Chapter 11

Dannika.



It took us over an hour to get to Littlebourne, a small village in Canterbury, about an hour and a half from my grandparents’ estate. Dolores lived in a magnificent country cottage, old, with beautiful gardens and impressive views of the countryside. Kelsie parked the car, and I could tell my friends felt the fading magic. Something was very wrong with that house. I was right. My gut feelings had never disappointed me.
Kate’s wand was vibrating and the hair on the back of my neck stood on end. I was certain that if any humans were near the estate even they would have stopped and looked, wondering what was wrong with Dolores’s house.
Gloomy, dark and gritty currents of magic surrounded the estate. Kelsie swallowed hard and looked at both of us. I felt death, chilling air spreading deep into my bones. It felt like the same spells that had killed my grandmother, but the atmosphere around Dolores’s house was different, much calmer. There was no sign of any fighting.
"I guess she won't be telling us anything," Kate said, breaking the silence.
"I should have thought about her sooner," I said, as my pulse raced away. "She lived alone, so there probably hasn't been anyone else inside."
"We should go in, see if we can find anything useful," Kate suggested, squeezing her magic wand tightly in her hand.
"Shit, I really thought we finally got somewhere," Kelsie said. "No offence to your father, Julia, but where the hell are the police? If that lady was your grandma’s friend, then shouldn't she have been questioned by Dannika?"
Magic was whipping through the air, heating up my skin and burning my eyes. I was having difficulties taking enough oxygen into my lungs. Kelsie was right. Dolores was a very important witness, and the police should have known about her. It didn't make sense that no one noticed the toxic power that filled the house.
"We need to get inside," I said. "We can call the police later."
This wasn't rocket science. Dolores was dead, even a non-magical creature couldn't have mistaken it. We got out of the car and hesitantly approached the house. Goose bumps appeared down my arms and the muscles in my stomach tightened.
"There’s a dead paranormal behind those doors, Julia. I don't think we should wait on letting the authorities know," Kate said, waving her magic wand, probably to ease the gritty magic that circulated around the house. I didn't know what I was looking for. Deep down I was hoping we were all wrong and Dolores was still alive.
"I'm going inside to search the house," I said. "Dolores was most likely a target. She was Grandma’s friend and now she’s dead."
"All right, I'll look around the back. Kate?" Kelsie asked.
"Fine, but I don't like this. This whole thing stinks."
I couldn't help agreeing with Kate, especially when I went inside. The scene was completely opposite to what happened in my grandmother’s property. Everything looked immaculate in the hallway, the furniture was in order, and paintings were still on the walls. The space was clean and tidy, but my heart skipped a beat when I walked into the large living room.
Dolores was sitting in the chair, dressed in her pink robe, and clearly dead. She had her nails done and the faint scent of vanilla filled the space. The killer must have caught her by surprise, because her knitting sat right in front of her. So sad. My stomach twisted, and I felt a sharp pain in my skull.
"Are you okay?" Kate whispered.
The discomfort lasted only for a moment. Energy crackled across the room, filling me fast. Dolores had been cursed. I didn't recognise the type of spell. Her eyes were still open and that bothered me, because it looked like she was staring straight at me. For a good few minutes I stood there in silence, trying to understand what had happened in here.
"Julia, let's look around the house. I'll find her office before the police seal everything off," Kate suggested, nudging me with her elbow.
I was seriously freaked out, because everything seemed so calm. Dolores looked like she was waiting for her tea to be served.
"All right, I'll go upstairs," I offered, flinching back and moving quickly upstairs.
The house was huge, with at least four bedrooms. I found a black cat in Dolores’s bedroom. My heart pounded when I was checking the drawers and wardrobe. Maybe this case was bigger than anything that I’d ever dealt with. It took me five minutes to pull myself together, to function like I was supposed to, before I continued with the search.
Kelsie came in and we all went to Dolores’s office. I found some correspondence addressed to my grandma, but they were only discussing general matters of the Association. The flasks and bottles were empty, and the kitchen drawers were filled with paperwork.
Kate made the call to Dannika. We were undoubtedly already in trouble for scouring through Dolores's possessions, but at this stage I was past caring.
My own energy was draining me. I was sweating, trying to suppress the excess magic. When I touched the couch, I nearly burned it. My fingertips were setting things on fire, and a couple of bulbs in the living room had already exploded.
Within a few hours, the house was filled with officers from the paranormal unit. A few neighbours came to watch from a distance.
The three of us were sitting in the pristine kitchen in silence when Dannika finally came back.
"I'm not happy with the fact that the three of you are here," she said, folding her arms over her chest.
She knew me well, since she’d been reporting to my father before he’d been suspended from his regular duties. I never thought she was beautiful, but she had striking purple eyes and long black hair. She was a pure-born witch like Kate. She didn't mess around and never took crap from anyone. She was the kindest, mouthiest police officer I’d ever met.
I didn't know what I was supposed to tell her. "I needed to do something. Dolores didn't come to the funeral," I explained. "She and my grandmother were close, so I found it strange. I know they were both killed with the same curse."
