Page 14 of Bewicched

I turned to find the detective staring at the shell of my gallery. “It will be. We’re still mid-transformation.”

She tore her gaze from the high ceiling and wall of windows, taking in the deep, swirling blue of the floors. Tapping a foot, she said, “These are amazing.”

I was able to muster a smile for that. “I know, right?” I waved again. “My studio is through here.”

After Detective Hernández followed me in, I closed the door and went straight to the kitchen area. “I have brownies, lemon bars, and some dark chocolate and almond lace cookies that turned out great.” I turned back to find her standing directly in front of my most recent painting, leaning in as though trying to look through the trees.

She stepped back, her mind obviously preoccupied, before she blinked and smiled. “Um, they all sound great, but how about a cookie?”

“You bet,” I said, grabbing a grape soda from the fridge. “I can make you a cup of superior tea, excellent cocoa, decent coffee, or any of a number of cold beverages.” I carried over a plate of cookies and left them on the coffee table, inviting her to sit.

I pointed to the canvases. “Sorry. I’m kind of out of it this morning. I was working on those all night, so I haven’t slept.”

“Is that grape soda?”

“Yes, ma’am,” I said, nodding.

“If you have another, I’ll take one of those.” She reluctantly moved from the paintings and sat on the edge of the couch, picking up a cookie and taking a bite. “I hate to bother you—oh, my God,” she said, staring in wonder at the cookie in her hand. “This thing is amazing.”

Chuckling, I placed the grape soda bottle on the table beside her and then dropped into my favorite chair. Could I have poured it into a glass with ice? Yes. But she’s a cop. She might have to leave right away. This way, she can take it with her. Plus, I didn’t want to go to the trouble of putting it in a glass. Sleepy.

Hernández took another bite and savored it. “Sorry. I was saying I came here because I’m working on a case and hitting dead ends. I’m wondering if maybe you can help.”

“Me? What can I do?” Other than not-dinner at Gran’s last night, I hadn’t gone anywhere in a couple of weeks. And before you wonder, groceries can be delivered. It’s not lazy. Someone needs that job, just like I need to be here doing my job. And balancing groceries on a bike sucks.

“I ran into my brother-in-law Roberto this morning.” She shook her head. “He was like a completely different guy. He and my sister Izzy are expecting their first child. Rob’s been struggling. We all saw that. Today, though, he was waiting for the hardware store to open so he could buy paint for the nursery.”

“Good.”

“I called my sister and she said Rob’s sister Lili recommended you to him. She said you were a psychic that helped him put his worries aside.” She took a sip, eyeing me and the studio warily. “Have you ever worked with the police before?”

Shaking my head, I pulled up the hood on my sweatshirt, suddenly cold. I set the bottle aside and stuffed my gloved hands into the kangaroo pocket. “No.”

“Okay. I can see the idea makes you uncomfortable. It’s just, this—” She pointed at the second painting. “I’ve walked there. That’s the path the missing boy disappeared from.”

My scalp prickled. “I can’t. You need to go.” My vision contracted on her surprised expression. Not again…

“Shh,” he whispers. “Don’t wake your mom.”

Dark. It’s so dark, but I hear the urgent whisper in my ear.

“Come on. You said you wanted to see my fort.”

No longer in complete dark, the dim bedroom has a Spider-Man nightlight by the door. A dark silhouette leans over the small boy.

“Now? But—” The child looks at the darkened window and shivers. “It’s nighttime.” The tremor in the little voice breaks my heart.

“Hey, if you don’t want to see it, that’s fine. I have better things to do than hang out with a little kid.” The shadow moves. It’s almost at the door when he hears what he’s been waiting for.

“Wait.”

The shadow smiles and beckons the child to him.

I woke with a start, something cold and wet on my forehead, and Detective Hernández leaning over me.

“Hey. Are you okay?” Her voice was gentle, but I could tell she wasn’t sure what to think of me. Her sister Isabella and Rob’s sister Lili had both said I was the real deal, but she’d never consulted a psychic before and my passing out on her wasn’t inspiring confidence. She’d called her girlfriend on the way here to get her opinion, and while Andie was more of a believer than Sofia, she was hesitant too, mostly because women in law enforcement already had challenges without throwing a psychic into the mix.

And how the hell did I know all of that? “Did you touch me?”

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