Page 16 of Down and Dirty

Chapter 7

Keaton could see them too. I hadn’t been sure of it until just now by the look on his face as he watched the old hags showing me respect by flying around my head. He didn’t know who they were, much less why I’d been able to call them out.

He took a step in my direction, and I held out my hand to still his movement. These century-old women and spirits weren’t to be trifled with. The first time I’d opened the satchel in Mary’s presence, they’d attacked and left scratches on my arm. Since then we’d found common ground because Mary was now it spirit form.

She was the last in her witchy line. The last they’d been waiting on before they could be released into the light. Only now, they needed me to solve a murder. The only thing holding them all back was Mary’s reluctance to let go.

“I’ve brought the detective just like you asked,” I said toward the leaves in the trees.

“I’m here,” Jimbo announced, and yet the women all stared at Keaton.

He rested his hands on his hips and stared up at them as if ready to question inmates about their previous crimes, only not knowing where to start.

One broke formation and circled Keaton, blowing on his face. The tips of his hair moved.

His square jaw tensed, but he didn’t even flinch.

I was impressed, and even more than that, I’d been right. He could see them. Which meant he’d probably heard Jared claim he didn’t like him and understood my response.

It didn’t matter if he knew. It didn’t matter what he said. The only thing that mattered was helping me free these souls by finding Mary’s killer.

“You showed me the way to your house. Now show me where your body is.” He turned to Mary as if knowing she was the one we were looking for. Maybe he did.

She pointed a finger in the opposite direction of the trail we’d walked through.

“She answered,” I said, clapping my hand in delight.

“She did?” Jimbo asked.

“Well, she pointed in that direction, so I’ll take that as a sign,” I said, patting Keaton on the back. “Well done. She wouldn’t tell me when I asked. It seems she’s been waiting for you.”

Over leaves and fallen branches, we hiked through the thickest part of the woods. My arms were scratched, and sticks were catching in my hair. Thirty minutes later, we stepped onto the shoreline of a fresh water pool, fed by a small waterfall.

The area was secluded. It lacked human contamination. Minerals and rocks twinkled at the bottom of the water.

I’d lived in this town for years, and I’d never even known this spring was here.

“Whoa,” Jimbo said.

I’d reached down to cup the water when Keaton stopped me. “You don’t know what bacteria is lingering in that water.”

I smirked. “Don’t be ridiculous.”

“There could be high level of minerals too.”

Mary appeared in front of us just as I dumped the water from my hand. She pointed to the waterfall. “Just as the moon settles into the sky. Only between two and three is the time that you can see.”

“Looks like you’re going to have to call off your date.”

“I can be done and back out here by then,” I said before explaining the reason we’d need to return to Jimbo.

Back in the clearing near Mary’s house, I sat down next to the shoe box and opened the satchel again. I whispered words of thanks, they all swirled around in front of me like a tornado before descending into the bag. Mary joined them this time. I pulled the drawstrings closed and nestled the bag into the white sage inside the shoebox.

I’d promised to protect them even though I wasn’t a witch or a gypsy. It was still my job as her friend to complete the final ceremony.

They dropped me off back at my house, and though I’d assumed it would take threats of bodily harm to get Keaton to leave, I would have been wrong.

He left without a single word. Maybe the spirits I now knew he could see had actually scared him off. They’d scared me, too, when the satchel had been given to me, along with the request of how to handle it after Mary’s death. It was almost as if she knew that day was fast approaching.

---