her saving him in any violent encounter. Just
couldn’t see it happening.
Doesn’t matter what she says, I’m sending her back to wherever. I don’t want her hovering over
me.
Jerome and Juniper departed and Ardal felt a pressing need to be alone in the woods. There were
too many things in his life that had gone wrong and he needed time to sort it all out.
He sent Anabelle back to the barn ahead of him, and he rode home at a slow pace enjoying his
solitude and the oneness he always felt with his horse and with nature.
His let his thoughts wander to Gillette and he immediately felt better. His sister was his first love
and his life.

Tallahassee Florida.
Freddie’s powerful spell took hold of Moonbeam and Luna and they found themselves stranded in a
used car lot in downtown Tallahassee.
Luna scrambled off the roof of the Prius she had landed on and joined her sister who was crawling
out from under a ten-year-old Chevy Tahoe.
“We have to get home, Luna. It’s the only place we’ll be safe from Freddie Binks. We can
barricade ourselves in and put up a ward and he won’t be able to kill us.”
“Conjure up a couple of besoms,” said Luna. “We can fly south and be home in ten minutes.”
Moonbeam tried and she couldn’t produce the besoms. “I don’t have enough power to do it. You
try.”
Luna gave it her best effort and wasn’t any better. “I have no power, Moon.”
“Freddie zapped our powers,” said Moonbeam. “Freddie Binks has become one of those
unpleasant Warlocks.”
“Call somebody who will help us, Moon. How are we going to get home to the glades?”
Moonbeam walked out of the car lot and into the bus shelter on the corner. She sat on the bench out
of the sun and made calls.
She tried Sylvan first and he was unable to come because of Bernadette’s pending funeral. He was
helping Glenda and Gillette get ready for that.
Moonbeam noticed something in Sylvan’s voice as he spoke about Glenda and she found it
upsetting. She sat and thought about Sylvan being with Glenda in other ways and pangs of jealousy
stabbed through her heart.
I should’ve gone to live with Sylvan in the bayou.
Her second call was to Charlie Clemenceau in Louisiana, and he wasn’t home. He was on a
hunting trip with Polly and Wally and some of his friends in Arkansas.
“Any luck?” asked Luna. She paced in front of her sister and smoked the whole while. The bus
shelter was filled with a cloud of cigarette smoke.
“Not yet. I’ll try Rudy now.”
Luna stopped pacing and glared at Moonbeam. “He’s no good. He doesn’t even have a vehicle,
Moon. Why would you call him?”
Moon knew Luna was right but she called her old friend Rudy anyway and told him about the
predicament she and Luna were in. Maybe there was something he could do, or suggest.
“I can’t come der to Florida, Moonbeam. I got da charters and da crab shack at da same time wid
Bobo gone wid dead Rowan. Maybe you and Luna could hitch a ride wid a trucker going south.”
“Sure, Rudy. That’s not a bad idea. We’ll try that.”
“Try what?” Luna lit a fresh cigarette and hovered over Moon trying to see the screen on her cell.
“Hitchhiking,” snapped Moonbeam. She waved the smoke out of her face and pointed outside.
Luna never moved.
As a last resort, Moonbeam called the Great One. Mystere LeJeune was Moonbeam’s mentor and
in the past she had been supportive of her in every way.
“What seems to be the trouble, Moonbeam?” asked Misty. Her voice was cool to the point of
having the odd ice crystal and it made Moonbeam afraid. Very afraid she had offended Misty in some
way.
“Freddie Binks has banished Luna and me to Florida and at the same time as he cast the spell on
us, he zapped our powers. We have been rendered powerless and have no way to get home.”
“The Goddess is not pleased with the way you girls have behaved in relation to the chosen child,
Peter Roy Hart—especially Starlight. The spell Freddie has cast on y’all is strong and valid and
cannot be broken. You and Luna must stay in Florida, and if y’all want to get home y’all will have to
use your own initiative. Take a bus, a train, or hitch a ride. I’m afraid there is nothing more I can do.”
“Misty is so angry with us,” said Moonbeam. “I could hear ice cutting through her voice when she
spoke of Roy. Starlight has done something unforgiveable but I don’t know what it is.”
“Perhaps we can undo the damage she’s done,” said Luna. “We don’t want to be in the Great One’s
bad books.”
“That would be dangerous beyond measure,” said Moonbeam. “Come on, we’re going to hitch a
ride home.”
“How?”
“We’ll walk until we find a truck driver heading south on I-75.”
“A trucker, Moon? Come on. We’re not doing that. I’ve never stuck my thumb out for a ride in my
life and I’m not starting now.”
“You are going to do exactly that because there is a spell on us and we have to go to Florida and
stay there. Otherwise Freddie is going to kill us both.”
“I don’t believe he will,” said Luna. “He could have killed us and he left us tied up instead.”
“We’ve angered him. Weren’t you listening to the spell?”
“I might have heard the words but I’m not sure I believe Freddie has that much power,” said Luna.
“In comparison, we have none,” said Moonbeam. “You realize that don’t you?”
“Okay, yes. Freddie took away our powers.”
They walked a mile to the interstate and stood on the side of the highway for an hour before an
eighteen-wheeler stopped for them.
“Where are you girls going?” asked the driver.
 “Everglades,” said Moonbeam, “but anywhere south would help us out. Thank you for stopping.”
“Hop in, girls. I’m Russ Kramer.”

Lafayette. Louisiana.
Freddie stopped at a restaurant on the outskirts of Lafayette and he and the boys filled up on Cajun
food.
“Dis is so fuckin good,” said Felix. “I missed dis food so much since Mama got herself fried
dead.”
Pangs of homesickness struck Clovis too. They were close to Thibodaux and so close to where
they’d grown up on the bayou.
“Hey, Freddie,” said Clovis, “can we go to our house for a few minutes? I want to check on our
shack and pick up some shit we might’ve forgot.”
“Guess so,” said Freddie as they left the restaurant. “I don’t give a flying fuck. You drive, Clovis. I
don’t know where the fuck y’all live.”
Freddie tossed the keys to Clovis and he rode in the passenger seat. Felix jumped in the back with
a smile on his face. They were going home.
Clovis turned south towards Thibodaux and he was pretty happy to be going to the place he and
Felix figured they’d never see again.
A few narrow backroads that were rarely traveled, and then they could smell the river and the
damp algae odor of the swamp. Down a dead end road, Clovis turned into a piece of land overgrown
with scrub bushes and weeds.
“Dis be our place.”
“Don’t look like much,” said Freddie. “Y’all got weeds as high as your asses. Y’all got a barn?”
“What for?” asked Felix. “We ain’t got no hogs.”
Clovis parked and they all spilled out. Freddie lit up a smoke and took a walk down to the dock.
Felix and Clovis ran inside to check the shack they lived in together and they gathered up a few
things they needed to keep. When they went back outside, they were startled to see Gus Godin getting
out of his pickup.
“Hey, you two murdering bastards finally came home. I been checking every day and I knew you’d
show up one of deese times. Me and Daddy been looking for y’all ‘cause we know y’all did
something with Lila Mae and Marianna.”
He pointed a stubby finger in their faces. “Y’all are not getting away with killing my sisters.”
“We never hurt dose girls,” hollered Felix. “Honest, Gus. Me and Clovis didn’t kill dem. When
we found dem in dat casino parking place lying on da pavement, dem two girls were already dead.”
Gus raised a bushy eyebrow. “So you’re telling me now dat my sisters are for sure dead, but y’all
didn’t kill dem?”
“Dat’s right,” said Clovis. “Me and Felix never hurt dose girls. We was always good to dem.”
Freddie strolled up the hill from the dock and joined the little group. He listened for a minute and
then lost interest. “You guys got the shit y’all need? We gotta get going to Texas. I’m ready to go.”
Gus Godin took a stance in front of Freddie and growled in his face. “Who are you?”
Freddie shrugged and the power inside him fairly radiated off his body like a golden glow. “You
best get going, fucker. Me and these boys got a long drive.”
Gus chuckled. “I’m not going anywhere and for sure, deese boys ain’t going to Texas. Only place
dey going, is in dat river right over der.”
Gus Godin grabbed Felix by the shirt, punched him in the face and knocked him to the ground.
 Freddie let out a roar and grabbed hold of Gus Godin by his denim overalls. He picked up two
hundred and fifty pounds of Gus Godin, held him over his head and then fired the guy through the air a
hundred feet to the river.
Splash.
Gus hit the water with such force, the splash could be heard for miles. Every gator along that
section of the riverbank heard it, and they weren’t long coming.
Felix and Clovis ran to the dock in time to see the gators pull Gus under and devour him.
“Wow, dat was something, Freddie. Dat guy was da reason me and Felix couldn’t come home no
more. Now dat he’s dead, we can live here again and get back to fishing. Tanks for dat.”
Freddie had to think a minute and then he figured out what Clovis was telling him. “So y’all ain’t
coming to Texas with me?”
“Not for a while,” said Felix. “We got stuff to do here at home.”
Freddie shrugged and walked to his truck.
 Chapter Fourteen

Tuesday, May 31st.

