Midnight Blood Page 4

  “Yeah, the Society has been fighting the Cabal for centuries and hasn’t managed to destroy it completely. I don’t know why Merlin thinks I have a chance of succeeding where an entire secret society failed.”

  “The Society doesn’t have Excalibur,” she said.

  “Do you think the sword is that powerful?”

  “King Arthur built an entire kingdom with the help of that sword.”

  “I don’t want to build a kingdom; I just want to kill a few bad guys.”

  “Then there shouldn’t be any problem.” She smiled, let go of my hand, and took a bite of her burger.

  We ate in silence, comfortable enough in each other’s company that we didn’t feel the need to make small talk. I watched the rivulets of rain running down the window and wondered how I was going to get a lead on the Midnight Cabal. Merlin wanted some solid intel by tomorrow morning.

  My best course of action would probably be to make a call to the Society and see if they had any leads. I could speak to my father’s secretary, and see if he knew anything about Cabal activity in this area. The closer to Dearmont the better. There was no way I was going on a road trip with Merlin.

  “That was lovely,” Felicity said after she’d finished her burger.

  “Yeah,” I said through a mouthful of fries. “The food’s always great here. You want anything else?”

  She nodded. “I’m going to have a piece of strawberry cheesecake. How about you?”

  “No,” I said, pushing my empty plate away. “If I eat another bite, I won’t fit into my suit tonight.”

  “Your loss,” she said before catching the waitress’s attention and ordering the cheesecake.

  After we finished lunch and we were back in the Land Rover with the heavy rain pattering against the windshield and blurring the outside world, I told Felicity about my plan to call the Society of Shadows and press them for info on recent Midnight Cabal activity.

  She checked her watch and said, “You might as well do that now. It will be late evening in London.”

  I could see she wasn’t going to stop pushing until I’d taken some action regarding the Cabal so I grabbed my phone and called the number that was listed in my contacts as Mysterium Import and Export, the cover name for the Society of Shadow’s headquarters in London, England.

  A female voice answered and I asked for Michael Chester. I didn’t need to tell her who I was because the Society’s phone operators had access to a magical ID check that went way beyond simple voice recognition.

  When Michael answered, he sounded weary. “Alec, what can I do for you? If you’re calling about your father, we still don’t know his whereabouts.”

  “Actually, I’m calling about the Midnight Cabal. I want to know if they’ve been active anywhere around here. You have any info that could lead me to a local lodge?”

  “You having a slow day?” he asked me. “P.I.s don’t usually go in search of the Cabal. You guys usually leave that to the Shadow Watch.”

  The Shadow Watch was an organization within the Society that acted as an army and intelligence service rolled into one.

  Now that the Society knew the Midnight Cabal—which it had thought defunct since the 18th Century—still existed, the Watch was tasked with seeking out and destroying Cabal strongholds. Some of its members worked as undercover agents while others were part of an army that used magic as well as conventional weapons to fight the enemy.

  “Yeah, well, humor me,” I said to Michael. “If I wanted a lead on the Cabal, where would be a good place to start?”

  There was a short silence on the other end of the line and then he sighed and said, “You’re in Dearmont, Maine, right?”

  “That’s right.”

  “I’ll see what I can dig up. I have a couple of contacts in the Watch. Maybe I can get you the name of a Cabal member or something.”

  “That’s great.”

  “I’m not promising anything,” he said. “Those guys are secretive at the best of times.”

  “You know where to reach me,” I told him and hung up.

  Turning to Felicity, I said, “He’s going to look into it.”

  “Good. Hopefully we can get the sheriff back fairly soon.”

  I didn’t say anything. Felicity’s optimism wasn’t something I shared. Finding the Cabal was one thing, destroying it was something else entirely.

  Starting the car, I said, “It’ll probably take a while for Michael to get back to me. In the meantime, we have a party to attend.”

  5

  When we arrived at the Hawthorne house, the gravel parking area was full of vehicles. A parking attendant used an illuminated orange baton to wave me into a parking space between a Volvo sedan and a Ford Taurus.

