Mysterious Ways Read online

  “Because of who he is,” I said. “From everything I’ve heard, Joaquin Escobar was an insanely powerful warlock. And Simon’s mother is the prima of the Santiago clan in Southern California. When you combine two strong strains of magic like that in one person, you get someone who isn’t exactly your run-of-the-mill warlock. That’s why he was able to do…this.” It would have been rude to point at Genoveva’s body, so I only inclined my head toward her before continuing. “I’ve cast a spell of protection around this house, but that’s only going to help while the people inside it are actually here.”

  Grim comprehension dawned in Louisa’s face. She wasn’t quite as beautiful as her sisters, but I saw a strength in her features that reassured me. Right then, I could only hope that Genoveva hadn’t made Louisa her heir to magic simply because she was her eldest daughter. I’d had my differences with Genoveva, but surely she would have had too much integrity and concern for her clan to show that kind of favoritism.

  “We have people in the clan who are skilled with defensive magic, who also know how to cast spells of protection,” Louisa said. “I will make sure that every person in this family is made safe, one way or another.” She paused, gaze flickering toward the still form on the bed for a moment. Then she went on, “Simon Escobar was able to do this because we had our guard down. I can assure you that it will not happen again.”

  Malena, who had been silent up until that point, asked, “You really think we can protect every single Castillo?”

  “We can, because we must,” Louisa replied. She looked over at her father, who stood near the head of the bed. “Dad, can you help get the word out?”

  “Of course,” he said. In a way, he appeared almost relieved to be given something concrete to do. “But we must also make plans for your mother’s funeral.”

  “I’m not sure that’s a good idea,” Rafe cut in. Before his gathered family members could protest, he went on, “What if Simon is just waiting for another opportunity to have us all together in one place? Bad enough that so many of us were here for Marco’s wake. You know that even more Castillos are going to show up for their prima’s funeral.”

  He was right. I still didn’t know what kind of dark spell Simon had employed to strike at Genoveva, but I thought it was the sort of thing that must have required a lot of energy. It was entirely possible that he needed to rest up before he tried anything else, in which case the people assembled downstairs might be safe…for now. But whenever the funeral took place, a day from now, or two, by that time, Simon would probably be strong enough to attempt another attack.

  “Are you saying we can’t bury my Genoveva?” Eduardo demanded, shock and anger clear on his handsome features.

  “No, Dad, that’s not what I’m saying.” Since he stood so close to me, I could feel the tension in Rafe’s body, the way he strained to keep himself from sounding too harsh. “A private, quiet funeral, one with just the immediate family members. No big service at the cathedral. No notice in the local newspaper. We need to pay our respects, but in a way that won’t attract attention…especially Simon Escobar’s attention. Later, after all this is handled and it’s safe, we can have a memorial service for the entire clan. ”

  An uneasy silence fell. I could tell that Eduardo and Malena both wanted to argue with Rafe but realized he was only pointing out a hard truth. Louisa nodded, still with that aura of strained calm. For the first time, I wondered where her husband was, and Malena’s, for that matter. Probably looking after their very young children so their wives could handle this distressing bit of family business.

  And Cat — poor Cat just looked as though she wanted to go somewhere and cry for a good long while, her model-pretty face pale and strained, makeup smudged around her almond-shaped dark eyes. She was a few years older than I, but she was still the baby of the family and, at least from what I’d seen, had gotten along fairly well with her mother. I had a feeling she was taking this even harder than her sisters, who at least were married and had families of their own that required their attention. But Cat didn’t have a husband or a fiancé or even a boyfriend to watch over her, comfort her.

  Right then, I thought I’d never hated anyone as much as I hated Simon Escobar. That hatred thrummed within me, hot, roiling. I knew I couldn’t give in to hate, that doing so would make me no better than he was, but I was still pretty sure that if he’d appeared before me right then, I could have reached out and snapped his neck.

  “Then we’ll make sure to be as quiet about this as we can,” Louisa said, since everyone else seemed reluctant to speak. “Dad, can you talk to the bishop, let him know what we want? She’ll need some kind of service — ”

  “Because if she doesn’t get a good Catholic funeral, she’ll haunt us forever,” Rafe put in.

