Of Life and Death Page 15

  Chapter Ten

  I woke up in my own bed, Osiris by my side, purring. Clarissa peeked her head in. “Oh good, you’re awake.”

  “I have a killer headache, and my entire body hurts.”

  “Well, you did drink a few sips of some nasty poison.” She shook her head. “Really, Abigail.”

  I sat up and stroked Osiris’ back. “I should have known better.” I shouldn’t have assumed that Merick had bought the bottle. It really had been stupid. “It’s a long story. Why didn’t Mario smell the poison?”

  “He said all he could smell was the sweetness of the wine.”

  “Where is the vampire?” I looked at my window, the rays of the sun trying to peek out below the block out curtains.

  She sat on the edge of the bed and picked Osiris up to scratch his ears. “I sent him home before sunrise. Promised him I’d take care of you. The poison wasn’t meant to kill you, just knock you out.

  So someone got into the house, put wine in my fridge, and then meant to do what? I rubbed my eyes. “Thank you for coming. I think I just need an Advil and some rest.”

  “Oh no, I’m under strict instructions to not leave you home alone. In case whoever it was comes back.”

  Oh yes, because there was a lot that Clarissa could do against an enemy. “That’s cute. What does Levi expect you to do?”

  “Cast a spell.”

  “I have spells on the house.”

  She snorted and gave me a look. “Clearly they aren’t strong enough.”

  “I can’t put and maintain a giant protective circle around the house that blocks everything out. Just one that warns me when something evil crosses it. There wasn’t anything on the video monitor, and my alarm was still set.”

  I looked down at Osiris. “And until my cat starts talking, no one can tell me if someone was here.”

  “Well, wine doesn’t just appear Abby.”

  That was true, but there were several creatures that could appear and disappear as they will. “Well, someone put it there. The question is who and if they were waiting around.”

  “Well, today you rest, and I’ll be around.” She put the cat back in my lap.

  “You need to open the shop, don’t you?”

  She shook her head. “Saturday, it’s my one day off.”

  Oh shit, I was supposed to see my uncle today. I looked at my alarm clock; it was only ten. But I’d have to leave now if I was going to make it in time for lunch. “Where’s my phone?”

  “On your dresser, why?”

  “I’m supposed to meet my uncle this afternoon.” I got out of the bed and put a hand to my heart as it sped up and my head spun.

  “Lay down,” Clarissa snapped. “It might not have been meant to kill you, but it still took a toll on you.”

  I growled. “I have shit to do.”

  “I’ll get your phone; you can call your uncle and explain that you can’t go.”

  But I needed to talk to him about his letter. I had a murder investigation to get done. “Okay, I need my laptop too please.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I need to e-mail my higher-up and tell them I’m working from home today.” Because I had no idea if my team lead cared if I showed up to the office or not. Boss Man didn’t, as long as I got work done, but there was now Special Agent Liz who was in charge of the task force.

  Clarissa gave me a questionable look but finally nodded. “Okay, I’ll be back with that and a cup of tea.”

  “Coffee.”

  “No, tea, Abigail. Brewed it myself and you will drink it.” She shut the door behind her, and I whistled. I got a glimpse of what it’d be like if she were a mother. She’d left me no room for argument in that statement.

  Osiris changed into Merick, and he quirked a brow. “Demanding, isn’t she? At least I know you’ll be taken care of.”

  I opened my mouth to ask him about the wine, and he shook his head. “No, I don’t know. Seth called me to come get the envelope. I came home, and my magic was also disrupted, but when I checked the house out, I didn’t see anything out of place or find anyone. I assumed they came and left. Which is why I greeted you at the door, to let you know there was no danger.”

  “And you didn’t buy the wine.”

  He gave me a look. “Come, Abigail, you know that I wouldn’t have bought a sweet wine.”

  “The thought hadn’t crossed my mind. I assumed it was safe since Mario had opened it.”

  We both looked at each other. “It couldn’t have been Mario,” I stated.