Dannika exhaled sharply, chewing her bottom lip. Yeah, she was pissed off. "We’ve managed to identify the wizard who was last seen with your grandmother. He had been on our radar a few times, mainly for supply and disruption of illegal potions. The fraud allegations from the head of the Elves Association are legitimate. We went through the paperwork. I'm sorry, Julia, but it looks like your grandmother did take the money. None of this is looking good."
She could tell me whatever she wanted, but I knew my grandmother wasn't a thief.
"Grandma loved working with the Association and she would never do anything like that. I'm sorry, Dannika, but I won't just give up on clearing her name. If I don't solve this, Dad will keep at it and lose his job. You know how stubborn he can be."
She twisted her lips and sighed, shaking her head. “You're an idiot then, Julia. I thought you had some sense in you. Some secrets ain’t worth being dug up. I have work to do, so the three of you should leave before I change my mind and arrest you for interfering in my investigation."
"You can't do that! We’re trying to help," Kelsie shouted, getting up. Dannika took a step towards her, her purples eyes gleaming with anger.
"Watch your mouth, shifter. This isn't your place to get involved," she hissed.
"All right, all right," I said, dragging Kelsie away. "Kelsie, we’re leaving. Dannika, I'm sorry about that." We didn't need this right now. Dannika wasn't going to put up with Kelsie’s bad manners.
A few wizards from the paranormal unit were already gathering around the house when we drove off. Dannika was only doing what she was paid to do. I couldn't blame her, but she was wrong about Grandma. She wouldn't commit fraud. She already had a fortune. Meanwhile, Grandpa Fred had been missing for a week now, and the police were on the case, trying to track him down. The longer he remained missing, the more worried my family became.
"I should go back to the house and punch her. Shifter. Did you hear that bitch?"
"Kelsie, calm down. She’s only doing what she has to," I said, knowing it was time to get back to the basics. "Maybe we should back off for a bit."
"What? Are you serious?"
"Julia, you aren’t going to give up? Your grandmother’s friends are being targeted. We have a lead, and we should be speaking to others."
Kate was staring at me. I’d never seen her so pumped up. She was partly right. We needed to speak to members of the Association, my grandma's other friends, but I needed to be careful.
"Dannika doesn’t care that I'm her boss’s daughter. We need to be careful and get back to the basics of the case. The wizard. We need to find him before she does. This case, these murders, have something to do with her past and me," I said. "Head to the M2. I want to get home before it gets dark."
Kelsie nodded. We were still in Canterbury. Dannika had said more than she realised. The wizard was an illegal potion trader. Maybe I just had to ask the right people, as I’d done in the past.
"So, what are we going to do?" Kate asked.
"Kelsie, can you speak to Michael? He still has his contacts around the city. There’s a good possibility that he knows the right people."
“That's true. He has good connections," Kelsie admitted.
"What about the letter? Maybe you should show it to your father?" Kate suggested.
"I will, but not yet. At this point, it’ll only motivate him to do more harm than good."
I had a bad migraine when the girls dropped me home several hours later. My excess magic was zooming. Later on, I got a text from Kelsie. She gave Michael an overview of what I needed to know. The wizard was still a mystery, but we knew he was famous on the streets, and like Jasper, his reputation preceded him. It was just a matter of time before Michael would find someone we needed to talk to.
My apartment was cold, and I cast a few spells, trying to release the energy, just the way Tron had taught me, hoping to get some relief. I was angry, suddenly frustrated that everything was going wrong. For about eight months Nathaniel and I were perfectly happy. Now, he acted and behaved like a complete stranger. Why?
I went to bed early, but I didn't sleep well. My skin was boiling hot, and the annoying buzzing of my powers kept me up for most of the night. I went to work feeling tired and cranky, not quite ready to conquer yet another stressful day.
Later on that day I started doing some research about vampires and their temperament. I didn't find anything useful. Nathaniel’s sudden outburst of anger was unexplainable, but I wasn't ready to give up. There were other ways to find out why my fiancé had gone crazy.
Later that day, I called more hospitals, places that my grandpa liked to visit, his friends. I even went through a list of people who knew him, but no one had seen him. I kept pretending that I was all right, but deep down I was missing Nathaniel. It was hard to forget. We had five years together and I still loved him.
I was glad when work was finally over on Friday night. The week had gone, and I felt like I hadn't made any progress. We were just about to lock up the office. Kate was going through the last few files and I was counting the invoices.
“What's your plans for the weekend?" Kate asked, when I sighed loudly. She knew I’d been in a bad mood most of the day.
"I don't have any. I was supposed to look at wedding venues with Nathaniel, but that obviously isn't going to happen," I said, smiling weakly.
"Don't think about—"
She didn't finish what she started to say, because we heard someone come in. Two large wolves stood by the entrance. I froze, and Kate grabbed her wand. The larger wolf began to shake, and soon his fur transformed into a human skin, his paws shifting into legs and arms. Within a moment I saw a naked Michael in the same spot where a moment ago a wolf stood. Then Kelsie shifted back into her human form.
"For God’s sake, Kelsie, this isn't funny. I nearly had a heart attack," Kate shouted, waving her magic wand, creating some clothes for both of them.
"Chill. This was necessary. We needed to be sure no one followed us," Kelsie said, putting a T-shirt on and winking at her shifter boyfriend.
“She's right. I have information about the wizard. If we want to speak to him, we need to leave now."