Nine Hemlock Way. Elgin. Texas.

“The funeral is tomorrow and all the arrangements are in place. I don’t think Freddie will have any
objections to what we chose for Bernadette, Mama. I’m sure if he was here, he wouldn’t want to do it
himself anyway. I’m going to call and see where he is and what time he’ll be home.”
I stepped outside onto the patio and stood in the sun while I made the call to Freddie’s cell. I was
missing him and needed him to come home to me.
“Hey, Clover. I miss you. I love you.”
“I love you too, honey. Where are you? I wondered if you’d be home in time for dinner?”
“Clovis and Felix wanted to stop by their house and we had to turn off the highway and drive on a
bunch of old dirt roads, but we did that, and then they decided to stay at home and fish for a while.”
“Huh. Okay. Are you doing all right by yourself? You’re following the GPS, right?”
“Yeah, I’m listening to the map woman. I just want to get home, Clover. I want to sleep with you in
our own bed. That’s what I need to do. I’m so fuckin tired.”
“I want that too, Freddie. I don’t like it when you’re not with me.”
“Me neither. I’m going to get home today for sure. I’m in Texas now. Just crossed over the line.”
“Wonderful.”
I ended the call to Freddie figuring out in my head how long it would take him to drive to Elgin
from Beaumont. I turned to go back inside and Moonbeam called. “Hi, Moonbeam.”
“Just so you know, Gillette, I think you have a big problem with Freddie.”
Moonbeam went on and on telling me about Freddie leaving her and Luna tied up in a ravine
somewhere, and then about the banishing spell he cast on them, and how he took away their powers.
“What did you and Luna do to Freddie, Moon? He is non-aggressive, so you and Luna must have
done something to him first. Freddie would never hurt you unless you hurt or threatened him first.”
“Talk to him, Gillette. You have serious issues with Freddie.”
I ended the call and wasn’t the least bit happy with Moonbeam. She didn’t deny doing something to
Freddie, so she had done something to set him off. This was all about the baby. Moonbeam wanted
her grandson and she wasn’t getting him. Not ever.
Peter Roy belonged to my sister and my husband. I was his stepmother, and he was going to be
raised in our family—not by his grandmother or his great aunts.
I shoved my phone into my pocket and found Ardal in the living room with his father—our father
now. I plopped down on the sofa next to my brother and repeated to him and Sylvan the story
Moonbeam had just told me.
“Moonbeam hasn’t been herself since the first kidnapping,” said Sylvan. “And then losing Sonny
for good. I wouldn’t be surprised if she went over the edge.”
“I hope that doesn’t happen,” I said. “We have a long history with Moonbeam and her sisters.”
After I finished with my story, Ardal told me his. How Jerome and Juniper appeared to him in the
forest and warned him about Baba Yaga seeking revenge.
 “Worry about it when it happens, sugar. That’s all we can do.” I leaned over and gave my brother a
hug.

Alligator Alley. Everglades. Florida.

Russ, the truck driver, slept in his truck in his own bed. His big rig was parked in Moonbeam’s front
yard and it barely fit. He came into the house for breakfast before leaving for Miami.
Russ was a tall guy close to fifty. No big belly like a lot of truckers, and he was attractive in an
older-guy kind of way. He had a strong Florida accent and talked a lot about retiring and fishing in the
Gulf.
Moon had a crush on him and cooked him a huge breakfast. She made a pan of biscuits and put
three kinds of her homemade jam on the table.
“Y’all are welcome to ride to Miami with me.” He smiled at Moonbeam. “I’d enjoy the company.”
“I’d love to, but I’d have no way of getting home. Maybe another time. I did enjoy riding in your
truck with the windows down and the radio playing. It was the most fun I’ve had in months.”
Russ had to leave after breakfast to deliver his load and Moonbeam felt a sadness wash over her
as she walked him out to his truck.
He started the big engine and gave her a wave as he backed out onto Alligator Alley.
Moonbeam waved. She was going to miss him. Another man gone from her life. She was batting
zero.

Stop 10 – Houston. Texas.

Freddie talked to Clover on the phone and he wanted to get home to her real bad. They hadn’t had sex
for several days, and he was missing her so much it was making him crazy.
He filled his truck with gas, checked the oil and then went inside to the restaurant to get a burger.
He figured he might as well eat while he was stopped, and then he’d drive straight through to Elgin
without stopping again and he’d be home.
Clover will be glad to see me and she’ll take me straight to our bedroom. She does that
sometimes.
There were no empty booths or tables in the truck stop so Freddie sat at the counter. He ordered
the lunch special—double burger with fries, onion rings and coleslaw—and drank a Coke while he
waited for his food order to come.
When the waitress set the plate down in front of him, the food was hot and good and Freddie
wasted no time finishing every last bite. He paid the check and walked out to the parking lot to his
truck.
While he was opening the drivers’ door, two guys came up on him fast. He felt the gun poke into
his ribs and the guy behind him said, “Gimme your wallet, jerk.”
Freddie spun around and clocked the punk in the face. The gun went off with a pop sound and
hardly made any noise at all. The guy Freddie punched dropped to the pavement and Freddie gave
him a kick to roll him away from the truck.
The second guy ran.
Freddie slid behind the wheel and took off for the interstate as fast as he could go. He had to get
home.
Going down the ramp heading into the westbound lane of I-10, Freddie felt warm blood leaking
out of his side and the pain was getting pretty bad. He couldn’t stop driving if he was going to make it
all the way home.
 I have to get home to Clover.

Thibodaux Bayou. Louisiana.

Felix and Clovis docked their piro after a successful fishing trip up the river. Felix tied the boat up
while Clovis hefted the heavy pails full of their catch onto the dock.
They each took a bucket and carried the catfish and crawfish up the hill towards the shack they
lived in together. They were almost to the door when old man Godin pulled in.
“Bet he’s looking for Gus,” said Clovis.
“We shoulda got rid of Gus’s truck,” said Felix.
“Yep. We shoulda done dat for sure,” said Clovis. “I never thought about it. Did you?”
“Nope. Didn’t.”
“Shit,” said Clovis. “I figured we was home free.”
“Me too after what Freddie done for us wid dat fucker, Gus.”
Avit Godin got out of his truck, anger flashing in his blue eyes. He stomped towards the boys,
pointing a finger at them. “Where’s Gus? My son never came home last night and he always comes
home.”
“Dunno where he is,” said Felix.
Avit pointed at the truck. “Don’t bullshit me, Felix Prejean. His truck is here in your yard. Did you
murder my son as well as my two daughters?”
“No,” said Felix. “Wasn’t us. Me and Clovis never killed Gus.”
With a roar, Avit came at Felix and Felix didn’t want to hurt Marianna’s daddy but he didn’t want
to end up dead neither.
Felis knocked Avit to the ground and Clovis was right there to kick him a good one in the nuts. The
old guy whimpered and clutched his package and Clovis was feeling a bit sorry for him when Avit
grabbed hold of Felix and pulled him to the ground. Avit had his fillet knife in his hand and he sliced
Felix’s arm open.
“Hey, you cut my brother, you old fucker. You gonna be sorry you done dat.”
Clovis kicked old man Godin square in the head and knocked him out. Felix scrambled to his feet
with blood gushing out of his arm like a fountain. He ran to the shack for something to fix the gash
while Clovis dragged Avit Godin down to the dock and rolled him into the black water.
Splash.
Clovis didn’t bother watching for the gators to come. He ran back to the house and helped Felix
duct tape a towel around his arm to soak up the blood. “Come on, Felix. We gotta get outta here.”
“What about da fuckin trucks? Two Godin trucks here now? What we gonna say about dat?”
“We ain’t saying nothin cause we can never come back here,” Clovis yelled at his brother. “We
gotta live in Texas wid Clover.”
“Yeah, we do,” said Felix. “We never shoulda come home to go fishing on da bayou. We was
better off wid her all da fuckin time.”

