“Maybe. Although it doesn’t take dowsing rods to figure out the entrance has to be somewhere along this wall.” Frustration filled his voice. “We have to be looking right at it.”
“Let’s try the second floor.”
“I guess we should, but we can’t even find any passage from the basement to the first floor.”
“Maybe it’s easier to find up there.”
Noah admitted this, so they turned off the lights and climbed the back stairs to the second floor. The layout here mirrored the first floor, except the kitchen was smaller and two bathrooms replaced the pantry and laundry area. A quick inspection of the kitchen revealed nothing, so they crossed the service hall and entered the south bathroom.
Now we’re getting somewhere.
“The plumbing in here has to connect to the basement somehow,” he said. “And look how the window is deep set. The outside wall is a good two feet thick.” Noah pointed at the plumbing access hatch. “Let’s pop that open and try to trace the pipes.”
Willow knelt, pried the wood door open and leaned inside. “Yuck, cobwebs. I’ll check it out.” She wormed her way inside.
I’m sure you don’t need to wiggle your butt so much.
But don’t stop.
Noah heard a giggle from inside the space. He lay down and stuck his head through the hatch. Besides Willow, he saw a jumble of iron pipes, old wood and plaster.
“Nothing here,” Willow said. “Like I told you before, Father had the pipes routed under the floor to the nearest service closet and then down to the basement.” She pounded on the wall. “And these walls are solid.”
They extricated themselves and moved on to the game room, which proved to be identical to its first floor cousin and was just as devoid of anything of interest.
Without discussion, they doused the lights and climbed the stairs to the third floor bedroom area. A thorough inspection of both suites on the south side and their bathrooms and closets turned up nothing out of the ordinary, including inside the plumbing access spaces.
Willow sighed. “I know there’s nothing on the fourth floor. I’ve been there enough I would have seen anything odd.”
“Let’s try anyway.” They trudged up and Willow led him to her old suite in the southeast corner of the house. The floor and walls were solid as expected. The bathroom plumbing appeared the same as on the third floor. They returned to the balcony.
“Just one room left,” Willow said. “My parents’ room.” She raised her eyebrows. “Do you think you’re ready to go back in there?”
“Sure. I know what to expect this time.”
They walked to the enchanted room. Willow pulled the keys from her pocket and unlocked and opened the door.
Take a deep breath, Noah.
The energy boiled around him as he crossed the threshold, but not in such an overwhelming way as before. He was searching this time, not sightseeing as before, and perhaps this lessened the room’s power.
Willow turned on a small lamp by the bed, untied her sweatshirt from around her waist, and dropped it on the bed. She sighed. “I don’t think the entrance is in the house.”
“But you said there’s no place outside where it could be. We didn’t see any sink holes or ravines.”
“I know. Chalk it up to fairy impatience. Lead on.”
Noah went to the stone fireplace first, which occupied the inside corner of the L-shaped room. A heavy oak mantle overhung the fireplace opening and a cubbyhole alongside where Willow kept fresh wood. They made a thorough check all around the stones, although Noah didn’t expect to find anything so far from the outside wall. Their examination proved him right.
An inspection of the closet and bathroom obtained the same results. The only difference in construction was the location of the plumbing access hatch, which was in the main room instead of the bathroom itself, perhaps a matter of the carpenter’s choice to save wall space in the small bathroom.
They found themselves standing together next to the bed turning in circles, looking at the room. Eventually their eyes met.
“Are you still okay?” Willow asked.
“Yes, I’m staying focused. First on hunting for clues and now on your pretty face.”
She smiled. “Oh—not on my rear end?”
Always.
“Not at the moment. Come here. I want to check something.” He took her face in his hands and kissed her. When they parted, Noah nodded.
“What’s up with you?” Willow asked.