  As I got out of the Land Rover, the crisp, night air chilled me through my suit. I hadn’t worn it in a while and it felt a little tight on the biceps, shoulders, and chest but it would have to do.

  Felicity looked amazing in an off the shoulder black Bardot dress. I had no idea what the dress was called until she told me on the way over here that the neckline was named after the actress Brigitte Bardot.

  Felicity’s dark hair was pinned up on top of her head and she’d eschewed her glasses in favor of contact lenses. A silver chain adorned her left wrist and in that hand, she carried a black clutch purse that contained, among other things, a magical crystal shard. I also had a crystal shard. Mine was in my pocket.

  “Let’s get inside,” I said. “It’s freezing out here.”

  We followed a number of other smartly dressed people through the open front doors and into a grand foyer where waiters and waitresses were walking around with silver trays of hors d’oeuvres and drinks. Felicity accepted a glass of white wine but refused an appetizer.

  I took the proffered wine and a piece of rye bread topped with smoked salmon. As we followed the flow of guests from the foyer into a high-ceilinged room where a string quartet was set up in the corner and a number of guests were mingling and chatting, I took a bite of the hors d’oeuvre and nodded in appreciation.

  “Hey, this is good,” I told Felicity. “You should try one.”

  “Perhaps I will later but for now, I’m trying to concentrate on the job at hand.” Her eyes scanned the room and I assumed she was hunting for members of the Hawthorne family.

  “Me too,” I said. “But if I see deviled eggs, I won’t be held responsible for my actions.”

  “I can’t see any of the Hawthornes,” Felicity said, ignoring me. “It’s very crowded.”

  She was right. The room was huge by anyone’s standards but the guests filled it easily. As well as the music provided by the string quartet, a low hum of constant chatter filled the air, along with the mingled scents of various perfumes and colognes and a faint smell of tobacco. Far from being pleasant, the atmosphere was claustrophobic.

  “There must be hundreds of people here,” I said. “I guess everyone wants to be seen at Jane Hawthorne’s gathering. What do you think they use this room for when they’re not having a party?”

  “It’s a ballroom,” Felicity said. “Its only purpose is to hold gatherings like this. It’s probably the largest room in the house yet despite its size, there’s a huge gold-framed mirror on the wall to make the space look even more vast. It’s all very ostentatious.”

  I looked at the mirror she was referring to. It covered almost one entire wall, its gold frame adorned with fine filigree and carvings of cherubim. The reflection of the room in which we stood caused an optical illusion that made it look as if the ballroom were twice its actual size.

  “Hey, Alec!”

  I turned to see Leon navigating his way through the crowd, holding a red-colored cocktail aloft as he maneuvered around the people in his path. When he reached me, he shook my hand and said, “Long time no see, man.” Then he turned to Felicity and gave her a brief hug. “Felicity, you look amazing.”

  “Thank you, Leon,” she said, smiling. “I didn’t know you’d be here.”

&
nbsp; “Yeah, I get an invitation every year because I know Brad Hawthorne a little. The fact that I’m rich may have something to do with it too. Actually, I probably only get invited because I’m rich.”

  “How well do you know Brad?” I asked.

  Leon shrugged. “We’ve crossed paths a few times at various parties but we’re not buddies or anything.”

  “Is he here tonight?” Felicity asked. “We can’t see him.”

  “Yeah, he’s around here somewhere. I saw him earlier.” He scanned the crowd and then shook his head. “I don’t see him right now though.”

  “What about the other members of the family?” I asked. “Do you know them too?”

  “Yeah, a little.”

  “What can you tell me about them?”

  Leon looked at me closely and narrowed his eyes. “I knew this wasn’t your scene.” He lowered his voice. “You’re here on a case aren’t you?”

  I said nothing.

  “Tell me what’s going on, man. Maybe I can help.”

  “Nothing’s going on,” I told him. “We just want to talk to the Hawthorne family.” I didn’t see any reason to tell Leon what Felicity and I were up to because as far as I was concerned, this case would be closed by the time this party was over.