Nine Hemlock Way. Elgin. Texas.

Misty showed up late in the afternoon with a brand new potion for Ardal to try. He was tired of trying
potions that tasted terrible and didn’t work, but Misty had gone to the trouble of finding the
ingredients for the new batch and making it for him. He had to suck it up and try it.
Annabelle hovered over Ardal as Misty gave him the dark colored stuff to drink. Misty clearly
wasn’t pleased having Annabelle so close to her but she didn’t tell her to back off. Not then.
 To Ardal’s surprise, Misty raised her hand and cast a spell on Annabelle and sent her back where
she came from.

The reason you are here is not clear

Friend or foe we do not know
Your purpose is shrouded
Your identity clouded
No reason to trust
I fear that you must
Go back where you belong
Like in the Elvis song
Return to sender
So mote it be.

After the third recitation of the spell, Annabelle disappeared and Ardal felt relief flood over him.
He hadn’t been comfortable with her around since the day she was given to him in the forest.
Misty felt it too.
By way of explanation for the sudden spell, Misty said, “I’m not sure of why Annabelle was
watching Ardal, but I am sure that’s why she was here. To watch Ardal and report to… someone. I’m
trying to get a clear picture but it hasn’t come to me yet.”
“Thank you for sending her back,” said Ardal. “I’m grateful. Her presence in my life made me
uneasy.”
Misty smiled. “My pleasure, Ardal.”
We celebrated Annabelle’s departure with tea and Mama’s delicious lemon squares. She brought a
tray into the living room and we had a lovely visit with Misty.

An hour later when Misty was leaving for Austin, the doorbell rang and I opened it. Freddie fell into
the foyer and sprawled on the tiles, his life blood leaking out of the hole in his side.
I screamed and cried and knelt down beside him doing no good at all while Sylvan remained calm
and called for an ambulance. While we waited for help to come for Freddie, Misty cast a spell to
stop the bleeding.

Goddess of the moon and sun

Stop the flow of blood
Don’t let it run
Dry up the wound
And safe his life
Help him in his time of strife
So mote it be.

Misty was just finishing up her third chanting of the spell when the ambulance arrived. She stepped
back out of the way to make room for the paramedics.
Sylvan took over and held the door open for the ambulance attendants. They rushed to Freddie,
knelt down next to him, and did a quick evaluation.
“Gunshot,” said one of them.
 “The police will have to be involved in this,” said the other.
I held up my badge. “I am the cops. Texas Ranger and I’ll report it.”
“Okay, thanks, Ranger Hart.”
They hurried getting Freddie strapped onto the stretcher and out to the ambulance. I was grateful
for their speed and their compassion.
I grabbed my purse and followed them out the door.

Elgin Hospital.
Freddie was in the operating room when I got to the hospital with Ardal and Sylvan. Mama stayed
behind to watch the babies.
I provided the insurance numbers to the accounting office and was told it would be a couple of
hours before we knew anything for certain.
Sylvan went down to the cafeteria for coffee while I sat in the waiting area and cried on Ardal.
Two hours later, a doctor came looking for Freddie’s kin and I claimed him as mine. I introduced
myself and the doctor wasn’t wearing an encouraging look.
“Mister Binks is fighting for his life, Ranger Hart. At this point that’s all I can tell you. He’ll be in
the ICU overnight. Come back tomorrow and we’ll see how he’s doing.”
“Thank you, Doctor.”
 Chapter Fifteen

Wednesday, June 1st.

Nine Hemlock Way. Elgin.

I woke up in the middle of the night screaming because of a horrible dream I’d had. Soaking wet with
sweat, I was choking on my sobs when Ardal came rushing into my room.
“A dream, Ardal. So real, I know it’s coming true. Freddie isn’t going to make it.”
“We don’t know that for sure.” He sat on the edge of the bed and held my hand. “Try to go back to
sleep.”
“Stay here with me. Please.”
Ardal laid on the bed next to me and I cried silently into my pillow so he could sleep. When I did
doze off now the then, all my dreams were of Freddie passing through the veil and never coming
back.
How did he get shot?

After a seemingly endless night, dawn finally arrived and Ardal went back to his own room to get
dressed for the barn chores. As soon as I could stop myself from sobbing, I blew my nose, dried my
eyes so I could see the screen of my cell phone and called the hospital for an update.
The news wasn’t good and the nurse I talked to spoke in a hushed tone like she knew what was
coming. She told me Freddie had not regained consciousness. The doctor was hopeful he’d wake up
sometime today.
According to my dream, Freddie did not wake up. He passed to the other side of the veil without
regaining consciousness. Even though it was the last thing I wanted to happen, I believed my dream.
Lately, they’d all been coming true. Right down to the last detail.
I planned to go to the hospital after breakfast and stay with Freddie until it was time to get ready
for Bernadette’s funeral.
I shuffled to the kitchen and Mama was already there. Always an early riser, she had come in from
the guesthouse, made coffee and whipped up a batch of biscuits. I could smell them baking in the oven
and it was comforting somehow.
Sylvan sat at the head of the table drinking coffee and it made me wonder if he and Mama were
sleeping in separate bedrooms in the guesthouse or if they’d moved into one room.
Mama would tell me soon enough—if she wanted me to know. She’d been so lonely after Daddy
passed. None of my business really.
Today would be a hell day and I should put food in my stomach, but swallowing solid food was
another matter. I might not be able to choke it down or keep it down.
“Sit down, Clover,” said Mama. “I’ll get you coffee. Try to drink some of your orange juice.
You’re too pale to suit me.”
“Did you call the hospital yet?” asked Sylvan.
“Yes. They didn’t tell me anything encouraging. Freddie is still unconscious, that’s what the nurse
said.”
 Ardal walked through the kitchen to the patio door and let Lulu and Rosita out. The two huge
bloodhounds slept on his bed every night and there was hardly any room for him.
He gave me a hug. “We’ll go to the hospital right after breakfast and find out exactly what’s going
on with Freddie.”
“I’m not sure we should go ahead with Bernadette’s funeral service.” I turned to look at Mama and
Sylvan. “What do y’all think we should do?”
“We have to get it done, dear,” said Mama. “It might be weeks before Freddie is out of the
hospital.”
“How did he get shot in the side like that?” I asked.
“He could’ve been mugged,” said Ardal. “That’s the spot where someone would poke a gun into
you if they came up behind you.”
Ardal and I had both done enough police work to make fairly educated guesses, and Ardal was
right. Freddie was alone… at some stop he made… probably for gas… and he looked vulnerable to
some low-life punk.
Sylvan nodded. “I guess he could’ve been mugged. Is his wallet missing?”
“I’ll ask for his belongings when I go to the hospital,” I said. “I wish Felix and Clovis had stayed
with him. Why did they have to go fishing?”
Mama put a plate of biscuits in front of me and pointed at them. She wanted me to eat. “It was
Fate, Clover. The Fates have been brutal to us lately. Cade and Rowan and now Bernadette and
Freddie. They aren’t giving us any breaks at all.”
As soon as Ardal finished feeding the horses, he took a shower and got dressed. His long black
hair was still damp when he drove us to the hospital.

Welcome Station. Louisiana/Texas Line.

Clovis had to handle all the driving because Felix’s arm was so painful he couldn’t bear to move it.
They had stopped at a drug store and bought gauze and tape, but the bleeding never seemed to stop. It
would slow down and then start up again and leak through the bandages.
Slumped down in the passenger seat clutching his arm, Felix moaned. The current bandage on his
arm was soaked through again. “I need more Advil.”
“Water bottles all gone?”
“Yeah, I drank all of it. We need to stop.”
Clovis glanced across the console at his younger brother. Felix was pale as paper and his eyes
looked funny. “You gonna pass out, Felix?”
“Dunno. Maybe”
“I’m gonna stop soon as I find a place dat’s got what we need. Hang on for a few.”
“Okay.”