“That’s what I was going to ask you.” He touched his fingers to her lips. “Your lips are fuller. Your cheeks are rosy all the time. Your eyelids are … well, I think they’re thicker or something, and darker, and I’m sure your hair is more golden.” He moved his hands to her bare shoulders. “Your skin is different, silkier, all in the last day or two. You keep getting more beautiful. Did you cast a spell on me or something?”
Willow blushed. “No, fairies don’t do magic, we just live it. We don’t do well alone, or in crowds, but we thrive when we spend time with just one or two friends. You and I have spent a lot of time together the last week and I guess it’s starting to rub off, so to speak. That’s Rowan’s theory anyway. It doesn’t usually happen quite this fast, though. I’m reverting to my normal appearance.”
Normal? Try incredible.
“So you told Rowan about it already?”
Willow nodded. “Yes. I tell her just about everything. We email all day sometimes if we’re not busy. She knows all about our investigations.”
“How much have you told her about … us?”
Willow shifted a little and looked away. “Most of it.” Then she grinned. “She knows you’ve kissed me.”
“You kissed me first.”
“Well, that time was … unintentional, to use your term. I told her I like kissing you, too. She wanted to know if you tried to bonk me yet.” Willow giggled. Noah’s exasperation colored his face. “Her words, not mine. She can be blunt.”
“I guess so.”
They stood close together with Noah’s hands on Willow’s shoulders. He sighed, his expression becoming thoughtful.
You should take your hands away, Noah.
“What?” Willow asked.
“You didn’t see what happened at the nursing home today, did you?”
Willow looked puzzled. “What do you mean?”
“The patients in the hallways, Willow. They stopped moaning and jabbering when you passed by. Your magic mesmerized them. Healed them, for just a moment. Your energy is irresistible. I should know.”
Take your hands away, before it’s too late.
Willow’s eyes drilled into his. Her skin felt hot under his hands, and his head was spinning. “Willow, I care about you very much. When you were sick, I was terrified I would lose you. I began to think of you as mine. But how could a drop-dead gorgeous, rich fairy woman care about a regular guy who seldom has more than a few hundred dollars in the bank?”
“Noah … I…” She shook her head slightly.
Too late…
Noah’s head buzzed. Willow was growing concerned, he could see. She laid her hands flat on his chest. Energy surged from her, shaking him. His voice was a hoarse whisper.
“Willow … I love you.”
There. I said it.
Noah put his arms around the woman of his dreams. He held her close with her head against his chest. Blood pulsed in his temples. Her feelings were hard for him to read: affection and confusion raced through him.
Say it.
Willow gently released herself from his grasp and backed up a step.
Silence filled the room, silence that swallowed the magic. Only Noah’s ragged breathing remained. He swayed with dizziness.
Please say it.
“Oh, Noah.” Distress radiated from her face. She haltingly touched his cheek and then took his hands in hers and held them.
“I flunked,” Noah said. “I said ‘I love you’ but you didn’t say it back.”
&
nbsp; Willow’s eyes glistened. “I wish it was that simple, Noah. I care about you, and have from the day I found you on my doorstep. You’re kind and giving and thoughtful. I want to love you, I really do, but there’s much about me you don’t know, that I can’t tell you. Many things.”
“Nothing you might say could possibly—”
“No, Noah, no,” Willow said as she put a hand over his lips. “Don’t say now what you might regret later. I don’t want to hurt you, but I can’t see how anything could work between us. My heart wants it but my head keeps getting in the way.”
They remained motionless and silent. Willow laid her head against his chest, leaning back to look at him.
The energy had dissipated. He put his hands on her waist.
“I’m sorry I disappointed you,” Willow said. A single tear spilled across her cheek. Noah brushed it away with his thumb. He smiled despite the ache in his throat.
“You didn’t disappoint me.”
“Noah, I know what you’re feeling.”
Noah fought with tears and the whirlwind of emotions coursing through him.
No. I’m not going to let you get away.