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yes. Because if he’d wanted me dead or otherwise, he has had other chances to do it and not in my own home that would warn me.”

  Merick nodded. “But we’re looking for someone who can transport like that.”

  “Like the cult member that came after me the other day?”

  Merick nodded. “Like that or a vampire.”

  The creepy child came into mind. I wondered if she would have been small enough not to activate the motion camera outside. Merick switched back to Osiris and curled up right before Clarissa walked in with a tray. On the tray was my laptop and a mug of tea. She sat it on the foot of my bed and then grabbed my phone from the dresser.

  “Who were you talking to?”

  I shook my head. “Myself, just trying to brainstorm who would poison me.”

  “Is it a long list?” She chuckled. “I’d hope not.”

  I smiled. “Shorter because of how they would have had to get in.” I picked up the tea and sniffed it. “Raspberry?”

  “Yes, made from my own leaves. So you better drink it. I know that you’d prefer coffee, but tea is better for healing.”

  But coffee was from the goddess. “Okay, one cup of tea, then coffee?”

  “Two.”

  “Fine, two,” I muttered. I grabbed my phone and texted Oliver real quick that I wouldn’t be able to come up because of an issue.

  Clarissa watched me, with her hands on her hips and her lips pressed together.

  “What?”

  “Nothing, just trying to decide if I should take your phone and your laptop so I know you’ll rest.” She shook her head. “I’ll go downstairs and cook you some breakfast instead.”

  I shook my head. “Don’t, just relax. You’re welcome to stay in here.”

  My phone rang, and I looked down at it. “That’s my uncle.”

  “I’ll let you talk. I’ll be back in a few minutes.” She walked out, and I answered my phone.

  “I’m okay, I promise.”

  “Except you had an issue last night. What happened?”

  “Someone poisoned me.” I leaned back against my pillows. “I’m okay though, Clarissa assures me that it wasn’t actually meant to kill me.”

  “Then what was it for?” Oliver growled.

  “Hell if I know. I don’t think they were planning on Mario being there. I’m still trying to figure out who put it there.”

  “We need to talk; I’ll bring you lunch. I don’t want to talk over the phone.”

  I sighed. “Yeah, I figured. Clarissa is here.”

  “I’ll make sure to send her on an errand or something when I get there. I’ll see you in a couple hours, Abigail.” He disconnected.

  I opened up the laptop and connected to my work e-mail. I sent my new team lead an e-mail just letting her know that I was under the weather and I’d be researching from home today. I also took a moment to withdraw my registration from the coven. I didn’t dwell on it, and I didn’t see the situation improving, so it was really for the best.

  I shut the laptop when I was done sending the email, and I laid my head back on the pillows and closed my eyes. Exhaustion overtook me, and I sank into a deep sleep.

  “Abigail?” The worried voice of my uncle woke me up.

  I rubbed my eyes and moved my computer next to me. “I’m okay.”

  “Clearly not.” He shook his head. “I have lunch downstairs, and I sent Clarissa out to get you some groc
eries. With a very extensive list.”

  I rolled my eyes. “She’ll know exactly what you’re up to.”

  “Probably, but she did it anyway. Can you make it downstairs?”

  I swung my legs out of bed and noticed that my heart didn’t start racing. “Yeah, I think I can.”

  “Clarissa told me about the poison and what it was. You’re right; it wasn’t meant to kill you. I have a feeling I know who did it.”

  “What was it?”

  “A concoction that used a spell for paralyzation.” He shook his head. “Which is why I know who sent it to you. What the hell were you thinking drinking unknown wine?”

  I rubbed my head. “I was trying not to tip Mario off that there was someone else in the house. I stupidly assumed that since Mario opened a new bottle, it was safe.”

  “Mario opened it and didn’t notice anything off?”

  “No, said all he could smell was the sweet.” I stood up and made sure I had my balance. Osiris opened his eyes and looked at Oliver.