  Yeah, I really thought it was going to be that simple.

  “They’re all here somewhere,” he said. “Jane usually wanders around the room making sure the guests are happy but I don’t see her at the moment. Charles is less friendly than his wife and normally stands by the fireplace over there scowling and nursing a drink. I guess he won’t be doing that this year, though, because I heard he’s in a wheelchair now.”

  “There he is,” Felicity said, pointing through the crowd at Charles Hawthorne. He’d entered through a door at the far end of the room and was cutting a path through the crowd with his wheelchair. A shot glass of whisky on the arm of the chair was so full that the liquid spilled over the rim of the glass. Charles’s face was set into a scowl, which he seemed to have adopted to let everyone around him know that he didn’t want company.

  “Leon! Dude!”

  I turned to see a tall fair-haired young man slap his arm around Leon’s shoulder.

  Leon grinned but the gesture seemed forced. “Hey, Brad, how’s it going?”

  Brad rolled his eyes. “You know how it is, dude. Things are pretty lame at the moment. Everything’s so boring. Not to mention I have to wear this stupid suit to this stupid party.” His face suddenly brightened as if he’d had the best idea in the world. “Hey, you wanna come up to my room and play some games? I’ve got some new ones.”

  “No can do, man,” Leon said. “Maybe some other time, okay?”

  I slipped the crystal shard out of my jacket pocket and held it in a loose fist, surreptitiously moving it closer to Brad. The crystal didn’t glow at all. Actually, I’d have been surprised if it had; Brad was way down on my suspect list.

  “These are my friends,” Leon told Brad. “Alec Harbinger and Felicity Lake.”

  Brad shook our hands and said, “Hey, good to meet you.” He pointed at me and frowned. “Don’t I know you from somewhere?”

  “I don’t think so,” I said.

  “You were on TV weren’t you? When that kid went missing?”

  “Yeah, that was me.”

  “You’re a P.I. right?”

  I nodded.

  “They ever find that kid?”

  I shook my head. Felicity and I knew exactly where Sammy Martin was but we weren’t telling.

  “If you ever need any work, ask my dad,” Brad said. “He hires private eyes all the time.”

  “I’m not a private eye,” I told him. “I’m a preternatural investigator.”

  He looked at me as if I’d just grown two heads. “Oh, you’re one of those guys. Ghosts and goblins, right? This must be the busiest time of the year for you with Halloween coming soon.”

  I gave him a flat smile and said nothing.

  “Anyhoo, I’m going to go find some more alcohol,” he said. “There’s only so much socializing I can handle while sober. My sister had the right idea when she put this family in her rearview, know what I mean?”

  “Have you seen Lucy lately?” I asked him. Unlike Brad, she was at the top of my list of suspects. That was why I’d thought it worth driving to Rockport earlier. If any of the Hawthorne children were involved in witchcraft, Lucy seemed the most likely candidate.

  Brad thought for a moment and then shook his head. “Not for a while, man. She sends me her books every time a new one comes out because she knows I’m a fan but I haven’t seen her in person for…” He frowned while he thought about it and then said, “…over a year. Wow, I didn’t realize it was that long. I should call her sometime.”

  “What about your dad?” I asked him. “Does he have any contact with Lucy?”

  He let out a short laugh. “Ha, no way. Dad thinks she’s weird, which she kinda is, I guess. I’m fine with it but Dad doesn’t do weird. He and Lucy were always fighting because she wouldn’t fall into line. She did her own thing and Dad didn’t like that. He has a stick up his ass most of the time.”

  “Brad, you shouldn’t speak about your father that way!” An elegant blonde lady stepped into our little group. She wore a black dress that hugged her figure all the way down to her ankles. I could see the resemblance between her and Brad and knew at once that this was the hostess of the evening.

  “Jane Hawthorne,” she said, reaching for my hand. Her touch was warm and light. “Please ignore my son; he likes to stir up drama where none exists. And you are?”

