Wallie smacked the sheriff at the same. Their heads jerked and Sam stood, grabbing my wrist. We locked gazes and I could see that his eyes were clearing. The glamour, vanishing. After a few moments he drew his brows together and frowned. “Did you just slap me?”
I smiled and relaxed while moving my hands so our palms pressed together. “Do you feel better?”
“Better from what?” Sam stepped back from me and lowered into his seat.
“What the hell is going on?” Drew asked.
Taking my seat again, I gave him a half-hearted smile. “Ah, now that you’re yourselves again, we can try this again.” I turned toward the food and began building my burger. “Drew, we know you’re descended from a family of hunters and that Carmen is your cousin.”
Drew’s jaw dropped. “Holy shit. I didn’t even recognize her.”
After several seconds, he confessed that his family were witch hunters, but he was not. He didn’t have anything to do with that life. “I hated that life and could never see why my family hated witches so. As far as I know witches had never threatened us or harmed us. So, I didn’t see the justice in hunting them down like animals. That’s not who I am.”
While Drew spoke, I did a simple truth spell. I didn’t care if it made me out as mistrusting. I didn’t know Drew or his intentions.
But he was telling the truth. He didn’t hunt witches. But could he hunt down a family member that was a hunter?
“Okay, well, we need to find out about Carmen,” I said. “Drew, can you get any information on her?”
I thought of his words about not liking the family business. If I hadn’t done the truth spell, I’d call bullshit. But he was truthful. He didn’t want to be a hunter. That didn’t mean he didn’t use the magic that flowed through his veins.
“Yeah, sure, let me just call my mom.” He left the dinner table and pulled his phone out of his pocket.
I met Olivia’s gaze as we ate quickly and quietly, all of us straining to hear what he said, but he spoke too softly. Darn it.
Several minutes later, he returned, taking his seat across from me. “So, I had no idea Carmen was in town or hunting, first of all. It’s not like I keep up with distant relatives. Most of them think of me as an outcast.”
He shook his head and finished his burger before continuing. “Hunters can see witch marks, and I saw William’s. So yes, I knew he was a necromancer. I figured his killer was a hunter, but I didn’t know for sure or even who. As far as I knew I was the only hunter in the area.”
“But you’re not a hunter,” I pointed out with a raised brow and a flat tone.
He pressed his lips into a thin line and worked his jaw. “Exactly. So, it wasn’t me.”
I sniffed. “Me neither.”
After a few minutes of staring at each other, he said, “I’m sorry for not coming clean about that sooner. It might’ve gotten us answers before now.”
“Yeah, and maybe Betty would be alive,” I said darkly.
He shook his head. “No. The coroner says Betty died a couple days before William but was probably in some sort of cold storage for a while before the body was dumped.”
I shuddered at the thought of sweet Betty stuffed into a deep freezer. “Poor Betty,” I whispered. “Maybe she recognized Carmen for what she was.” Betty had told us who had killed her, but the decomposition was too far gone to get more than that.
“Yes, that’s my guess. Most witch hunters leave regular, run of the mill witches alone. But Mom said Carmen went rogue a long time ago. She’s after necromancers.”
“Why?” I asked.
“Mom says Carmen’s father was killed when she was a teenager by a necromancer. Carmen has been really angry since then.” Drew wiped his face. “I can’t believe she spelled me. She’s so far gone she’s using magic, and hunters are supposed to be against it. Not using it.”
“So, that means she’ll come after us now.” I looked at Wallie, who was most likely starting to show necromancer powers, too. “You’re in danger. I want you to go back to school, right now. Let us deal with this woman.”
He snorted. “Not a chance, Mom. I’m not leaving you.”
“But how do we deal with this?” I asked.
Drew sighed. “I can pretend to still be under her spell.”
“Me too,” Sam agreed.
Okay that might work as long as the guys could pull it off.
We sat around the dinner table and discussed one option after another for how that could be to our benefit.
In the end, we decided we had to draw her out. If we could get her somewhere with all of us around her, we could subdue her. Get her to confess her crimes. Then Drew would arrest her for William and Betty’s murders. It was the only thing we could think of.
Once we had a plan worked out, Drew stood and moved to the living room to call Carmen to set the trap. The rest of us sat as quietly as we could so we didn’t make the crazy rogue hunter suspicious.
Sammie sat in his seat next to his mom making clicking noises with his mouth while playing on his tablet. I considered putting a magical circle around him to muffle his noise.
In less time than I thought it would take, Drew returned but didn’t sit. “She’s agreed to meet me there in about an hour. I’m heading there now.”
Everyone else jumped into motion. When I started cleaning off the table, Alfred appeared and pushed me aside. I laughed softly and let him have at it.
I entered the living room and found Olivia and Sam discussing something in a hushed argument kind of way. Moving to stand beside them, I asked, “What’s up?”
Olivia huffed. “My parents are out of town.”
I glanced at Sammie who was sitting next to Wallie chatting away. “Wallie can watch him. Alfred is here. The house won’t let Carmen or anyone with ill intent come inside.”
As if agreeing with me the walls of the living room vibrated and a knock sounded on the ceiling above our heads. Olivia gasped and stared at me wide-eyed. “Was that the house?”
Laughing, I nodded. “Yeah. Do you now see why the construction crew gets scared off?”
“We should set up cameras just so we can see their reaction when the house acts out.” Olivia started to giggle, which made me laugh more.
“I love it. But later. Right now, we have a rogue hunter to take down.”
It took some time, but I finally got Wallie to promise to stay here with Alfred and Sammie. He couldn’t argue too much with me since I told him that his job is more important because he was keeping the kid and the ghouls safe. Which meant Wallie would stay safely at home as well. Plus, Wallie could protect Sammie and control Alfred. At least Alfred would follow Wal’s directions because my son was a necromancer.
I turned to Sam and Olivia. “Ready?” I asked in a low voice with my stomach churning. Now that we were putting the plan into motion and fast, I was starting to have doubts.
Olivia looked like she was about to come apart at the seams. Not because she was scared, but excited. I made one more attempt to get her to stay. “Olivia, your kid has only two parents. And both of you shouldn’t go. Carmen has already killed two people that we know of. Think about staying behind.”