  “Don’t worry Merick; I’ve got her covered.” Oliver nodded.

  I walked to the door and could smell food. “I’m starving.”

  Oliver followed me down the stairs, staying closer to me than I would have liked.

  “I promise you; I’m not going to pass out again.” I sat at my table and opened the bag of takeout that Oliver brought.

  He snatched the bag away from me and started laying out the food.

  “What is your issue?” I folded my hands on the table. “I get it; I made a stupid mistake.”

  “That’s two attempts on your life in less than a week.” Oliver paused. “Levi thinks I’m behind them both. He has requested that we put our training on hold for now.”

  “You’re not behind them though. That wasn’t your magic that caused the landslide. It wasn’t you who was on my property because you’re welcomed here.”

  “I have to obey his wishes.” He shook his head. “I’ve got things I need to take care of anyways. So I won’t be around.”

  This wasn’t what he originally wanted to discuss when we’d planned on getting together today. He sat a hamburger down in front of me.

  “You have the code to the house, so if you need to, you’re welcome there.”

  I looked down at the plastic container that held the deluxe burger. “So you’re just going to disappear?”

  “It’s for the best, Abigail. There are other things at play.” He sat down and grabbed his food. “You got my letter?”

  I nodded. “And I’m full of questions.”

  “You’ll get your answers, but they won’t be from me. Not right now. Now, I know who put that wine in your fridge, but I want to hear your thoughts on it.”

  “It was either a vampire or a Cult member; they are the only two that I know would get past the security system and tip my magic off.”

  “Vampire. This is a potion that Drake used on a number of occasions. Find him, find his daughter, and you’ll catch your culprits.”

  I slowly ate my burger as I contemplated what he’d said. “Thank you.”

  “Of course,” he stood without touching his food. “I need to go.”

  “Oliver, what aren’t you telling me?”

  He shook his head. “Levi has threatened my life if I let you in on the secret. As I mentioned, he thinks I’m after your life. I’ll be in contact, but I won’t be able to see you for a while. I’m sorry.” He kissed the top of my head and walked out of the house.

  I sat there dumbstruck, staring at the empty part of the table. What the hell was going on? I went to reach for my phone, but it wasn’t in my pocket.

  Merick walked into the room and put my phone on the table in front of me. “Oliver leave so quickly?”

  “Yeah, he basically came to say goodbye.” Which also might have meant he was guilty, but I couldn’t see him killing people and shoving them into boxes.

  Merick sat next to me. “Goodbye?”

  “He’s going into hiding, I think. Or at the very least stepping away from teaching me.”

  “That doesn’t sound very like your uncle.” Merick stole my uncle’s uneaten hamburger.

  I looked down at my food. “Yeah, I know. I think that it’s just an excuse.”

  “What is?”

  “Sorry, that Levi threatened him. I think that’s just an excuse and there’s something my uncle is after. Levi has also been very good about not getting involved in mine and Oliver’s relationship.”

  Merick nodded. “So there’s something else going on.”

  “Without a doubt, and I think it has something to do with Drake.”

  “Who tried to kill you, according to your uncle.”

  I nodded. “Were you listening upstairs?”

  “A little bit. I was trying to give you privacy, but everything travels through the vents in the house. It’s very hard to have a private conversation.”

  I knew he was trying to make a little bit of a joke, but it fell flat. My mind was trying to figure out my next steps and what I needed to get done on each of the cases. And my uncle. He was just going to walk out of my life after keeping tabs on me for so long. It didn’t make sense.

  “Abigail?” Merick asked. “Your phone is ringing.”

  “Oh.” I grabbed my phone and answered it. “Special Agent Collins speaking.”

  “I’ve got another body in a box. Do you want to come take a look?” Mason’s voice came over the phone. “Also, we didn’t get much from that scene last night.”

  I took a moment to decide if I was okay enough to go out and do my job before I answered. “Yeah, I need to.” I rubbed my head. “I’m just moving really slow today, so give me a few minutes to finish eating lunch and grab a shower.”