He looked at the beautiful little face before him and shook his head. “No, Willow. You’re wrong. I love you too much, and you’re worth the risk. You are not going to get rid of me that easily.” His breath came short and shallow.
Willow’s features softened. “I wasn’t trying to get rid of you. I don’t want you to leave.”
“Good, because I’m not going anywhere.” Noah pulled her face to his and kissed her firmly. She yielded to his fervor, a long kiss that left them breathless. Willow gently touched his mouth with her fingers.
“I’m going to keep chasing you,” he said. “Can we just … see what develops?”
Willow’s eyes twinkled with mischief. “Well, I really do like the way you kiss.”
So he kissed her again.
Afterwards, they stood close, silent.
Willow’s smile faded and her features became alert. She tilted her head as if listening to a too-soft sound. “Someone’s in the house,” she whispered.
Great. Perfect timing.
Noah turned off the lamp by the bed. He inclined his head toward the open door and listened. He could hear something now, too. The floor creaked on a lower level. Willow had turned off the lights behind them as they searched, so the house was in complete darkness. Noah took Willow’s hand and motioned for her to lead, counting on her night vision. They moved quietly across the room and out the door and then crossed the balcony to the rail. Willow leaned far over to peer down into the darkness. Noah tightened his grip on Willow’s hand and then leaned over a little with his other hand frozen to the rail.
The overcast sky glowed through the widow’s walk windows, allowing Noah to make out the balconies and doorways below. There, on the first floor, light flickered in the kitchen.
A flashlight.
Willow tapped Noah’s arm and motioned for him to lean down to her. She put her mouth tight against his ear and whispered.
“I didn’t feel them. I heard them.” Noah wasn’t sure if this reassured him or not. There couldn’t be any other fairy friends around. Unless… Noah turned Willow’s head by the chin and whispered back.
“Could it be Louie Miller?”
“No. He wouldn’t have any reason to be here. Besides, he always lets me know when he’s here, so he won’t scare me. He would have hollered when he came in.”
We’ll have to discuss Louie later.
The intruder continued to move about the kitchen, making occasional grunts and scraping sounds. Soon the flashes moved across the hall to the pantry. Noah backed away from the railing and led Willow into the bedroom. He carefully closed the door.
“It has to be Jones,” Willow whispered, “but I didn’t feel him approaching. I still can’t. I told you something isn’t right with me.”
“Nothing’s wrong with you, or you wouldn’t have freaked at the courthouse. When we broke into Jones’s house, did you sense his presence when he drove up?”
Willow thought for a moment. “No, I didn’t, now that you mention it.”
“Janet said the family was into magic. He may have used a protection spell or he could be wearing an amulet that masks him. He doesn’t know about your abilities but that doesn’t mean he didn’t accidentally hit on something that works.” Noah paused for a moment. “He’s searching the same places we did.”
“For the same thing, I’m sure. We have to get him out of here.”
Willow’s growing anger beat into him, but he thought for a few seconds before responding.
I’m sure you want to cruise down there and tackle him.
Noah grasped her firmly by the shoulders. “Listen to me, Willow. If that’s Jones down there, he’s a hunter, a killer. He has at least a knife with him and maybe a gun. I won’t risk your life, and we can’t reveal you’re a fairy.”
“We’ve got to do something, Noah. I can’t stand him roaming around my house.”
Noah nodded. “We’ll spook him so he leaves, but we won’t let on we know he’s here.” He felt for the light switch by the door and flipped it on. He blinked in the sudden bright light. “Jones doesn’t want to confront us either. He would rather let us go so he can either finish his snooping or escape. We’ll start talking loud and laughing, then open the door and walk out of here, jabbering all the way about whatever strikes our fancy. When he hears us he’ll either bolt or hide in a corner until we’re gone.” Skepticism filled Willow’s face but she nodded her agreement. She retrieved her sweatshirt from the bed and put it on.
“Can you call Shadow?” Noah asked.
“Sure.”