  Cat shot him a pained glance. Then again, as someone whose talent was speaking with ghosts, the specter — so to speak — of having her mother’s spirit hanging around would have to be particularly daunting. However, I had to assume that Genoveva’s soul had moved on to the next world, because otherwise Cat would have told us right away that she still lingered here.

  Eduardo sent his son a narrow look, clearly letting him know that his last remark hadn’t been appreciated. However, he only said to Louisa, “Yes, I will do that. But people will become suspicious as time passes and there is no service for Genoveva.”

  “Hopefully, by then we’ll have all this sorted out,” Louisa said. She let out a breath, and suddenly looked very tired. “Although I’ll admit I’m not sure what we’re supposed to do about Simon Escobar.”

  “Root him out from that estate where he’s holed up and make sure he doesn’t draw another breath,” Rafe growled.

  This bloodthirsty suggestion didn’t seem to faze any of the people gathered around Genoveva’s deathbed. Then again, I doubted any of her family were feeling exactly merciful, not with the way Simon had somehow reached out with his magic and extinguished her life the way someone might carelessly snuff out a candle.

  “Do you think he’s even still there?” Malena asked, doubt clear in her voice. “After all, he’s done his worst. The smart thing would be for him to get far, far away from us Castillos. He has to know we’ll be looking for revenge.”

  I thought of the terrible things I’d seen in the outbuilding on the property where Simon was staying — the book of dark spells, the black candles, the cruel, curved knife. He’d found a sanctuary of a sort out there on that estate in Tesuque, only twenty minutes or so from where we all now stood. When he’d thought he could seduce me, could bring me over to his way of thinking, he’d been openly scornful of the Castillos and their talents, even though the clan was a fairly strong one. I thought it was entirely possible that his arrogance would lead him to think he could take on all of us, especially after being so successful at murdering the clan’s leader.

  “He might believe that,” I said, then paused as five sets of eyes suddenly fixed on me. Up until that moment, I’d remained quiet unless answering a question; this was their family’s tragedy, and although I was engaged to Rafe, we weren’t married yet. I hadn’t felt it was my place to talk very much. Now, though, I thought I needed to tell them what I knew. “But I think he underestimates you. He thinks his powers are a match for all yours.”

  “Then he’s crazy,” Cat said, a frown pulling her fine brows together.

  Oh, I was pretty sure Simon was insane, only not in the way Cat meant. For all I knew, he’d been born flawed, the original bad seed. If not, his poor treatment at the hands of the Santiagos, who’d regarded him as a cast-out, a pariah, and who had made him live on the fringes of their clan, certainly had forced him over the edge. Now his only goal was revenge — revenge against the Castillos, whose former prima had contributed to his father’s death.

  As to why Simon hadn’t also gone after my parents, who were far more directly responsible for Joaquin Escobar’s demise, well, I didn’t have a clue as to the reason behind that oversight…or rather, there was a po
ssible explanation, a terrible one I didn’t want to acknowledge but which I guessed must be fairly close to the truth.

  Simon had avoided hurting my parents because he wanted me. Their deaths at his hands would have turned me against him forever. But now that I had so clearly spurned him, had returned to Rafe, the man I truly loved, I didn’t know what might happen.

  A cold wave of fear washed over me. I had to call my parents, had to warn them somehow.

  In a murmur, I said to Rafe, “I need to borrow your phone.”

  “Now?” he asked, clearly startled.

  “Yes,” I replied. “It’s important.”

  Everyone else was staring at us, obviously somewhat offended that we’d be carrying on a separate conversation while Genoveva lay there in front of us. I knew it must look awful, but I also knew I didn’t dare let another moment pass without reaching out to my parents, telling them that they might be in danger.

  I cleared my throat. “I’m sorry,” I said. “But I have a feeling that Simon might also try to do something to my parents. I need to call them.”

  At once Eduardo’s expression softened. “Of course,” he said. “There is a sitting area off the bathroom, if you need some privacy. Through there.”

  He pointed to a doorway I’d barely noticed. Through it, I could glimpse a chaise longue and a luxuriant ficus tree in a large terra-cotta pot.