  “You got it; I’ll text you the address.” He disconnected and a few moments later my phone buzzed with his text.

  Merick shook his head. “You are not well enough to go out.”

  “I’m fine. I can move just fine, my mind is a little fuzzy, but I’ll be fine.” I bit into my burger. “Besides, you know me; I’ll go stir crazy sitting here all day.”

  The front door opened and Merick instantly turned back into Osiris and started picking at the now half-eaten burger.

  Clarissa came in and looked at me and then to the cat. “Oliver gone?”

  “Yep. Thanks for humoring him and going out so we could talk in private.”

  She sat a few bags on the counter. “I understand his desire for privacy; he simply could have just asked me to leave.”

  “What do I owe you for the groceries?”

  “Nothing, he gave me cash for them.” She looked at Osiris. “Why are you letting your cat eat human food?”

  I shrugged. “Because he prefers it to cat food. I got a call from Mason while you were out. I’m going to grab a shower and go look at a body.”

  “Abby…” she started to say something and then shook her head. “You know what, go ahead. You’ve had your tea; you’re walking and talking. I think you’re good.”

  I relaxed a little bit. “Thank you.”

  “Yep, just be careful. While you’re out, is it okay if I look through your big book of everything to see if there’s a way to protect the house from things popping in?”

  “Please do.” I hadn’t even thought to look in the book. The Big Book of Everything was a combined Book of Shadows from my parents. It had everything I could imagine in it, including my heritage. It was an amazing piece of work and had helped me through many situations.

  She nodded and shooed the cat away from the burger. “Call me if you need me. Are you sure you’re okay to drive?”

  “Yeah, I’ll be fine.” I finished the last couple bites of my burger. “Thank you, Clarissa, for taken care of me.”

  She smiled. “I will always take care of you. It’s what friends do.”

  I returned her smile and walked back to my room to take a shower.

  I pulled up to the address that Mason had given me. Luckily for me, mos
t of the press and the gawkers had died down already. There were just a few people dotting the outside of the crime tape.

  I ducked under the tape and waved to one of the officers on duty before going to find Mason on the stoop of the house. There, at the bottom of the stairs was another brown box with blood under it. The flaps were opened, and the body was now laid out so that limbs were sticking out of the box.

  This woman was naked, had very short hair, and there was no sign of a struggle that I could see. No physical attributes that were the same as the other victims, other than her gender. There wasn’t anything that set her aside.

  “Whose house is this?” I didn’t look up from the body, but I pulled out latex gloves from my bag and went to roll the body over enough so I could see the back.

  There, what I was looking for, puncture wounds, just like the other victims. I touched the bottom of the box, and the rune activated, soaking up the blood.

  “Her grandmother’s, Ms. Lowe. The victim’s name is Karen Lowe.”

  I took a deep breath and stepped back. “Let me guess, divorced, father currently has custody of the child or children?”

  “How did you know?”

  “That’s what our last two victims had in common.” I pulled my gloves off and tossed them in a biohazard bag. “I need to talk to Jason about what he found in the blood report.”

  “Like what? I thought the toxicology reports came back clean.”

  I licked my lips. “Like wine or a sweet drink, stomach contents should be able to tell us that right?”

  “What are you thinking?” Mason came up next to me.

  “I’m thinking a poison potion, Mason. I have a feeling I know exactly who is behind this.” Drake was, he had to be. I texted Jason what to look for in the reports. “I don’t want any more bodies turning up.”

  Mason made a noise of agreement. “The packages had to be sent from somewhere, or dropped off, so far nothing that we can track.”

  “Magic could have tracked it by blood, but since the rune soaked it all up, that’s impossible.” I crossed my arms. “I need to talk to the ex-husbands of Carmen and Karen.”

  Mason nodded. “I’ll talk to her grandmother and get you a phone number. Carmen might be a little bit tougher.”