Diana turned in a circle and said:
Lady of Darkness, Lord of Shadows,
Fire, wind, air, and water
We offer love and thanks
For this Sabbat rite.
O ancient ones, we bid thee farewell.
Blessed be, and so mote it be!
She threw a lit match into her cauldron and blue flames shot out. Fire was a big crowd-pleaser.
“Wicked,” Seth whispered next to me.
“So mote it be,” said Lucan.
Scattered murmurs of “blessed be” made their way through the crowd and people began to collect their belongings and gather in small clumps to say good-bye.
The ceremony over, Seth, Skye, and Faith approached Diana. I could tell Seth really wanted to get a look into the cauldron. It was just rubbing alcohol and would eventually burn itself out but Seth looked like he thought it was real magic. I nodded to Lucan, and Baxter and I headed toward Diana. She was guarding the cauldron from curious visitors.
“Have you ever set anything on fire with that thing?” a small, elderly woman asked with a bit too much excitement in her voice.
“No, it’s really quite contained. But you need to be careful if you use it inside.” Diana smiled at the crowd that was gathering. Maybe she’d sell a couple of cauldrons before the night was over.
After a few more questions about the cauldron and some passing-out of business cards, Diana was ready to go. The teens took photos of one another and exchanged phone numbers.
Diana let Seth put out the fire by dropping the lid on top. We left him to guard the cauldron while we trucked the rest of her supplies out to her car. Lucan had been standing off to the side and now stepped forward to help carry our bags. Diana smiled and nodded her thanks. By the time we returned, the cauldron had cooled and we carried it to the lot as well. I gave Diana a long hug and promised to stop by her house the next day. She said she wasn’t going to the store but was letting Bethany open up. This alone told me how hard the last couple of days had been on her.
12
The next day, Monday, Seth slept in. I took the two dogs for a business walk and promised them a longer one when Seth woke up. Baxter groaned and slumped onto the couch when I got my keys out. Tuffy’s eyebrows went up into his hairline and he did his nervous dance. He followed me, looking forlorn as I shut the door behind me.
I called Tom Andrews on the way to The Daily Grind and he agreed to meet me. Mac was never forthcoming with information on an open case. Tom was more generous. I hoped he was in the loop on the whole Rafe Godwin situation. After what Diana had told me about Dylan’s suspicions, I was getting a sick feeling in my stomach. Sometimes it was hard to distinguish between regular nerves and actual “feelings” and so I ignored my gut and decided to approach the problem in a logical and controlled manner. I would gather information, examine the facts, and not get caught by Mac.
This time of year the only people in the coffee shop were regulars. We had reclaimed our town from the summer tourist crowd and now that the festival had decamped, the place was back to its quiet normal. This was good and bad. I liked not waiting in line, but growing up in a tourist town trains you to view the invaders as a necessary annoyance. Without vacationers, the economy would shut down, but it was nice to feel like we had Crystal Haven to ourselves for a little while.
Josh started making my usual latte when I walked in the door.
“Should I start Diana’s tea?” he asked. His black watch cap barely contained the shaggy mop of dark hair.
I shook my head. “No, but you can make whatever Tom Andrews usually drinks.”
Josh cocked his head, raised his eyebrows, and crossed his arms. He and Alex had been partners for years. They were overly invested in Mac and me getting back together and I felt guilty about keeping it a secret from them. Plus it meant they saw deeper meaning in all my actions.
I put both hands up. “We’re just friends. Everyone knows that.”
Josh shook his head. “Not everyone.”
Fortunately, Tom swung through the door at that moment, nearly wiping out a coffee-mug pyramid, and I was able to extricate myself from the conversation.
Tom waved to Josh. “I’ll have a—”
“Already started, dude,” Josh said.
Tom and I had our choice of tables so I steered him to one by the window as far from the counter and Josh’s ears as we could get.
“So, what’s up with Seth? Did he run away?” Tom wasted no time introducing the topic I wanted to avoid.
“Not exactly. Grace knows he’s here.” I didn’t fill him in on when she found out about his travel plans. Josh brought our drinks and I waited until he left to ask my next question.
“What’s going on with the Rafe Godwin case?” I focused on my latte and tried to appear casual.