Elgin Hospital.
Freddie wasn’t conscious when Ardal and I got to the hospital. We were allowed to see him for five
whole minutes. I sat beside the bed and told him about Bernadette’s funeral and the casket we had
picked for her—a nice black one with silver handles.
Freddie never opened his eyes and he never moved, but I hoped he heard me.
I leaned closer, put my hand on his arm and cast a healing spell on him. The one Ardal had chosen
from his grimoire—the Trehan Book of Shadows. Sylvan had passed it down to Ardal from his
grandmother Trehan.
 I couldn’t shout the words to the Goddess, so I whispered them and hoped she heard me clearly
enough to make the spell work.

God and Goddess of healing

Hear my plea
Please don’t take Freddie
Away from me
Work your magick on Freddie
Through the hours
Heal the wound
And make him strong
Heal him quickly
He doesn’t have long
God and Goddess
Hear my plea
Bring my loved one
Back to me
So mote it be.

I had barely finished the spell when the nurse signaled our time was up.
Ardal took my hand and led me to the waiting area. “I’m glad we had the opportunity to put the
healing spell on.”
“It might be too late,” I said.
“You don’t know that.”
“He’s slipping away. I can feel it.” I looked my brother in the eye and I could see it there. Ardal
knew it too.
“Come on, Gilly. There’s nothing more you can do here for now. We have to go home and get ready
for the funeral.”

Elgin Funeral Chapel.

The chapel was almost empty and I hadn’t expected anything else. Bernadette hadn’t lived in Texas
long enough to make a lot of new friends. She was a solitary witch who minded her own and she was
still grieving for Jinx.
The service was brief, like Mama and I had requested. I cried all the way through it thinking of
Freddie. Bernadette would be crying for Freddie too if she knew he was hurt so bad.
I wonder if she does know.
At the conclusion of the service, we moved into the reception room at the back of the building for
refreshments. A small buffet table was set up with assorted sandwiches and squares. Tea and coffee at
the end of the table.
I shouldn’t have bothered paying for a reception. Only one person came who wasn’t a member of
our family.
The man walked over to me and said how sorry he was to hear of Bernadette’s passing. He
introduced himself as Al Liscombe. One of our neighbors. He lived across the street at number eight
Hemlock Way.
I shook his hand when he offered it. “Lovely to meet you, Al. I don’t know many of my neighbors.
Not much time for socializing with two babies to look after.”
He smiled. “I’ve seen you putting the baby in her car seat in your Bronco.”
The way he said it gave me a shiver, but I let it go. I was in a bad place and my perception of
others could be badly skewed.
Ardal saw the man talking to me and stood by my side. My protector and my hero.
“This is my brother, Ardal.”
Mister Liscombe shook Ardal’s hands and wandered off. Ardal had that effect on some people.
Could our neighbor feel Ardal’s power?

Nine Hemlock Way. Elgin.

With the funeral over and the cremation set for later in the afternoon, we departed the dreary funeral
chapel and came home. Ardal and I sat on the patio and drank a couple of beers while Mama made
dinner.
“I’m glad that’s over,” I said.
“What time will the ashes be ready tomorrow?” asked Ardal.
“Around ten, I think. Doesn’t matter now anyway. We can’t go to West Virginia to sprinkle the
ashes with Freddie lying in the hospital. He’ll want to go to the farm when we do that.”
“For sure, he will,” said Ardal. I could tell by Ardal’s voice he was sure Freddie would never
make it to the farm, and I cried.
Ardal went into the house for more beer and I was sitting alone at the umbrella table with Zing on
my shoulder. Reaching up, I stroked her shiny black feathers while she chirped about how sad she
was for Freddie.
I heard the side gate open and it startled me. Zing cawed loudly and flew over the house to see
who was trespassing in our yard. I didn’t have the energy or the inclination to get up and look.
A minute later, Clovis and Felix came around the side of the house. Zing was perched on Clovis’
shoulder chirping to him. She was as glad they were home as I was.
“Y’all are home. Thank the Goddess.”
Felix held up his right arm wrapped in a blood-soaked bandage, then sat down at the table with a
groan.
Clovis gave me and Ardal the details of Avit Godin coming after them and cutting Felix’s arm open
with his fillet knife.
“If it happened yesterday and his arm is still bleeding,” I said, “Felix needs stitches.”
“I’ll take him, Gilly,” said Ardal.
“Where’s Freddie?” Clovis glanced at the barn and the doors were closed.
“In the hospital,” I said. “He got shot on the way home and I don’t have any idea how it happened.
He’s pretty bad, Clovis. I don’t know if he’s going to make it.”
More tears and I couldn’t hold them back.
“Can we go see him?” asked Clovis.
“Later. Take care of Felix first. He shouldn’t be bleeding like that.”
“I’ll take him to the Emergency room,” said Ardal. “They’ll put him on the fast track when they see
all the blood.”
“Come right back and we’ll hold dinner for y’all.”
“Is your Mama cooking?” asked Clovis.
I nodded and he grinned. Those Prejean boys were dandy eaters.
“Let’s go, Felix,” said Ardal. “You don’t want to lose any more blood. You want to come with
your brother, Clovis?”
Clovis nodded and handed Zing off to me.

Elgin Hospital.
As soon as Ardal and Clovis arrived with Felix, he was pushed to the head of the line and taken to a
treatment room. The six-inch gash in his forearm required a lot of stitches and Felix wasn’t too brave
as the doctor injected the freezing.
Turns out the last of the tough Prejeans wasn’t so good with needles.
Clovis stayed with his brother while the nurse bandaged him up and Ardal took the opportunity to
go upstairs to the ICU to check on Freddie.
As Ardal arrived, the doctor had just finished examining Freddie and he laid it on the line. “He’s
not responding to anything I’ve tried and I’m afraid we’re going to lose him in the next few hours.”
“Thank you for telling me. If my sister came, could she sit with him?”
“Of course. I don’t see what harm it could do.”
“I’ll call her.” Ardal stepped away from the nurses’ station and called Gillette.
“Hey, is Felix okay?”
“Fine, although he was a wussy with the freezing needle. I’m upstairs and Freddie isn’t doing
well. I talked to the doctor and he says you can sit with him.”
“I’ll get cleaned up and drive over. Shouldn’t take me more than a few minutes. Thanks,
sweetheart.”
“I’m waiting for you.”

Sylvan drove me to the hospital and I was grateful. After receiving Ardal’s call, I knew what was
coming. I had dreamed it more than once and visualized the scene in the intensive care unit.
Freddie was not going to wake up and there was nothing any of us could do about it. Like Mama
said, the Fates had it in for us lately. There was no stopping them or slowing down their plan. Once
they decided your Fate, it was happening no matter what, and they could be brutal about the way they
made it play out.
Ardal was standing right there in the corridor waiting for me when I got off the elevator. He held
me in his arms for a minute and then walked me to the door of the ICU.
“You’re allowed to stay as long as you want. I’ll be in the waiting room with Daddy.”
My heart pounded in my chest, and knowing what was going to happen didn’t make it any easier.
Freddie was going to pass and I was Fated to watch it happen.
Just like in my dream.
The ICU nurse gave me a sympathetic look as I sat down next to Freddie’s bed and picked up his
hand. His beautiful face wore a peaceful expression and I hoped beyond hope, he would rest in peace
when he passed through the veil.
Sonny hadn’t been able to do it, and neither had Rowan or Tarn, but maybe Freddie would be
different.
“I’m here, sweetheart.” I leaned down and kissed him and his lips were warm. His chest was
barely moving and I had to stare to see if he was still breathing.
I sat that way for two hours, watching Freddie barely breathe and watching the wavy line on the
monitor. When the line went flat and the beeping started, I let out an involuntary scream.
Nurses came running as my scream turned to sobs and the spiderweb of blackness overtook me. I
fainted and toppled right out of my chair.
I woke up lying on the sofa in the waiting area with Ardal holding my head on his lap. Sylvan, Clovis
and Felix were clustered around staring down at me.
“You fainted,” said Ardal. “If you can walk, I’ll take you home and you can lie down.”
“I’ll be okay.”
Sylvan helped me to my feet and I was shaky.
I can’t remember it happening but somehow they got me to Ardal’s Jeep and got me back home.

Nine Hemlock Way. Elgin.

Mama was still holding dinner for us when we got home. She wrapped me in a hug and I cried tears I
didn’t know I had left.
“Everybody sit down and we’ll eat and then we’ll decide what we’re going to do. We need
nourishment and a calming moment to get us through this rough patch.”
Mama was the calm and organized one. She and Sylvan made a perfect couple. Matching
temperaments.

