Heart of the Witch (13 page)

Nick shaved and splashed on some Aramis cologne that had been a Christmas gift from his mother last year, then whistled as he walked toward Ravyn Skyler's shop and his first day working there.

It's
a case. Keep that in mind, Lassiter, only a case
.

How long would he have to work with her before he could broach the real reason for being there? And how did he expect to start the conversation, anyway? Hey,
how are you? Nice day, huh? By the way, tell me about the maniac that held you hostage and almost gutted you
.

Nope. That wouldn't work. And he wasn't sure what would. She was distant, cold. But he detected a warmth simmering underneath. He could sense it. He could also sense that if he ever unlocked the warmth, he might get burned.

When he walked in, he didn't see Sorina. Ravyn was there, however, and he gave her his best smile.

She didn't smile back. Her lips were set in a rigid line, the corners of her mouth slightly turned down. Her thick, dark hair was pulled away from her face, and she wore a shiny black blouse that lay softly against her breasts. Her nipples were clearly outlined.

It was cool in the shop, yet Nick felt a layer of perspiration break out on his skin. He raised his head and forced himself to look at her face. "Nice day." He gave her another smile, hoping it read more friendly than lecherous.

Her gaze was steady as she asked, "What do you really want?"

Nick's smile faded. "Pardon?"

"What are you up to? Why do you really want to work here?"

"I told you about my daughter. I'm just trying to find a way to get her some nice things." He shoved his hands in his pockets. "You know, the real question here is, What's your problem? Why do you dislike me so much?"

She stared at him for a moment before speaking. He noticed she did that a lot, as if carefully weighing each word. "I don't know you, so I can't very well dislike you."

Geez, if she didn't watch it, he'd be overcome by the warm fuzzies. He pulled his hands from his pockets and crossed his arms. "Your sister likes me," he pointed out.

Ravyn gave an unladylike snort. "My sister likes everyone." She made it sound as if Sorina's amiability were some kind of disease.

"Gee, thanks."

At that moment, Sorina came out through the curtains behind the register. Her smile burned away the icy wall Ravyn's attitude had erected, and she said, "Good morning. I'm so glad you're here!"

Nick shot a triumphant look at Ravyn. "Thanks. Me, too. I really appreciate this."

"Well, the place could use your help. There are a lot of repairs that need to be done, and we've just been ignoring them."

"Guess I'd better get started," Nick replied. He took her hand and gallantly placed a kiss upon it. "At your service, madam."

Sorina giggled. "Come on back. The first thing I'd like you to do is reinforce some shelving. I've noticed there are a few places where it sags a bit. We wouldn't want all that glass tumbling down on our heads!"

Nick followed her into the back, into a room where there were rows of shelves stocked with glass jars and boxes of various supplies. On the opposite side of the room was a small stove upon which sat a double boiler. Next to the stove was a table that held sheets of wax, a jar containing a multitude of wicks, and a small shelf where several bottles were lined up, each neatly labeled with the scent it held.

Sorina frowned. "I know it's a lot of work, but I guess I need you to empty one shelf at a time, reinforce it, reload it and then start on the next."

Yeah, that
was
a lot of work. But it would keep him around for a while. At least until he found an opening to ask about the Tin Man.

"Not a problem. I'll get started right away," he promised.

He worked for three hours and reinforced two sets of shelves. He hadn't seen either sister the whole time, and decided it was time to call it a day.

As he walked out front, he saw Ravyn pulling on a black leather coat. She didn't look at him, although he knew she was aware of his presence.

He called to Sorina, whom he couldn't see, "I'm taking off for the day. I'll be back in the morning."

"Great," her voice filtered back, and she appeared from around a corner. "We close in an hour, anyway. I'm just going to finish some things up. Then I'll be taking off, too."

Nick nodded and headed for the door. But the opportunity presenting itself was more than he could resist. Leaving at the same time as Ravyn? It was time to do a little real detective work.

He watched her pull out of the parking lot in a champagne-colored Sebring. Keeping a discreet distance, he followed. They drove south for fifteen minutes, toward Lake Thunderbird. Ravyn turned onto a gravel road where he knew he'd have a hard time staying with her and not being seen. He took a chance: he could monitor her route from quite a distance back, thanks to the cloud of dust her passing created.

She finally pulled into the drive of a house where he assumed she lived. Nick cruised by, shifting onto a dirt road just past her turnoff. There was a limited view of her home from where he sat. He just had to hope no other vehicles appeared. Not likely. The road didn't seem to lead to anywhere.

Ravyn's home was a log cabin with reddish trim, which backed up to the lake. Nestled in a cocoon of leafy trees, it was a haven of seclusion. It fit her. He could see someone with her penchant for privacy living out here. Not just living, but thriving.

He waited, watching her house, not even sure why. He needed to know where she lived and observe her a little, he supposed. But what exactly did he expect to learn?