  “Alec Harbinger,” I said. “And this is my associate Felicity Lake.”

  “So glad you could make it,” Jane said, either not recalling or choosing not to mention the fact that she hadn’t invited us here. As she shook Felicity’s hand, she said, “You look wonderful, Miss Lake. You must tell me where you got that delightful chain.”

  “I’m out of here,” Brad said, rolling his eyes. “Later, dudes.” He disappeared into the throng of people.

  Turning back to me, Jane asked, “What is it you do, Mr Harbinger?”

  “I’m a preternatural investigator,” I told her, choosing to avoid confusion by using the full words of my job title rather than the initials.

  “Oh,” she said uncertainly. “That sounds very…interesting.”

  While Jane’s attention was focused on me, Felicity opened her purse and took out a crystal shard. There was no glow.

  “Well, enjoy the party,” Jane said, seeming a little flustered at my profession. Or maybe she’d suddenly remembered that she hadn’t sent me an invitation and was wondering how I’d gotten in here. She gave me an uncertain wave and disappeared into the crowd.

  “Okay,” Leon said, after Jane had gone. “You have to tell me what’s going on here. I saw those crystal shards. Why are you checking people for residual magic?”

  “We’re working a case,” I conceded. “But at the moment, all we’re doing is eliminating people from our investigation. There’s nothing major happening, it’s just routine.”

  Leon looked unconvinced but I wasn’t going to lay the entire case out for him right now. Maybe once we’d found our culprit I’d explain everything to him but for now, I couldn’t risk being overheard by the very people we were investigating.

  I saw a flash of red hair and my heart sank when I recognized Amy. Not because Amy was here at the party but because Merlin—in the shape of her father, of course—was accompanying her.

  Felicity looked over and saw them too. “Well you should have guessed the sheriff would be invited to Jane Hawthorne’s party, Alec.”

  “Yes, of course,” I said, “But what’s he doing here? He isn’t the sheriff so why is he here at all?”

  She shrugged. “If you were trapped in a cave for hundreds of years, wouldn’t you want to go to a party when you got out?”

  I let out a long sigh. Coming here was beginning to look like a mistake. The last
thing I needed was another lecture from Merlin about how I should be doing my duty. Amy would take the opportunity to twist the knife by telling me how desperately her father needed me.

  I had nothing new to offer in the way of leads or information because I was still waiting to hear from Michael Chester so the conversation would be a repeat of the one we’d had earlier in my office, with me feeling like the bad guy.

  “Come on, guys,” Leon said. “I can see this is more than just routine. Tell me what’s—”

  He stopped suddenly and I turned to look at him. He was staring at something across the room.

  I followed his gaze to the huge mirror on the wall. The edges of the glass were darkening, as dark smoke spread across the reflection of the room in which we stood. The smoke expanded until it obscured the glass entirely and the mirror became a huge square of impenetrable darkness on the wall.

  The chatter in the room had died down. Everyone’s attention seemed fixed on the mirror. Some of the guests were cooing appreciatively, as if this sudden apparition was part of the evening’s entertainment.

  I took the crystal shard out of my pocket. It was glowing as brightly as a tiny sun.

  The dark smoke erupted from the mirror and filled the ballroom in a matter of seconds. No one was cooing now.

  The thick smoke brought a fetid stench of sulfur with it and most of the guests were now either coughing or gagging. Everyone began running and stumbling for the door.

  Felicity looked at me with concern in her eyes. “Alec, what’s happening?”

  “I have no idea.” Standing here doing nothing wasn’t an option; this could be another magical attack on Charles. I looked for him in the chaos but the smoke was so thick that visibility was reduced to no more than a few feet.

  “Follow me,” I said to Felicity and Leon.

  Instead of heading for the door, which would be blocked by panicked guests trying to escape the room, I made my way to the window and opened it before climbing out onto a strip of grass near the parking area.

  While Felicity and Leon clambered out of the window, I sprinted to the Land Rover and opened the tailgate.