I did feel a little more sane after dinner, a piece of rhubarb pie and two cups of coffee. Ardal and I
went to the barn and I sat on a bale of straw and watched him while he mucked out the stalls and
bedded the horses down.
“I want to bury Freddie in Shadow Valley on his own farm in West Virginia. That’s where he will
be happiest.”
“You realize that’s illegal.”
“Course I do. I’m a cop.”
Ardal laughed. “How are we going to get his body?”
“Steal it?”
Ardal leaned on his shovel handle and thought for a couple of minutes. “Try this on for size. We
have the funeral home in Hinton request his body from the morgue in Elgin. As soon as Freddie has
been transported, we go to the funeral home, break in at night and steal him. Bingo.”
I smiled at my brother. “Perfect. I’ll make the call. What was the name of the funeral home in
Hinton?”
Ardal shrugged. “Google it.”
I did and it was easy to make the arrangements for Freddie. The funeral home used a service to
transport bodies. Apparently, they did it all the time. I promised to come in person to make Freddie’s
arrangements as soon as he arrived in Hinton.
Big fat lie.
“We’ll leave in the morning and that will give us a day to set up the scattering of Bernadette’s
ashes and a burial for Freddie at the farm and a big wake for him at the pool hall.”
“Yep. We’ll leave in the morning.” Ardal grabbed the handles of the wheelbarrow and left the barn
with a load of horseshit.
 Chapter Sixteen

Thursday, June 2nd.

Nine Hemlock Way. Elgin.

Ardal explained our plan for the day at breakfast and I didn’t talk at all. I couldn’t talk. My brain was
swimming with memories of me and Freddie and how much we loved each other, and I couldn’t think
of anything else.
“Drink some juice, Clover.” Mama gave me a hard stare. “You need some sugar to keep you going,
sweetheart. Coffee has no nutrition. Could you eat an egg? A piece of bacon?”
I shook my head, thinking eggs would make me puke.
“We’re picking up Bernadette’s ashes at ten,” said Ardal, “and then we’re transporting to the pool
hall.”
I nodded. Ardal had taken control, and I was grateful to my brother for everything he was doing.
Ardal had always been my strength and my source of logic. I had little of myself left to contribute.
“Can we come wid y’all?” asked Clovis. “Me and Felix can see how sad Clover is about Freddie
getting shot and being dead. We can help or do work or whatever to help Clover get Freddie buried
on his farm. I can dig a grave.”
I glanced at Clovis and focused on his sweet face. “Of course you and Felix can come with us,
sweetheart. I’ll show you my pool hall and maybe we’ll shoot a few games.”
“You know how to play pool, Clover?”
“I can fudge my way through a game.”
Ardal laughed.
Mama insisted that I eat a biscuit before I went to the funeral home. She buttered one and I added a
little peach jam and managed to swallow it.
Felix and Clovis helped Ardal with the chores at the barn and as soon as the horses were taken
care of, we said goodbye to Mama and Sylvan and we left for the funeral home together.

Elgin Funeral Chapel.

Somber expression in place, Mister Baldwin greeted us at the door and led me down the hall to his
drab and dreary office. Bernadette’s ashes were sitting in a sealed package on his desk and I was glad
I hadn’t purchased an urn that I would never use.
He handed me the ashes and wished me well.
“You can call on us for any services you need in the future, Ranger Hart. We’re here to serve your
needs.”
“Thank you, Mister Baldwin, but I’ve had enough death to hold me for a while.”
I carried the ashes back to the lobby of the funeral home where Ardal and Felix and Clovis were
waiting for me.
Baldwin opened the door and held it for us. “All the best in the future, Ranger Hart.”
You’re hoping someone else will die, fucker.
Ardal drove his Jeep back home and parked it in the driveway. We stepped out, stood close
together and transported from there.
Hart’s Pool Hall. Shadow Valley. West Virginia.
A few seconds after transporting, we reappeared in the parking lot at the back of my building.
“Where are we, Clover?” Clovis looked a little disoriented and Felix appeared to be downright
dizzy.
“Y’all are in Shadow Valley, West Virginia.”
“Huh,” said Clovis.
“Come on, boys, my apartment is upstairs. We’ll get settled in and then we’ll have a couple of
beers in my pool hall.”
“Sounds good,” said Ardal. He winked at me. “Take the boys upstairs. I’m going across the road to
see Jethro and tell him what’s going on.”
“Sure. Tell him to come over later and have a beer with us.”
Ardal walked down the alleyway between my building and the next and I felt weak watching him
walk away from me. I unlocked the back door and took Felix and Clovis upstairs.

Sheriff’s Office. Shadow Valley.

“Hey, Ardal, I can’t fuckin believe you’re here. Is Clover here too?”
“She’s over at the apartment. Something terrible happened to our family.”
“Like what?”
“Bernadette died of a heart attack and Freddie got shot and died a couple of days later. Gilly is in
a real mess over Freddie.”
“Jesus, did they catch the guy who shot him?”
“We never found out who it was because he never regained consciousness.”
“Fuck that,” said Jethro.
“I doubt if we’ll ever know,” said Ardal. “We don’t even know where he was when he got shot.
No clue.”
“My God, Clover must be so sad. Are y’all here to bury him?”
Ardal nodded. “Yeah, we’re going to scatter Bernadette’s ashes at the farm tomorrow and bury
Freddie there the next day.”
Jethro’s brown eyes widened. “You brought Freddie’s body with you?”
“Not exactly.”
“Ain’t legal to bury somebody on your farm,” said Jethro. “Some folks around here have those
small family graveyards on their property, but you can’t just dig a hole and toss a body in.”
“We realize that” said Ardal, “but that’s what Gilly plans to do with Freddie.”
“I’ll try my best to forget you told me about it,” said Jethro. “Where’s his corpse?”
“Gilly sent it to the funeral home in Hinton.”
Jethro nodded as he figured it out. “She’s gonna snatch his body from the funeral home?”
Ardal smiled. “Can’t say what her plans are, and I sure as hell can’t tell the sheriff about it.”
Jethro laughed. “Damned right she’s gonna do that. That saved y’all from driving for two days with
his body decomposing in the back of your fuckin Jeep.”
“You could be right about that,” said Ardal. “I have to admit it was my idea to do it that way. Not
illegal.”
“Nope, your part in it was not illegal. But I know I’m right about my cousin. I grew up with her on
the mountain. When we were kids we always did bad shit together and most of the trouble we got into
was her idea.” Jethro laughed thinking about it.
 “How are you and Arlene doing?”
“Great. Fantastic. Arlene is pregnant and we couldn’t be happier. Arlene’s Gran is so fuckin
excited, she’d knitting sweaters and making baby blankets like crazy. I had to drive her to Hinton for
three different kinds of wool.”
Ardal shook Jethro’s hand. “Congratulations. Gilly will be so happy to hear this news.”
“She should be,” said Jethro. “She made it possible for it to happen.”
“I’ll let you know the times for Bernadette’s thing and for Freddie’s burial too. Gilly is planning a
big wake at the pool hall for Freddie.”
“Yep, that sounds like fun,” said Jethro. “I’m glad y’all are home. Wish y’all would move home
for good.”
“Yep. Here for a few days at least. Mama and Sylvan are taking care of the babies and the horses,
so we can’t be gone for too long.”
“Still good to see you.” Jethro patted Ardal on the back.

Hinton Funeral Home.

