Everyone laughed. I looked at Rhonda--and was sure the quip wasn't all just a joke.

We sat down for a nice meal--I ate till my jeans were too tight--drinking more tea than I should have. I had a buzz that wouldn't stop and I couldn't sit still. So while everyone else talked I got up and moved into the Botannica.

The room itself was the house's converted living room, complete with fireplace and mantel. I stuck my tongue out at the stone dragon on mantel and moved to the section of books in the back of the room. Books, statues, rune bags, candles, all manner of oogie was in this room.

"What are you doing in here?"

Tim's voice scared me and I gave a silent yelp. I turned and glared at the ghost--he wasn't corporeal at the moment but I could still see him. Don't do that.

"Sorry--but you rarely come in here without someone else with you. So--" he held out his long thin hands and gestured at the room.

Too much tea.

He laughed. "I think coming from you, it makes sense."

I pointed to the books. So where in here would I find out stuff on ceremonial magic?

"Why in the h.e.l.l would you want to learn about that? It's a commanding and compelling art. Something you need stay away from."

I crossed my arms over my chest--and then winced at the pain in my arm and uncrossed them. d.a.m.ned Shadow freaks. Why would I need to stay away from it? I don't do this stuff.

"No, but you being a Wraith makes you more susceptible to their commanding circles. Ceremonials draw a circle to contain and compel, not to welcome in. If you're in Wraith form--I think if you got too close you could get sucked in. Kinda like Dags-only I don't think there's a way to mojo up a invisibility bracelet for you."

Now that was comforting.

That's not why I'm asking. I looked back at the books. The Reverend Rollins somehow made a deal to have a Symbiont--which prolonged his life and his health. Hirok.u.mi was willing to sacrifice his daughter in order to obtain a Symbiont. So, I turned to look at Tim. Would ceremonial magic play into that kind of deal? Because when I saw him today--he felt like a symbiont, Tim. He had all the oogie--but then he didn't.

Tim nodded slowly as if he were thinking. "So you're thinking there's a symbiont inside of Bonville?"

Maybe. I don't know. Or maybe it's just a piece of one?

"I guess anything is possible in this world, Zoe. But I'm far from the expert to talk to. I think you should try and see things with your Wraith eyes. Go with what you know."

I started chewing on the situation. Was I going off the mark? I didn't know, but I was aware of something tingling inside--as if I was guessing right. So I think maybe learning more about Bonville's past might reveal what his motivations are in this? How Maureen got involve?

"I think you need to know that, and what's in that book," Tim said, and I realized he'd heard my musings.

"Zoe!"

That was Rhonda. Tim and I moved from the botanica to the Tea Shop. Everyone had a book--Mom had the big book. Rhonda was motioning me to where she sat. "I know how Maureen is involved with Bonville."

I needed my board.

And as if reading my mind, my Mom got up--still holding the book--moved to the counter over the cakes and desserts display and picked up my dry erase board. Still without looking up from the book she handed them to me and sat back down.

I love you, Mom.

"I know."

For a second I thought she heard me, and then I saw her half smile and knew she'd only antic.i.p.ated my mental response. Or had she?

I scribbled. OTHER THAN WORK FOR?

"She didn't work for Dr. Bonville. She worked for Alice Bonville--the ex-wife of Dr. Bonville--at the Livery Bar and Restaurant. That's where the "Alice" person comes from. The restaurant is separate ownership--it was something Dr. Bonville couldn't touch," she pointed to the journal. "Maureen says in her diary that she and Alice were usually late at the restaurant cleaning, taking stock, and sometimes sharing a gla.s.s of wine upstairs. Alice confided in her one night that the restaurant was the one thing that was hers alone. And that's the place she kept all her secrets."

Dags looked up. "Was Allard taking things from her in the divorce? Doesn't it work the other way usually?"

"Yeah," Rhonda said. "Alice was an heiress. She had the money--but apparently he signed a pre-nuptial agreement. But, he hired a pretty crooked lawyer and was able to find a few loopholes. Where he couldn't touch the family money, he could and did try and take everything they'd worked together on. So she hid most of it--and kept the restaurant by signing it over to Maureen. But for some reason he wanted the restaurant more than anything else--" she looked up us. "You think it has anything to do with the Shadow People in there? Or those doc.u.ments? Or--maybe he's after the grimoire? Maybe it's buried in there like the papers?"

