“Doubtful there’s a crazy or two running around killing, burning, and branding with different brands,” George said. “But you never can tell.”
Chief Deb’s cruiser skidded to a stop about six inches from the rear bumper of Owen’s rental. At least Reggie had stopped barking at the flaming car, even though the car was still flaming.
She crossed the road. “What happened here?”
George pointed at Owen and walked away. Someone had to help Billy with traffic control. Where there had been no cars on the highway before, there were dozens now. The tower of smoke seemed to have drawn them like flies.
Owen repeated what he’d told George, including George’s conclusions about the connections in the crime spree. Deb didn’t look any happier about it than Owen was.
“Where is it?” he asked.
“Huh?” Deb stared at the car, chewing the inside of her lip.
“The ring.”
“Locked in the evidence room waiting for the FBI to come and get it.”
“Why would the FBI want it?”
“Your guess is as good as mine. Ross called VICAP—Violent Criminal Apprehension Program. I thought it was too soon with one attempted murder, but…” She shrugged. “He got antsy. He mentioned the ring and the FBI said they’d send an agent.”
“Sounds like it wasn’t too soon,” Owen said. For the FBI to dispatch someone, they’d seen this or something similar before. “When’s the agent supposed to arrive?”
“Anytime. Conveniently, they had one nearby.”
“Convenient isn’t the word I’d use.”
“Coincidence?”
“How about conspiracy?”
“Conspiracy suggests more than one person.”
“Exactly.”
It was Deb’s turn to appear confused.
“If Becca’s attacker dropped a ring, which you have locked up, that makes the ring that branded Peggy another ring entirely.”
“Doesn’t mean another person attacked Peggy,” Deb pointed out. “Might be one person with a boxful of rings.”
“You believe that?”
“I’d like to,” she said. “Otherwise we’ve got at least two people running around killing folks and then branding them.”
“Considering the FBI is in the neighborhood, and they’re interested in the ring,” Owen said, “I think there’s more than two.”
*
“Is that why I can hear you?” I asked. “Because you’re a witch?”
You hear more voices than mine.
“What does that mean?”
What do you think it means?
I used to think it meant I was nuts. I’d settled on it meaning I had an overactive imagination. But I didn’t think either of those choices was what Pru was getting at.
“Are you saying I’m a witch? Because I’m not.”
How can you be so certain?
I didn’t know much—anything—about witches, but Jeremy did. And he’d said— “Witchcraft is a birthright.”
True magic, the kind you have, is passed through the blood. Blood magic is the most powerful kind.
“No one in my family is a witch.”
“That’s because your family isn’t your family.”
The voice was real. Not in my head. Not Pru’s.
I leaped to my feet, spun, blinked, then blinked again at the woman standing in the entryway to the exam room.
Jeremy had been right. Except for the color of her hair and eyes, she did look exactly like me.
“Hi, Pru.” She nodded to the empty corner. “Henry.”
“Y-y-you see him?”
“Always have.”
“You hear her?”
She shook her head. “That’s your gift, not mine.”
“Who are you?”
“Raye Larsen. Kindergarten teacher from New Bergin and—” She glanced at the corner, shrugged, turned back. “Your sister.”
“My sister’s name is Melanie.”
“She’s not really your sister.” Raye waved between the two of us. “You can see that now, right?”
“Everyone has a twin,” I said desperately.
I felt like the earth had shifted beneath my feet. I was dizzy and hot, yet I shivered. Everything was changing. My fingers clenched and unclenched. I wanted to hold on to something but I was afraid that no matter what I grasped it would crumble to dust just like my world.
“We aren’t twins.”
At last she spoke sense.
“We’re triplets. Just haven’t located sis number three yet.”
“How—how—”
“I was found on the side of Interstate Ninety-four, halfway between Madison and Eau Claire. Naked, without even a blanket. At least it was July, otherwise I’d have been dead.”
I’d been born in July. Didn’t mean anything.
“I saw ghosts. Still do. From the moment I could talk, I spoke to them. Freaked my parents out.” I must have made a movement because she lifted an eyebrow. “You too?”
“No.” I hadn’t seen ghosts. I’d heard animals. But it had freaked my parents out.
“How—” I began again.
“How’d I find you? Magic.”
“I was going to ask how you got in here.” I’d locked the door.
“Same thing.” She wiggled her fingers, and the surgical instruments I’d cleaned and set out to dry lifted into the air and hung there, then settled back where they’d been.
I sat down. I had to.