Ardal and I left Felix and Clovis at the pool hall under Johnny’s watchful eye while we went to the
funeral home in Hinton to case the place. We had to figure out where they kept the dead bodies in
advance of our night raid.
A woman in a black suit, wearing a black expression met us at the door. “May I help y’all?”
“Good afternoon, ma’am. I was wondering if you knew when my boyfriend, Freddie Binks, would
be arriving.”
“Let me check for you,” said the woman. She didn’t introduce herself so I didn’t know her name.
She wandered off into an office just off the main lobby.
Ardal and I stood there looking around until she came back. She smiled and said, “Mister Binks
will arrive here from Elgin, Texas, tomorrow afternoon.”
“Wonderful,” I said.
“Will y’all be requiring a service for Mister Binks?”
“I’ll be talking to the family today,” I said. “We’ll come back tomorrow and make arrangements.”
“Sure, thank you. There will be a separate charge for the long distance transport of the body.
Would you care to settle that charge today?”
“Sure. I’d love to get that out of the way.” We followed the woman into the office and I gave her
my credit card to take care of the charge. She gave me a receipt and I considered the cost well worth
it.
“Thank you,” I said as Ardal and I headed towards the door.
“Can I give you some brochures to look at? They might help with your selections tomorrow.”
“Sure, that would be so helpful.”
She popped back into the office and returned with a handful of brightly colored pamphlets
depicting caskets and floral arrangements.
“Thank you so much.”
Ardal and I left and jumped into the shine van. We had picked it up at the sheriff’s office and it
was just what we needed for the midnight raid on the funeral home. It belonged to Daddy, but Jethro
used it to deliver the moonshine orders from the Thornheart still.
“Did you figure out where his body is going to be?” I asked Ardal.
“Yeah, I think so. I got the basic layout of the building down while you were talking, and I saw the
back door where they probably receive the corpses.”
 “The van will be ideal for later,” I said.
“Where are we going to store him overnight?”
“Umm… good question. I wonder if there’s a freezer at Bernadette’s farm.”
“Let’s drive out to the farm before we go back to the pool hall,” said Ardal. “We need a place to
put Freddie. Once we steal his body, it will be too late to look for a spot to store him overnight.”

Calarook Farm. Shadow Valley.

Bernadette’s farmhouse was locked up tight but Ardal wasn’t long opening the front door. We glanced
around and saw a fridge in the kitchen, but no freezer.
“A nice big chest freezer would be ideal,” I said.
“Let’s check the basement and the garage,” said Ardal. “Those are about our only two choices.”
Nothing in the basement but spiders and musty old junk. We moved on to the garage and there it
was, a long chest freezer large enough to hold a side of beef.
I lifted the lid and looked inside and it was empty but still cold. The freezer was plugged in and
working. Bernadette must have left the electricity on when she moved to Texas. “We’re all set for
tomorrow night.”
Ardal grinned.

Hart’s Pool Hall. Shadow Valley.

When we got back to the pool hall, I talked to Johnny about Freddie’s wake. We’d held wakes and
birthday parties and bachelor parties before, so Johnny didn’t see any problem.
“I’ll make signs and post them around town,” I said. “Do you think we have enough kegs on hand?”
“Oh, yeah, for sure we do,” said John “Lots of stock in the storeroom.”
“Great.”
Felix and Clovis sat at the bar and drank free beer and they were a little drunk and in paradise.
“You guys having a good time?” I gave them both a hug. “We’ll shoot a few games as soon as I get
Freddie’s wake organized.”
Clovis smiled. “We’re good, Clover. Couldn’t be better if we tried. Fuckin love your pool hall.”
Later on, some of R.J.’s guys came in and they didn’t seem to be particularly happy to see me. I
wasn’t happy to see them either, so that made us even. I was ready for them to make trouble and kept a
sharp eye on them. They blended in with the rest of the regulars, kept their fists to themselves and no
violence erupted.
When I had everything organized for Freddie, I left the bar and looked for an empty table so I
could have a game with Felix and Clovis.
I wasn’t sure they could shoot pool, but most young guys could. Part of their growing up initiation.
I got my cue out of my office, pointed to an empty table, and racked the balls.
“How much do you want to put on this game?” I teased them.
Clovis and Felix were two of the most destitute bayou fishermen that I currently knew. I’d been
supporting them for weeks, but I didn’t mind. I liked them both.
“Five bucks,” said Felix.
“Five it is.” I put my five on the rail and waited for Felix to do the same.
He broke and it was a pretty good break. He sank a ball. Looking pleased, he went for his next
shot. He missed it, not by much, but it gave me an in and I cleared the table.
I winked at him. “I took it easy on you, Felix. Want to let your brother have a shot at me?”
“No way,” said Felix. “I watched you shoot and I can beat your ass, Clover.”
“Okay, let’s see what you’ve got.”
I smacked another five down on the rail and Felix matched it with his last five bucks.
I’ll let him win.
 Chapter Seventeen

Friday, June 3rd.

Hart’s Pool Hall. Shadow Valley.

Ardal was the first one up like he always was and I could tell by the look on his face he was missing
Mirabelle. He was very attached to his horse and she was a big part of his daily routine in Texas.
I cooked breakfast for all of us in the small apartment kitchen, and at the same time tried to plan for
Bernadette’s service at the farm.
Signs had been posted in the pool hall and at the grocery store and the post office. One days’ notice
wasn’t a lot, but I hoped most of Bernadette’s friends would make an effort and attend.
“After we scatter her ashes, I’ll serve refreshments on her porch,” I said.
“How many folks are coming?” asked Clovis.
“Wait and see, I guess, but her neighbors will all come. She didn’t always get along with them, but
they liked her all the same.”
“Are you going to take time to visit Cade’s grave?” asked Ardal. “You’ve been talking about it for
a while and you should go up the mountain while we’re here.”
“Yeah. I’ll do it this morning and it will be done. Something I have to face. And I also promised
Mama I’d pull all the weeds around Daddy’s grave.”

Shadow Mountain.
We drove up the mountain to the place where I was born to visit my father’s grave. I’d been putting
this trip off for too long because I just couldn’t face it. So many terrible things had happened to me
and to Ardal, and Daddy’s sudden passing was too much to bear.
Ardal went with me along with Felix and Clovis. The last two Prejean brothers were like two lost
sheep we had rescued from the bayou. They had lost their whole family because of their older brother
Eddie—a madman—and now they had no kin and nowhere to go. They stuck to me like swamp algae.
The house on the side of the mountain where I was born and had grown up looked smaller and
shabbier to me today. It was beginning to look like it should be torn down or burned down.
Ardal parked in the yard and we walked from there out behind the barn to the two fresh graves
under the trees.
I knelt down and place a flower on Daddy’s grave. I didn’t bother bringing a flower for my sister
because I knew Rowan wasn’t in her grave any longer.
According to the most recent rumor from the bayou—and I believed it to be true—Rowan’s ghost
had left her final resting place and had gone back to the bayou west of Houma. She had killed Bobo
Belliveau’s girlfriend and lured him away from his mother to become a wolf shifter.
I doubted none of it. My sister’s morals were questionable, but not by me. I had been done with
her for a long time before she passed through the veil.
“I just came to say hello, Daddy.”
The words were barely out of my mouth when Daddy’s spirit rose up out of the dirt and hovered
just above his grave.
 Clovis and Felix jumped back a little and that made me realize they had some power inherited
from their mother—they could see Daddy.
“Good to see you, Clover. I haven’t strayed too far from my grave yet, but you can tell Jethro I plan
to haunt the still. He might see me there from time to time.”
“I’ll tell him Daddy.” I blew Daddy a kiss as he flew over the trees and headed up the mountain
towards the Thornheart Still.
“Cade is going to haunt the still?” Ardal laughed. “That’s going to scare the shit out of Jethro.”

The old crone hid behind the boughs of a huge spruce tree and none of the visitors to the grave saw
her there. She was only interested in one of them.
Ardal.
Her keen black eyes noted his every movement. She studied his body language and breathed a sigh
of relief.
“He’s a lot weaker than I thought he was. He’ll be easy to kill. All I need is the opportunity to
snatch him, and Ardal Trehan will belong to me.”
In a flash she was gone.

Calarook Farm. Shadow Valley.

Around noon we drove out to Bernadette’s farm to prepare for the scattering of her ashes.
“I have an idea what I’m going to say when I scatter the ashes on Freddie’s behalf, but it would be
nicer if Bernadette’s own kin talked about her. They would know her a lot better than I did.”
“We don’t know who her kin are,” said Ardal. “If we did, we would’ve told them she was dead.”
“True.”
We walked around the front yard and down the lane behind the barn a little, searching for the
perfect place to scatter the ashes. When all was said and done, we chose the rose garden at the side of
the house.
“Bernadette loved roses and this is the obvious choice,” I said. “The rose garden.”
Once the spot had been chosen, I moved on to the refreshments I’d be providing afterwards.
In the farmhouse kitchen, I conjured up a feast of finger foods and fancy baked goods that would
have rivaled the most lavish Hollywood party.
Felix and Clovis stared at the food that I’d magickally whipped up and they almost drooled.
“Later, guys. You can’t eat yet.”
Ardal was pleased by the display I’d created. He was always lecturing me about using my powers
more and fine-tuning my talents.
The neighbors began arriving shortly thereafter and they kept coming until I was ready with my
little speech.
“Let’s all gather around the rose garden.” I led the way around the side of the big farmhouse and
the crowd followed me.
“If Freddie Binks was still alive, he would be the one saying these words about Bernadette.”
I wiped a tear away from my eye, breathed deeply and continued. “Bernadette took Freddie in
when he was only three years old and she raised him up to be a young man she was proud of.”
That created a murmur among the friends and neighbors because most of them didn’t know Freddie
was dead.
“We’re here today to remember Bernadette Calarook.”
I took a step closer to the garden with the ashes in my hand.
 “We remember the good and the bad, but mostly the good. A large part of Bernadette’s focus was
on raising Freddie, and that’s the part of Bernadette I want to remember.”
Since no one else was there to do it, I opened the package of ashes and scattered about half in and
around the rose bushes.
“Does anyone else have something they’d like to say about Bernadette?”
An awkward silence surrounded me and there was no one else who was willing to speak. I kept
going.