“Do it, and if you can, tell him to hang out around the back of the house. Will he bark if he sees Jones?”
“I’m sure he will.” Willow took a step toward the window, raised her right hand, and held it palm outward. She circled slowly around like a radar antenna. When facing south she stopped, closed her eyes and breathed deeply for a few seconds, then dropped her hand and nodded to Noah.
“He’s on his way.”
“Good. We had better get moving. We don’t want our visitor coming up to the second floor. Start talking. Loud.”
“About what?” Willow asked.
“Anything but Chester Jones. Tell me about the heating system. I’ll interrupt with as many questions as I can.” He stopped and caught her eye. “Willow, if I’m wrong and he comes after us, you will disappear and escape. No fairy heroics. And no arguments.”
“We’ll see about that.”
Noah glared at her.
Stubborn little…
“Tell me about steam heat,” he gritted out.
They moved to the door and began discussing the nuances of steam heat, trying to be loud and casual. Bright light flooded out into the atrium when Noah opened the door. “Let me turn my flashlight on,” he said. Willow snapped off the light and turned on her flashlight, too. They climbed down the front stairs to the third floor while discussing cleaning boilers, checking radiators and so on. Noah played the idiot on the subject when in fact he knew all about it from growing up in a steam-heated home.
This better work.
They reached the third floor, turned one hundred eighty degrees and walked along the balcony to the next flight of stairs. Noah watched the back wall of the first floor.
All dark. Hope it stays that way.
Willow’s tension mounted as they continued … or perhaps it was his.
Descending the stairs left their backs turned to the kitchen. Noah’s anxiety mounted as they continued their inane discussion. They reached the second floor balcony and turned, which gave them a clear view of the first floor service area. Darkness prevailed, the only sound their voices and the creaking of the stairs.
Maybe I’ll shine my flashlight towards the kitchen, just to see.
“Shadow’s here,” Willow whispered between sentences.
They turn
ed their backs to the kitchen again and descended the stairs to the first floor. Somehow, Noah kept talking despite the buzzing in his brain. At the same time they reached the first floor, Shadow began to bark outside, a “what-are-you-doing-around-my-house” bark.
Good boy!
I never thought—I hope he doesn’t hurt you!
Noah spoke quietly. “Willow, I want you to disappear and turn on the atrium lights.” Willow winked and a few seconds later light flooded the open space. Noah turned his flashlight toward the south wall but could see nothing through any of the open doors.
“I think he’s gone,” Noah said. From his left side he heard Willow’s voice.
“I’m going to follow and see who it was.” Noah heard her shuffling off her sweatshirt. It appeared in midair and dropped to the floor.
“Willow,” he said and then hesitated.
I don’t want you to go. What if he…
“Please be careful. Stay invisible.”
“Don’t worry, sweetie, I’ll watch myself.” A warm hand touched his cheek for a moment. A rush of air and a loud buzz followed as Willow zoomed to the widow’s walk. He looked up in time to see the door to the outside walk swing open. He picked up her sweatshirt.
Noah went out the front door and down the porch stairs. He called Shadow in the usual way. The heavily panting dog appeared from the back of the house.
“Good boy, Shadow!” He rubbed the dog’s head in reward. Together they walked to the back of the house and onto the porch. Noah was wary but soon satisfied himself the intruder had left. Sweeping the flashlight beam slowly, he inspected the shutters on the kitchen windows, the most obvious place for a breakin. On the second pass, he found a shutter with one-inch diameter holes drilled through to the lock hardware. Brown putty plugged the holes. He held the flashlight close but could see no fingerprints in the soft goo. Next, he dropped his flashlight beam and found another clue: a small amount of wood shavings on the porch floor.
Looks like he used a brace and bit. Completely silent.
Low-pitched buzzing high above the house announced Willow’s return. Noah called to her and she reappeared and plummeted to earth, making his stomach lurch. She hit the ground running and jumped up on the porch.