There wasn’t a better word for it.
It was like the house tripped its own circuit breaker for a split second and all the appliances and lamps jumped, flickering on for a second and then off.
All of us were instantly on high alert.
“Do you feel anything?” I asked Marcy. “Any magic in the air?”
“No, there’s nothing.” She had her fingers out and ready.
We all stood still for a few seconds, trying to sense the threat, then moved around the space slowly and quietly.
The silence was interrupted by a shrill ring.
It was the cabin phone.
It was mounted under the counter in the kitchen. We all stared at it until Ray broke the silence. “That’s not for us, Hannon.” He flicked his wrist toward the smooth black phone. “I’m thinking you might want to take that so we can find out what the fuck is going on.”
Rourke nodded and I walked forward. After a few more rings, I picked it up. “Hello?”
“Chica! I am so relieved to hear your voice. So happy you came to the house. I did not know if you would get the message. We have very little time, so we must hurry.”
It was a jolt to hear Juanita’s voice. She sounded exactly the same, heavy Spanish accent and all. A picture of her with her cherry red nails and perfectly coiffed hairdo flooded my mind. “I’m here, Juanita. The glowing house was indeed effective,” I answered. “But why not just hit Marcy’s phone and tell us to come?”
“Because I am being monitored, and this es the only chance I have to meet before I must leave for a very long time. It was good fortune you turned around. If you had gone the other way, we would not have this chance.”
“Meet? Are you here?” I went to the window above the sink and moved the curtain, glancing out. I saw nothing out of the ordinary, so I turned and mouthed to the group—who had heard everything Juanita had said—Do you feel any magic?
Everyone shook their heads no, but they all spread out to different corners of the room to pry back the curtains and blinds and take a look outside.
“I am in the guesthouse. You cannot see me,” she said after a few beats, “but, Chica, you must come alone.”
“I’m not sure I can do that—”
“I have just warded the grounds. That es what you felt when everything flickered. No supernatural can break in and none can track you, including my very dangerous sister.” The word sounded like see-ster. “You are safe. But only for right now. We must take this time, as we will not have another chance.”
I knew Rourke and my family had heard. I glanced around to see what they thought.
One by one they all nodded reluctantly, agreeing to let me go alone.
“Okay, I’ll come out and meet you.”
“Your familia may take up a perimeter around the guesthouse, which I can see will happen anyway, but they must not enter. Warn the witch to take heed. If they enter, it will throw everything off. And, Chica, I am taking a great risk by being here to see you. Do not forget.”
“Got it. I’m on my way.” I hung up the phone. “We have to choose to believe that was really her. I think it was. It sounded exactly like her.”
Rourke crossed his arms. I could tell he was having the most trouble with this sudden turn of events. “It could be Enid posing as her sister. There’s no real way to know. You could be walking into a trap that will leave you an easy target. They are both powerful and can cloak their signature. If she’s here, she left no scent. There was nothing around the guesthouse.”
I nodded. “I realize this is dicey, but we have no other choice. This is my chance to finally talk to Juanita and get some much-needed answers. If what she says is true, I won’t get another shot. She alone can give us an insight into what the future will hold. It’s a calculated risk, but I have to take it. You know I do.” I started for the back door.
James opened it. “We will take up a perimeter around the guesthouse, like the Hag indicated,” he said, “and we will refrain from going inside unless there’s an emergency.” He didn’t have to add: The word “emergency” will consist of any whiff of blood or guts being spilled inside.
“Jessica,” Rourke said, following me out. Once we were in the yard, he grabbed my arm gently and I turned to face him. “If I don’t hear from you every five minutes internally, I’m going to break that door down. I don’t care what she said. There’s no other way I’m going to let you go in there alone.”
I placed my hands on his chest. “Okay. I promise to check in,” I said. “I wouldn’t expect anything less. And if Juanita is all knowing, she’s expecting that. I promise I’ll keep you posted.”
They all followed me toward the guesthouse. It sat fifty yards to the north of the cabin, right on the lake. It was picturesque.