I scatter these ashes

And hope you rest
In peace on your farm
The place you love best

When I finished, I checked the faces of the neighbors and they all seemed satisfied with the way
I’d handled the sprinkling.
“Refreshments will be served in the house and all are welcome,” I said. “Please stay for coffee
and visit with your friends.”
Bernadette’s neighbors filled plates and mingled inside and out. They took my invitation to heart
and they chatted and lingered all afternoon. We couldn’t leave until every last one of them went home.
Bob Harper, the owner of the farm next door to Bernadette’s place asked me about the cattle he’d
been watching since Bernadette and Freddie moved to Texas.
“I’ll take care of the farm from now on, thanks.”
Ardal gave me a look and I shrugged it off.
Before anyone left, I let them know about Freddie’s burial the next day and invited them all back
for round two.

Hart’s Pool Hall. Shadow Valley

After cleaning up at the farm to get ready for funeral number two, it was after the dinner hour and
getting dark when we got back to town.
Even though they’d been snacking all afternoon on the funeral food, Felix and Clovis were
starving.
“Ardal, take the boys to the diner for burgers. I don’t have anything here in the apartment to feed
them.”
“Sure,” said Ardal. “We can walk. It’s just down the street.”
I rested for an hour while the boys were gone and when I woke up I made myself a peanut butter
sandwich. That was all I felt like eating.
When Ardal and the boys came back from the diner, I had coffee ready. We sat down at the table
and drank a couple of cups while we discussed the job we were about to do at the funeral home in
Hinton.
Clovis and Felix were hyped for our night raid on the Hinton Funeral Home. They loved to join in
on fun.

Hinton Funeral Home.

When we arrived just after midnight, there were no cars in the funeral home parking lot. We’d
discussed the security system that was sure to be in place, and Ardal and I talked about what we were
going to do about it.
In preparation, I had looked up a spell in my grimoire that was guaranteed to silence mundane
alarms. With the spell memorized and practiced a couple of times in advance, I was ready for the
screeching noise as soon as Ardal breached the back door.

Goddess of the wind and clouds

Shut off the alarm that’s much too loud
Give us silence as we enter the door
To pick Freddie up, we don’t ask for more
So mote it be.

I chanted the spell and flicked my wand in the direction of the security panel and the funeral home
fell silent.
In the dark, Ardal tried two different doors and waved us forward when he found the right one.
“In here.”
We walked into the large refrigeration unit adjacent to the embalming room and I shivered. The
smell of death was overwhelming to those of us sensitive to that unique aroma.
“Only three bodies,” Ardal gave a running commentary. “Here’s Freddie.”
Clovis and Felix picked Freddie up with no effort and carried him out to the van. They laid him on
the floor between the seats and once Freddie was in, we were good to go. Ardal drove straight to the
farm.

Calarook Farm. Shadow Valley.

Ardal drove the van into the garage and we transferred Freddie from the back of the van to the empty
freezer.
Thinking how cold Freddie was going to be in the freezer, I couldn’t hold back the tears.
“He won’t feel the cold, Gilly,” said Ardal. “He’s dead.”
“I’m not so sure he won’t feel it.”
As soon as Freddie was tucked away for the night, we had to pick a spot for his grave. “Where
should we bury him?”
“Behind the barn,” said Ardal. “We’ll bury him under a tree.”
“Okay. Where’s your flashlight?”
Ardal pulled a flashlight out of the glove box. “Jethro has one here.”
“Where’s the shovels?” asked Clovis.
“Umm… we won’t need a shovel tonight,” I said. “We’ll need one tomorrow, and a rake too.”
“How we gonna dig dis grave widout a shovel?” asked Felix.
“I have an easier way,” I said.
Ardal shone the light ahead of us as we walked around the corner of the barn and up the little hill
out behind.
“Kind of dark to be digging a grave,” said Clovis.
“Don’t worry, honey bun. I’m going to use my grave-digging spell, and we won’t need too much
light once we pick the perfect spot.”
I raised my arms to the moon Goddess and chanted the spell I’d chosen for this task.

Goddess of earth and forever rest

 Help me while I do my best
Earth remove in a wave
Six feet deep I dig this grave
Make a place for body and heart
To sleep forever as Freddie departs
So mote it be.

I chanted the spell three times and the dirt flew magickally out of the hole and piled neatly on one
side.
“Wow, dat was something, Clover. Dat saved me and Felix a lot of fuckin work.”
“Saved you work,” said Felix. “I can’t fuckin dig. I’ll bust my fuckin stitches.”
“The job is done and Freddie’s grave is all ready for tomorrow. Let’s go home and have a beer
and shoot a game or two.”
 Chapter Eighteen

Saturday, June 4th.

Hart’s Pool Hall. Shadow Valley.

The boys were tired at breakfast. We’d come home from the body snatching and gone straight to the
pool hall. After too many beers and too many games of pool, we helped Johnny close up and then
flopped into bed around three in the morning.
“After breakfast we have to go down and clean the pool hall up for tonight. I want to put some
remembrance signs up for Freddie too.”
“We having more of dem snacks like you made yesterday at the farm?” asked Felix.
“Yep. When we get to the farm, I’ll make that spread all over again. I think the selection was well
received yesterday.”
“What are you serving at the wake?” asked Ardal.
“Chips and pretzels during the evening, and then pizza at midnight.”
“Pizza is good,” said Clovis. “I can always eat pizza.”
“I’m glad you approve, sugar.”

Calarook Farm. Shadow Valley.

Freddie’s burial was scheduled for one o’clock in the afternoon. We got to the farm before noon and I
ran to the garage to check on Freddie. I lifted the lid and touched him and he’d stiffened right up.
There were tiny icicles on his fingers and his toes. I pulled the plug and cut off the juice to help him
thaw out a little before we moved him into his freshly dug grave.
While waiting for Freddie to thaw, I tidied up Bernadette’s big farmhouse kitchen and made more
of the same refreshments I’d served the day before.
A lot of the hot finger foods were gobbled up by the local farmers. Especially the pigs in blankets.
They were everybody’s favorite.
With the refreshments all ready, I took a clean white bedsheet out of Bernadette’s linen closet. I ran
to the garage and spread it out on the floor.
The boys lifted Freddie out of the freezer and placed him on the sheet. We wrapped him up nice
and neat and Clovis lifted him up and placed him gently in the wheelbarrow.
Together we took Freddie behind the barn to his grave and dumped him in. This time Felix and
Clovis did have shovels and I let them shovel just enough dirt to cover Freddie’s body. We’d finish
the job after the burial ceremony.
Others might want to toss in a shovelful of dirt themselves—just because it was the respectful
thing to do.
By one o’clock, dozens of people had shown up. Almost everyone in Shadow Valley knew Freddie
Binks. He had grown up in their community and they all knew him.
Most of the local folks in Shadow Valley loved Freddie. They recognized that Freddie was a little
slow and had a few problems because of his parents’ accident, but he was friendly and helpful and
they loved him.
 When everyone had arrived, we made our way to the graveside and I spoke first.
“Freddie Binks was the love of my life. He was my friend and my protector. Freddie was a family
person, a farmer, and a hard worker. He was loyal and true, and I will miss him every day for the rest
of my life.”
I tossed a handful of flowers down to Freddie and stepped back out of the way in case others
wanted to say their piece.
Jethro stepped up to the edge of the grave and said, “Freddie was a simple person, but he loved
my cousin, Clover, and her babies. He loved his horse, and he loved this farm where Bernadette
raised him. We’ll miss you, Freddie.”
Standing next to her husband, a pregnant Arlene sobbed. Always an emotional person, Arlene was
wrecked over Freddie’s death.
A couple more neighbors had good things to say about Freddie. How he had helped them with their
harvests and with killing their hogs, and several praised how much wood Freddie could chop in a
day.
Then the eulogies were over I invited everyone to the farmhouse for refreshments. I left Clovis and
Felix behind the barn to fill in Freddie’s grave.