"I doubt it," Mom said from where she sat with the book. "According to this--" she looked up at us. "I have the Cruorem Grimoire in my hands."

That shut some books. Rhonda sat up. "You're kidding. You mean it was in Maureen's apartment?"

"Yes. The encryption used in this is extremely elementary--I'm surprised you didn't see it immediately."

I looked at Rhonda. She didn't look happy. My mom can be a bit much.

Yah think?

"And?" Dags said as he nodded to the book.

"Most of it is pretty much the ramblings of an idiot--though albeit a pretty evil idiot."

"Are there lots of spells?"

"There are lots of grandfathered spells." Mom held up the book and we all gathered around. There were lots of older pages, worn and smudged, with a very scriptive handwriting as well as diagrams and symbols. But the newer pages in the back weren't as nicely rendered, nor were there any intricate drawings. "As you can see--the front of the book is part of the older Grimoire, and the back is his new stuff."

"So is the spell he used on me for these," Dags held up his hands indicating the circles that were now invisible. "In the front of the book--the grandfathered stuff?"

"Yes. But you're not going to like it." She pursed her lips as she looked at him. "He made you a component of the Shadow Door."

Everyone stopped and looked at her.

The what?

Rhonda licked her lips. "The what?"

Mom held up the book so everyone could see a full page image of a person being sucked through a portal in the air. I shivered. Tim pointed at the book. "That's just wrong."

"A Shadow Door is a man-made doorway into the Abysmal plane. Sometimes they're created by Coyote Flame."

"That's neutral magic," Rhonda said. "That's not right--not even in the ceremonial world. You don't learn that stuff and then write it down for other people to use--you have to go through years of discipline and training to ever learn that level of magic. I mean, if I understand what I'm seeing, this spell actually pulls or pushes someone physically into the Abysmal plane. What in the h.e.l.l would you use that for?"

"Well, to enter another plane, or to make someone disappear. Great way to get rid of someone so the authorities never find them."

Everyone grew quiet. Finally I erased my board and scribbled. WHAT HAPPENS TO SOUL WHEN BODY IS SUCKED?

I held it up. Dags grinned. I looked at the board, scowled and added IN to the last word.

Jemmy finally spoke up. "That's a good question, there Zoe. No matter how bad you asked it. My opinion on that would be their souls would remain in the Abysmal after the body dies."

"But remain as what?" Rhonda asked, looking at Jemmy.

The elderly woman had a very sad look on her face as she slowly shook her head. "Shadow Folk."

Apparently--and I don't pretend to understand any of it--from what everyone read out of Maureen's journals--Alice Bonville confided in Maureen about having stolen a box from her old house, believing it contained her grandmother's china--something she hadn't wanted the b.a.s.t.a.r.d to have. The box sat in her bas.e.m.e.nt for several weeks unopened.

But then he arrived one night on her doorstep, demanding the box back. She'd had to call the police to have him bodily removed. She put a restraining order out on him. She'd called Maureen that night and the two of them went through the box.

It wasn't full of grandma's china.

More like a box full of gitchie-goomies from h.e.l.l. Candles, parchment, black ink with a foul smell (Rhonda figured it was blood) as well as the book and a folder full of the papers found in the loft of the restaurant. Maureen described finding jars of things with odd labels and smells, a bag of incense sticks and a manila folder.

The folder was what freaked both of the ladies out--inside of the folder were four glossy pictures of four different people. Maureen recognized two of them--both working at the restaurant. Alice recognized the other two as having worked at the hospital.

Rhonda looked up at Dags who was leaned back on the sofa. I was in my usual perch in the pompasan. My arm and thigh were aching and I really just wanted to curl up and sleep. "Your name is listed as one of the photos."

Dags nodded. "Well, if Bonville is Fafner, then it stands to reason that he probably has pictures of each of the Guardians. Four pictures. It also explains why Maureen took a keen interest in me and what I was doing when I wasn't at the restaurant."

"You think she knew what all the stuff was for?" Rhonda said.

