The detective stood and shook her head. “No. I’m sorry, Ms. Lansing, but you’re the only one who knows anything. I’m afraid you’re not going anywhere this evening.”
The door swung open, and another officer walked in with Carly right behind him, her eyes blazing with fire. “Detective Coolidge, you’re dismissed. Please meet me in my office.”
Coolidge gaped at her superior. “But Chief, the interview isn’t over.”
“It is now. Go.”
The detective ground her teeth together, shot Joy one more glance, and said, “We’ll speak again soon.”
“You can try, but it’s not going to change the fact that I don’t know anything,” Joy said, just because she was petty enough in that moment that she wanted the last word.
They all watched as the detective huffed out of the conference room.
Joy stared at the chief. “Does this mean I can go home now? Because if not, I think I’m going to have to call a lawyer.”
“No one is accusing you of anything, Ms. Lansing,” the chief said, his tone matter-of-fact.
“Good, then I’m free to leave.” She rose from the uncomfortable chair and brushed past him.
“I’m sorry my detective was so aggressive. I assure you that she’s very good at her job. Very thorough,” the chief said.
Joy paused and looked over her shoulder at him. “I hope that’s true for Harlow’s sake. I’ll be in touch if I have another vision.” Though she doubted that would happen. She didn’t even know why she’d had the first one. No one was more shocked than she was.
“Thank you,” the chief said. “I really appreciate your help, and again, I apologize for detective Coolidge. She’s just—”
“Thorough,” Joy finished for the chief. “I got it.” She turned to Carly. “How are you?”
“I’ve been better.” Carly slipped her arm through Joy’s. “Let’s get out of here and let them do their jobs.”
“I’ll be in touch soon, Ms. Preston.” The chief nodded to her.
Carly gave him a curt nod and then dragged Joy out of the station. Once they were outside, Carly turned to Joy. “I’m really sorry about that. I would’ve gotten you out of there sooner, but it took me some time to get the chief’s attention.”
Joy frowned at her. “What do you mean, get his attention? Wasn’t he there to deal with your niece’s abduction?”
“Yes, but he’s coordinating all kinds of searches from canvasing to surveillance videos, and his staff was… less than helpful. If it hadn’t been for a suggestion spell, we’d probably both still be in an uncomfortable plastic chair being interrogated.”
“Suggestion spell?” Joy’s eyes widened, and then she gave the other woman a small smile. “I didn’t know you were a witch.” Being a witch wasn’t exactly a rarity in Premonition Pointe. The town was a magnet for those with magic. Joy was only surprised because, even though they’d been working together for a few weeks now, Carly hadn’t given any indication that she was a witch.
She shrugged one shoulder. “I try not to use it on the set. That way there’s no confusion that what I do is a result of my acting ability and not some spell.”
Joy frowned, trying to puzzle out why magic would be a problem on the set. “How would that even work? Magic doesn’t make anyone a better actor. If you used an illusion spell, the reality would show up on film.”
“Some people without magic don’t understand. It’s just easier and cleaner to keep them separate.” Carly strode across the parking lot to her rented vehicle. After Joy slid in beside her, Carly turned to her. “Do you mind coming back to the house? Maybe look at some more pictures to see if you get any more visions?”
There was a desperation in her tone that nearly ripped Joy’s heart in two. Tears filled Joy’s eyes as she nodded. “Of course, I will. I have to warn you that I can’t promise anything. That’s the first vision I’ve ever had.”
Carly nodded solemnly. “I understand. I just… need you to try.”
The ride to Carly’s large rental house on the south side of town was full of silence. Joy was just too drained after the day of acting and then the trauma of witnessing an abduction. If she was honest with herself, all she wanted to do was go home, drink an entire bottle of wine, and pass out so that she didn’t need to think about it anymore. But she couldn’t leave Carly alone, and if there was anything she could do to help, she’d do it, regardless of her own needs.
They wound their way up a steep two-lane road until finally they came to a small community of houses that overlooked a bluff. Carly steered the car to a modern house in the middle of the street and hit the garage door opener. As the door rolled up, all the windows in the house lit up, and Joy asked, “Does anyone else live here? Besides you and your niece I mean?”
Carly shook her head, and in a businesslike, emotionless tone, she said, “No. The lights are programmed to come on when the door goes up. I learned a long time ago to never walk into a dark house.”
Joy studied her costar, realizing that due to her fame this might not be the first time Carly had dealt with something this serious. She wanted to ask her friend what she had meant by that statement but wasn’t sure she wanted to know. Instead, she just nodded, waiting for the car to come to a stop. When it did, she slid out of the car and met Carly at the door that led into the house.
“Are you ready for this?” Joy asked her, suddenly wishing they’d asked someone to come check out the house before they went in. Someone like Hope’s boyfriend, Lucas King, or maybe even just Hope, Grace, and Gigi. Her coven had proven they could handle pretty much anything. Surely they could root out an intruder if there was one. Sweat popped out on Joy’s forehead, and she swallowed hard as Carly opened the unlocked door and strode in without even a hint of fear.
“Damn,” Joy muttered. She really needed some of Carly’s confidence. If she’d been in the lead, she’d have tiptoed in and taken forever checking every nook and cranny to be sure no one was lying in wait. Not that the tiptoeing would be needed. It wasn’t exactly a secret that someone was home, considering every light was on and the garage door was hardly silent.
“Joy?” Carly called, poking her head back into the garage. “Are you coming?”
“Of course… I was just…” Joy let her voice trail off and shook her head. “Sorry. It’s been a really long day.”
“Shit! Of course it has,” Carly said quickly. “Did you want me to take you home? We don’t have to do this—”
Joy held her hand up in a stop motion even as she hurried toward the door. “No. Time matters. Let’s do this now. If I can pick anything up from your photos that can help the authorities bring her home, then it’s imperative that I try as soon as possible.”
“Okay,” Carly said, already retreating back into the house. “That’s what I was thinking, too, but I don’t want you to feel pressured to do this.” She averted her gaze and, in a quiet voice, added, “I’m sure it’s traumatizing.”