From high in a tree a quarter mile from the grave, Baba Yaga watched Ardal. She had plans for his
future, although she was positive he wouldn’t have long to live.
“I’ll be coming for you soon, Ardal Trehan. You’ll never hear me coming and you don’t have
enough power in your present state to defeat me. You are mine.”

Hart’s Pool Hall. Shadow Valley.

Freddie’s wake began at nine. That’s when Johnny put the keg beer on for free and Benji put free
snacks on all the tables in the pool hall.
Felix and Clovis were dazzled by how many people came to the wake. The pool hall was jammed
and there were no seats at any of the high tops. Every stool at the bar was taken.
Felix and Clovis took their free beer and watched the games of pool. Nothing else to do.
I was in the ladies’ room when Freddie showed up at his wake. It was crowded in the stall with
both of us in there and I hardly had room to pull up my pants.
“Hey, Freddie, I was hoping you would come. Did you enjoy your burial service?”
“Beautiful, Clover. Lots of food too. All my friends were there. I thought Davey Weston might
show up, but he didn’t bother.”
“Not a true friend, sweetheart, or he would have made the effort to come and see you off.”
“I wouldn’t be dead if it wasn’t for that fucker at the gas station, Clover.”
“Where was that Freddie?”
“The truck stop on the interstate in Houston.”
“Stop-10?”
“I guess that’s what it’s called.”
“I’ll get that guy, sugar. What did he look like?”
“Umm… Only got a look at the other guy’s vest.”
“They were wearing cuts?”
“I think it said Sunnyside or something like that.”
“Perfect. I’ll take care of it for you, sweetheart. They aren’t going to kill you and get away with
it.”
“Thanks, Clover. I’m pretty pissed about it.”
“I’m sure you are. I love you Freddie, for always.”
“I love you, Clover.”
I sincerely hope you enjoyed reading X is Xoanon, the twenty-fourth book in my alphabet series – The Moonbeam Chronicles—The A, B
C’s of Witchery. If you have a moment to leave a quick rating or review on Amazon, I’d love to know what you thought and I’m sure
other readers would too.

The next book in the series is Y is for Baba Yaga, book twenty-five. Find it on Amazon.

If you’d like to be kept in the loop on my release dates and

receive my newsletter, subscribe here: Mailing list

If you’d like to know more about my other series drop by my

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Author Notes from Carolina:

I’m hoping my readers are enjoying the Moonbeam Chronicles series – The A, B C’s of Witchery – This series is a combination of
Misty’s Magick and Mayhem series with characters added from The Blackmore Agency series plus new characters as we go along.
Gillette and Ardal stick together as they mature into young adults with developing magickal powers.
A special thank you to the fans who take the time to reach out and share their ideas, support, and opinions. You know who you are,
Alisia, Renee, Tammy, Barbara, Dianne, Leon, Dave, Dawn, Jewell, Lesia, Jim and Wyndie, Rita, Patti, Beverley, June and Sandra to
name a few.
To access my author page on Amazon and see all my books published to date, click here.
Carolina Mac is the author of over a hundred and sixty-five books in twelve different series. The Regulators, The Quantrall PI series,
The Blackmore Agency series, The Night Vipers, The Creed, The Agency: Young Guns, Paradise Park series, the Broken Spur series,
the Moonbeam Chronicles, Heaven’s Gate and Midlife Magic novella romances.

She’s the co-author with her daughter JL Madore/Auburn Tempest of Misty’s Magick and Mayhem series.

Watch for a new spin-off series coming soon. Taming the Wild Stallion series will kick off in July with Hard Ride.
Where to find Carolina Mac:
Facebook, Reader Forum, Blog:, Instagram:, Newsletter: sign up

Regulator Series:
Prequel -Lily
Prequel – George Ross
2. Bad Beat
3. Panama Annie
4. Coulter
5. Searching for Billy
6. End of an Era
7. Wingman
8. Triple Homicide
9. The Foundation
10. Hotline
11. Powell
12. The Last Regulator

Quantrall Series:
1. Quantrall
2. Ink Minx
3. Ray Jay
4. Blacky
5. The Coven
6. You Forgot to say Goodbye
7. Payback
8. Rags to Rage
9. The Corner Office
10. Race
11. Coma
12. No Defense
13. Full Circle

Note: For reading order: Quantrall books 14 & 15 follow Backwater – Book 15 in The Blackmore Agency Series.
14. Stick a Needle In Your Eye
15. Crude

The Blackmore Agency Series:

1. Double Down
2. Splitting Aces
3. Dead Man’s Hand
4. Drawing Dead
5. Under the Gun
6. Rivered
7. The Turn
8. Final Table
9. Cat
10. Dog
11. Vigilance
12. Mystere
13. Hole in the Heart
14. Dead Eye
15. Backwater
 16. Road Kill
17. Street Rat
18. Hoodoo
19. Crowbar
20. Night Vipers
21. Short Fuse
22. Cinnamon
23. Parole
24. Eight Seconds
25. Junkyard Dog
26. Revoked
27. Blackbird
28. Random
29. Stone Cold Revenge
30. Branded

Night Viper Series:

1. Full Throttle
2. Organ Grinder
3. Thicker than Water
4. Felons
5. Bad Blood
6. Dart Game
7. Rope Burn
8. Early Release
9. Bittersweet
10. Carnage
11. Fightin’ Dirty
12. Third Strike
13. Coyote Moon
14. Mortality Rate
15. Blood Ties

The Creed:
1. Pride
2. Greed
3. Lust
4. Envy
5. Wrath
6. Sloth
7. Gluttony
8. Red, White & Blood
9. Throwing Down
10. Side Hustle
11. For Better or Worse
12. Expiry Date
13. Vindication
14. Dead Wrong
15. Kill Shot
16. Trail of Betrayal

The Agency: Young Guns:

1. Havoc
2. Toxic
3. Whip
4. Savage
5. Slaughter
 6. Priors – pre-order now
7. Malice – pre-order now
8. Smoke – pre-order now
9. Riot – coming soon.

The Moonbeam Chronicles:

1. A is for Amulet
2. B is for Boline
3. C is for Crow
4. D is for Dead
5. E is for Evil
6. F is for Fire
7. G is for Grimoire
8. H is for Huntress
9. I is for Invoking
10. J is for Jinxed
11. K is for Karma
12. L is for Lunar
13. M is for Magic
14. N is for Necromancy
15. O is for Oracle
16. P is for Poppet
17. Q is for Quickening
18. R is for Ritual
19. S is for Serpent
20. T is for Tarot
21. U is for Uncrossing
22. V is for Voodoo
23. W is for Wolves
24. X is for Xoanon
25. Y is for Baba Yaga – pre-order now
26. X is for Zodiac – coming Summer of 2023

Paradise Park Series:

1. Paradise Park
2. Return to Paradise
3. Paradise Sparks
4. Alone in Paradise
5. Together in Paradise
6. Prisoner in Paradise
7. Escape from Paradise
8. Deliverance
9. Outlaw
10. Destination: Paradise
11. Lost in Paradise
12. Paradise Unleashed – Mashup Novella

Misty’s Magick & Mayhem Series:

1. School for Reluctant Witches
2. School for Saucy Sorceresses
3. School for Unwitting Wiccans
4. Nine Saint Gillian Street
5. The Ghost of Pirate’s Alley
6. Jinxing Jackson Square
7. Flame
8. Frost
9. Luna
 10. Nocturne
11. Swamp Magic

Mystere LeJeune: The Sabbats.

1. Samhain
2. Beltane

Heaven’s Gate Romance Novella Series:

1. Don
2. Gabe
3. Soren

Broken Spur Series:

1. Picking up the Pieces
2. Comeback Trail
3. Rodeo Ranch.
4. Rodeo Bride

Midlife Magic Series:

1. The Key
2. Time
3. The Wish
4. The Same Thing Happened to Me
5. Best Friends
6. Vows