Mom spoke up. "No, but I'm sure Alice knew." She didn't have one of the journals in her lap but instead had the Big Book of Everything. "The Cruorem are mentioned in this book as being one of the largest and most powerful ceremonial cults in the New World--and it was believed they were responsible for the disappearance of over eight hundred people in that time. They are also a.s.sociated with the appearance of Shadow Folk."

"You're kidding," Rhonda ditched the journal, leaving it where she'd been on the floor and moved to mom in her wicker chair. "I didn't see that in this book."

"You didn't look under Rumors and Really Scary Tales section."

Rhonda smirked. "Yes'm." She looked down at the book. "Wow...it says here that the Cruorem were untouchable--especially when it came to the law of the land. Many occult groups--including one of the larger influential Wiccan covens in England--tried to stop them."

Dags said, "I take it they failed?"

Rhonda looked at him. "They vanished."

I swallowed and eye-balled Dags. And you joined these a.s.sholes? You let them mark you?

He looked at me. "So like you've never done anything bone-headed in your life?"

Uh. Well. Hrm. I wasn't gonna pursue that one. I know when to pick my battles. Or so I fooled myself into thinking I did. But what I wanted at that moment was to call the hospital and see how Daniel was doing. I'd tried to get mom to do it earlier but she said Cooper had called and said there was no change.

But Daniel was in the same hospital that this wacko practiced in--and what if said wacko figured out who I was? And what if he did some mean ho-jo to my man?

Well--I'd kick his a.s.s that's what.

Zoe...

The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. I thought I heard my name.

Come here Zoe...

I sat up. There it was again. And I knew on some weird level that it wasn't anyone in here.

"...somewhere in the past fifty years or so the Cruorem lost their power," Rhonda was saying as she read over mom's shoulder. "It is believed that within the family line several known believers were born and protested that the family "business" of cursing and running amok was a bad idea. When Nora Wynne took over as the head of the family she obliterated the group in one night--and over twenty core members vanished. She was deemed a hero by the locals and went on to settle in North Georgia and became an entrepreneur."

I have the answers...

s.h.i.t! That was my voice! Sort of--it had a distinct male timbre to it.

"So how does Alice Bonville fare into this? Why do you think she knew about it?" Dags said.

I promise not to bite...

And abruptly I felt a sensual gnawing along my neck. And much to my unhappy thoughts, it made me bothered in all the wrong places.

Mom sighed. "Because Alice is Nora Wynne's daughter. Alice is the inheritor of the Cruorem."

Rhonda's jaw dropped. "So--if Alice is the head of the Cruorem--what the h.e.l.l is Allard doing?"

"My a.s.sumption is that Alice was following in her mom's footsteps--by putting the whole magical thing behind her. And it was her husband that dredged it all up. From the reaction that Maureen talks about," Mom shook her head. "I'd say either Alice did know what Allard was up to or she was turning a blind eye, until the reality was right in front of her."

I looked at the windows. The wind was blowing and I didn't have to be outside to know it was cold out there.

--even though you like it.

That did it. I knew who it was--and I was both terrified as well as a little curious to see for myself. But there was only one other being in the world that had my voice besides me.

"Nona--" Rhonda said. "This could be bad. Do you think Allard used this door to get rid of Maureen and Alice to get to the grimoire?"

Mom nodded.

"Oh....d.a.m.n. I'm not feeling so good. You think he knows we have that book now?" Dags sat up.

They're all wrong--but I can give you the answers--you want to protect your little cop, don't you?

I moved out of the Botannica. I somehow knew the voice--my voice--was outside. And I also knew I needed my coat. I grabbed it out of the closet in the kitchen and slipped it on.

"Where are you going, Zoe?" my mom called out.

I walked back into the Botannica and pointed outside and mouthed, "Need air."

"Need air?" Rhonda frowned at me and I noticed Tim was looking at the windows. "It's freezing out there."

I waved at them and stepped outside.

Frigid wind slapped me in the face and I was somewhat happy that I had my hair down--though that was up and whipping about. The front of mom's house is a cla.s.sic porch that wraps around the house, and she'd decorated it like every other southern woman in Georgia would decorate it--she'd put white wicker chairs to the right of the door and a table between the two.

In the shadows outside I could see him, sitting in one of those chairs, rocking slowly back and forth, his long coat splayed over the arm rests.