Magician's Muse (9 page)

And now she was missing.

After calling Dad and telling him about the email from Jade, I went to bed early.

Unfortunately, sleep was as elusive as answers to the questions that were buzzing in my mind. It was like someone had pressed the “crazy” button on my life and whirled everything out of control. There must be a curse on names starting with “J.” Jade and Josh were missing. And poor Jacques was dead.

When Nona first started training me in how to use my psychic abilities, she’d talked about the strange mysteries of coincidence. Family members sharing the same birthdays, people dying on the same date they were born, and how you can meet someone and feel like you’ve known them forever. Most people chalk these happenings up to coincidence, but Nona assured me that there was a master plan for all our lives. Even names, often random, could hold deep meaning to our life paths.

But my worries about Josh and Jade were overshadowed by the hole in my heart left by Dominic. His face was all I saw when I closed my eyes. His voice whispered sweet memories of our special moments together. And my lips ached to feel the soft caress of his again.

To ward off spirits, I always slept with a nightlight on. Tonight I’d chosen a heart-shaped light, and its soft red glow shined across the wall to my bed. Somehow this seemed to calm my anxiety, as if the heart’s light connected me to Dominic.

The next morning, I was surprised at how soundly I’d slept. No dreams of guns, dead bodies, or evil magicians who could make people disappear. Although I immediately remembered everything as soon as I opened my eyes. Getting ready for school seemed like such a futile, ordinary thing. But what else could I do?

Besides, I had a test in English.

I was a little disappointed when Penny-Love didn’t show up to pick me up, so I texted her. She responded: “CU@L8R.”

When I got to school, I found her waiting for me—only she wasn’t alone.

Thorn’s pink fishnet stockings, chalky makeup, and tiny metal skull earrings were a stark contrast to Penny-Love’s skinny jeans with flower-shaped pockets, empire waist striped blouse, and hair snagged in two bouncy red ponytails.

“You two together?” I asked.

“A lapse of sanity,” Thorn answered, scowling.

“We need to stick together—at least until this little problem is over,” Penny-Love said.

“Little?” Thorn mocked.

“Give me a break, okay? I’ve had a bad night.” Penny-Love’s eyes were puffy and shadowed as if she’d slept badly. “Sabine, have you heard anything?”

“About what?”

Looking around furtively, Penny-Love hissed in my ear, “Jacques! What else?”

“Oh … yeah. And no, I haven’t heard anything.”

“Me neither! And it’s making me insane!” She grasped my arm, her nails sharp against my skin. “I checked the news and there was nothing about Jacques at all! How can that be? No reports about the murder of a local high school student?”

“I told you we should have called 911,” I retorted. “His body probably hasn’t been discovered.”

“Oh yes it has,” Penny-Love assured me.

“How can you be so sure? It’s not like you went back to check …” I watched a guilty blush darken her face. “Ohmygod, Pen—you didn’t!”

“I had to. After Thorn went home, I couldn’t stop thinking about Jacques. I just had to know. So I drove back, expecting to see police cars and flashing lights. But it was calm. So I went into the apartment building … just to check.”

“You idiot!” Thorn glared. “You deserve to be on that TV show about stupid criminals.”

“But I’m not a criminal.” Penny-Love’s shoulders shook like she was close to breaking down.

“We know that,” I assured her as I slipped my arm around her. I shot a venomous look at Thorn. “Right, Thorn?”

“Oh, all right,” Thorn said ungraciously. “She’s not a criminal. She’s just acting stupid.”

“I couldn’t help myself,” Penny-Love sobbed. “I had to know what was going on and to make sure someone found him. I was careful and pretended like I was going to a different apartment. His apartment door was closed and I heard voices inside. So I figured it was the police, although I wondered why there wasn’t any of that murder-site tape you always see on TV shows when they find a dead body.”

“TV shows aren’t always accurate about stuff like that,” Thorn put in.

“Still, it couldn’t have been the police, because I checked online and there is not one single mention of Jacques’ murder. I couldn’t find anything at all on him. It’s like he wasn’t just killed—he was erased from existence.”

“Weirdness.” Thorn furrowed her brow.

“I can’t forget him, and I have to know what happened.”

“It’ll eventually make the news,” I assured Penny-Love.

“What if it doesn’t?” she argued, with a fierceness that surprised me. “What if his killer goes free?”

“Stuff happens.” Thorn shrugged.

“Not to people I care about,” Penny-Love insisted. “I can’t wait around without doing anything. I keep remembering Jacques—how he laughed, or the cute way he scrunched his face in concentration when he painted, and how his arms felt so warm and his hands knew exactly—”

“Stop right there!” Purple fingernails flashed as Thorn’s hand flew up in protest. “I don’t want to hear about your sex life.”

“Not sex … romance.” A sad smile flickered across Penny-Love’s face. “And he was the best … even if all he could talk about was partying and getting high. He was a little dangerous, but a real good guy. That’s why I asked you both here—because I’m going to find out who killed him and I need you both to help.”

I shook my head. “I just can’t … there’s too much going on for me. Josh is missing and maybe Jade, too. And Thorn saw that folder with Josh’s picture in Jacques’ apartment—what’s up with that? Then there’s Dominic … well, he needs me too. My worry quota is so maxed out I can’t handle more problems. Leave the murder to the cops.”

“But you’re my best friend, Sabine,” Penny-Love whined. “You can’t desert me now that I’m in my most desperate situation ever.”