He sat there until dark, not knowing what he anticipated but not really having anything else to do. When the lights burning inside the house went out, he started the car. He pulled forward, making a U-turn in the road. But just before he drove away, he glanced in his rearview mirror and saw a figure heading out Ravyn's back door—a female wearing some kind of flowing black gown.

What the hell?

Nick circled back and pulled his car as far off the road as possible, into the tree line. He climbed out and keeping alongside the underbrush, made his way down the fence that divided her property from the dirt road. Damp leaves slapped against his face, and the smell of moist earth mingled with the scent of lake water. He could feel mud clinging to his shoes but didn't care. He had to see what she was up to.

He spotted her at the edge of the lake, and he squatted down behind the fence to watch. She lifted her arms, and her gown blew against her body. He could see the outline of her breasts tight against the fabric. He thought back to seeing her nipples earlier, and he sucked in a breath. God, she was beautiful. Strange, but beautiful.

His body reacted. Taking a deep breath, he tried to make his erection fade, but he couldn't help it. Ravyn Skyler was an enigma, pushing him away yet unconsciously drawing him closer. He thought there'd been something in her eyes when she looked at him. A reluctant desire. Although it had been a while since he had seen, or looked for, that type of reaction in women, he was fairly certain he'd detected it in Ravyn.

Lightning flashed for a brief moment, surrounding the exact spot where she stood. He blinked and shook his head, knowing he had to have imagined what he'd just seen. There wasn't a cloud in the sky! The rain they'd had yesterday had been followed by sunshine all day today, so it couldn't have been lightning. But he'd seen
something
. What the hell was happening here?

If Ravyn noticed the lightning, it apparently hadn't fazed her. Unmoving, she stood at the edge of the water, a light breeze lifting her gown around her legs. What was she doing? And how long was Nick going to remain crouched down in this uncomfortable position watching her?

He knew the answer to that one: until she went inside and he could no longer see her.

Late the next morning, aching and stiff from his lengthy surveillance of Ravyn Skyler, Nick crawled out of bed, swallowed some coffee and showered. Then he went to see the hunters who'd found Ravyn after the attack.

The boys lived out in the country on an acreage, in a manufactured home that was surprisingly large and nicely furnished. Sixteen-year-old Carl sat on the edge of the living-room sofa, his hands nervously clutching his bony knees. His brother Cameron, two years older and a tad more courageous, slouched beside him, the only sign of his discomfort a rhythmic tapping of his camouflage boots.

The parents were out. Nick was glad about that. Whatever he could get from these boys would be easier without the adults sitting in.

"So, tell me exactly what happened." Nick sat in the chair next to the sofa, leaning slightly toward the boys in a conspiratorial pose.

"We already told the cops," Cameron spoke up.

"I know. But I'm not a cop. I'm a private investigator working my own case, and I'd like to hear your story."

Carl's eyes slid toward his brother, then back to Nick. "We was… hiking." He swallowed. "Hiking in the woods, and we heard a commotion, so we went running."

"Hiking?" Nick's brows rose, and skepticism colored his tone.

Carl's gaze roamed again, this time leaping all over the room until finally landing on the floor in front of him. He said nothing.

"Look." Nick sighed, making sure to keep his voice level, calm, trustworthy. "I don't care about the poaching."

The heads of both boys snapped up like the lids on two Tic Tac boxes.

"I know you were hunting out of season, and I promise that I don't give a damn. I just want to know what happened with the girl."

Cameron slid to the edge of the sofa and began speaking rapidly, as if once he'd decided to come clean, he was anxious to get it all over and done with. "Yeah, we was hunting. We heard this awful screaming. We went running, and just as we got close to the cabin, we heard the sound of a car driving off. We went inside real slow, 'cause we was scared."

Carl took the story from there, his apprehension gone as he was overcome by the remembered excitement of the experience. "The girl was tied to the bed. She was in pain, we could tell, but calm as pond water. We untied her and dialed nine-one-one on my cell phone. The cops talked to us, and we told 'em what happened. They let us go, and that was it. We never saw the man what did that to her."

"How quickly would you say you arrived at the cabin after you heard the screaming?" Nick asked.

Cameron's eyebrows drew together. "We was only a little ways off. I'd say we got there about three to five minutes after we heard 'im scream."

"Wait. Him?"

The brothers nodded in unison. "Yeah. Him. That's what was really fuck—" Cameron stopped in midcurse and looked at Nick from under the brim of his University of Oklahoma cap. "Messed up about the deal. We run to the cabin and go in. There's this girl, no dude around. But it was a
man's
scream. Never did figure that one out."

Nick couldn't figure that out either. Why the hell would the murdering psycho scream and run, and Ravyn Skyler not utter a sound?

The morning Nick Lassiter was due to arrive for his third day of work, Ravyn tried once more to talk some sense into her sister. She didn't like Nick's being there. Not one bit. A stranger hanging around too much was not a good idea. They'd been over it daily since he'd been hired, but Sorina wouldn't budge.