When she put it like that, it was hard to refuse. I wavered.

“Lose the martyr act,” Thorn snapped at Penny-Love.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Penny-Love retorted.

“If you’re any kind of friend to Sabine, you’d notice that she’s going through some rough stuff, too. But all you can think about is yourself, as usual.”

“I didn’t ask for your opinion.”

“But you were about to ask for my help, which means Finding. That’s something you promised never to mention again.”

“I didn’t mention it,” Penny-Love said, glaring. “You did.”

“You were going to.”

“So what if I was? But obviously you won’t help me.”

“Once again you’re wrong, Cheerleader.” Thorn was shorter than Penny-Love, but somehow she seemed taller with her gold, green, and amber-red aura shimmering bright. “I’ll help you, not that you deserve it, but because I don’t want you hassling Sabine.”

“I wasn’t—”

“Don’t deny it. You were playing on her soft heart, expecting her to follow you like a minion. She didn’t find the body, we did. If you’re serious about wanting to find Jacque’s killer, we leave her out of this. I can help more than Sabine. Are you in or not?”

“Well …” Penny-Love glanced at me, frowning. Then she blew out a deep breath and turned back to Thorn. “I’m in.”

* * *

Thorn’s support surprised me and got me thinking about friendships as I walked slowly to my next class. Was Penny-Love really my best friend? Sometimes she acted like it, but mostly she was focused on her own drama. She was fun and popular, and her gift of gab was good camouflage for my freaky gifts. Hanging out with her made it easy to slip into the background of the semi-popular crowd without being noticed. Was that the description of a best friend?

The funny thing, I realized later, as I caught a glimpse of Thorn with one of her Goth friends, was that Thorn was acting more like my best friend. She’d come to my defense and criticized Pen for bossing me around. It was easy to be with her, too, because she accepted me without judgment. Yet Thorn never introduced me to her Goth friends and we didn’t hang out like real friends. Sometimes the only way I knew what she was doing was when I’d asked Manny—which is what I did when I saw him during lunch in the computer room.

“Does Thorn have a best friend?”

“Thorn doesn’t have a best anything.” The beads in Manny’s dreads rattled as he turned away from the computer. “Why do you ask?”

“I was just thinking …”

“Dangerous thing to do,” he teased. “Could land you in all kinds of trouble.”

“I’m in plenty already.”

“Anything you want to talk about?”

I sighed. It was tempting to confide in him since he’d helped me out many times. But telling the editor of the school newspaper that a classmate was murdered and I knew where the murder weapon was hidden would not be a smart move. Of course, not reporting the murder wasn’t smart either. But everything had happened so fast and we’d panicked.

“Come on, Beany,” he said, using his ridiculous nickname for me. “Is this about Josh? Is he still missing?”

“How did you know about that?”

He smiled mysteriously. “Mystic Manny sees and knows all.”

“I see and know all about Manny being a big fake.”

“There is a supreme talent to the art of faking, which I excel at,” he bragged. “My prediction column is hugely popular.”

“Did you forget who supplies you with all the predictions?”

“I can never forget you, Beany.”

“Don’t call me that.”

“Are you stressing over Josh?” Manny patted my hand sympathetically. “Because he’s gone and no one knows where he is?”

“I am worried,” I admitted, deciding it was safe to tell him about that problem. So I filled him in on the trip to Josh’s house: Horse not eating, the note Josh left behind, the weird vision I’d gotten by touching the wand, and Thorn’s vague Finding results for Josh.

“Hmmm,” he said when I finished, stroking the faint dark stubble on his chin. “Well, my wise girl, you have come to the right place. I’m positive I can find Josh.”

“How?”

“Intensive analysis and research,” he said, gesturing toward a computer. “Focus on the facts. Josh was being secretive about his magician activities. He had recently broken up with his girlfriend—you.”

My cheeks reddened. “Our breakup had nothing to do with his disappearance.”

“I didn’t say it did; just compiling the facts. What was his reaction to your split?”

“He avoided me and wouldn’t return my messages.”

“A traumatic break-up can result in extreme behavior—like running away.”

“He didn’t run away!” I snapped. “I’m afraid Grey did something to him. I told you about Grey—how he vandalized Trick and Treats but then conned Josh into thinking he was innocent.”

“How do you know Josh is with Grey?”

“His note said he left with Arturo, but a witness saw him get into a car with Grey.”

“What witness?”

I hesitated, because I knew this would sound out there even for me. “Josh’s dog. Dominic talked to him and dogs never lie.”

“A dog is
not
a reliable witness,” Manny said with a swish of his dreads, spinning in his chair, fingers flying across the keyboard. “Still, Josh is probably with
both
Arturo and Grey. All the evidence hints at some kind of magician hideaway in the woods. Thorn’s map clue is useful, too. I’ll look into this for you and you’ll—”

“And I’ll come up with the twelve new Ten Years in the Future predictions,” I said, sighing.

“Have you started on them yet?” he persisted.

“No. But I predict that in ten years I may have it done.”

“Not funny.” Manny stood up, slipping an arm around my shoulder. “You meditate or whatever you need to do, and I’ll get on the Josh problem. He’s a cool dude and I always liked him. I want to find him, too.”

But what about Jacques? I wondered. Did he have any friends or family looking for him? No one at school seemed to notice he was gone. Dead. What would have happened if I’d meditated on his future a few days ago? Would I have seen what would happen to him? Could I have saved him?