  Rafe handed me his phone. “Go ahead.”

  I shot him a grateful smile and then went into the sitting area Eduardo had mentioned. There was a small bookcase in addition to the chaise and the potted tree, although I didn’t exactly have time to inspect the books on the shelves. After quickly entering the number for my mother’s cell, I put Rafe’s phone up to my ear and prayed that she’d pick up, that the call wouldn’t go to voicemail. After all, my mother and I had talked less than an hour earlier. She might have thought everything was fine and that she and my father could go out, have a drink and relax or something.

  To my relief, she answered on the second ring. “Miranda, is everything all right? I thought you were going to call tomorrow to check in.”

  “Mom, I don’t have time to explain everything,” I said, speaking quickly so I didn’t waste a precious moment. “Genoveva Castillo is dead, and I’m almost positive Simon Escobar did it. I’m really worried that he’s going to try something with you and Dad next. You need to make sure you’re as shielded as you possibly can be.”

  “Genoveva is dead?” my mother asked, incredulity clear in her voice. “When?”

  “Just a little while ago,” I replied, impatient that I was wasting time with details when we had more pressing matters to deal with. “Just promise me that you and Dad will be careful. Have the elders cast whatever spells of protection they can.”

  “All right,” she said. “We’ll be careful. But Miranda — ”

  I didn’t know what she’d intended to say next, because the phone’s tiny speaker suddenly emitted a horrible screeching noise, one so loud that I had to pull it away from my ear before it did any permanent damage. As I stared down at it, the screen went blank.

  What the hell?

  I swiped my finger over the “redial” button, but nothing happened. The screen remained black.

  Rafe came hurrying into the sitting area. “What was that noise?”

  “I have a feeling it was Simon Escobar, trying to make sure I couldn’t get the word out,” I said, then held the phone out to Rafe. “I think your phone is fried.”

  He took it from me, consternation clear in his face. A few abortive swipes of his finger over the screen, and he shook his head. “You’re right. The goddamn thing is totally bricked. How could Escobar even do something like that?”

  “I don’t know,” I said, fear running cold through me. Had Simon gone to Arizona, despite my belief that he wouldn’t directly attack my parents? My voice shook as I added, “I still know so little about what he can and can’t do. At least I was able to warn my mother before he killed the phone.”

  Cat had left the group standing by the bed and now paused at the entry to the sitting area. Clearly, she’d heard something of our conversation, because she extended one hand, which held her own phone. “Try mine.”

  With some reluctance, I took it. If Simon had intervened directly with my parents, I didn’t see what using Cat’s phone would prove. On the other hand…. “I don’t want to break it — ”

  “We need to know,” she said, her voice firm.

  With a mental sigh, I entered my parents’ number into her phone. I’d barely begun to raise it to my ear when it made that same shrieking sound and the screen went black.

  “That’s a hell of a spell,” Cat remarked as she stared down at her ruined phone.

  Despite the wreck of her phone, relief coursed through me. If Cat’s phone was being blocked as well, then that almost certainly meant the spell was working from our end here in New Mexico, and nowhere near my parents. “Sorry — ” I began, but she shook her head.

  “It’s not your fault.” She turned to her brother. “What now?”

  “Well, it seems pretty obvious that Simon doesn’t want us to reach out to the McAllisters,” he said, looking very grim. “I have a feeling he’s trying to prevent us from getting any outside help.”

  “Well, he can’t block all of us,” Cat protested.

  I wished I could be as sure as she seemed to be. Right then, I didn’t know what to expect, what Simon might try next.

  From the other room came a sudden flurry of whispered conversation. Rafe and Cat and I all looked at each other, and then hurried back to the bedroom. Although Malena and Eduardo still maintained their vigil at Genoveva’s bedside, Louisa now stood at the door that opened onto the hallway. An older man stood there, having some kind of fierce but sotto voce convo with his new prima.

  As Cat and Rafe and I approached, Louisa turned away from the man who stood at the door, her expression one of consternation. “Miguel just got a call from his daughter, who lives in Gallup. She was going to head over the border into Arizona, because she has a friend who lives in Window Rock. But she never got there.”

  “What happened?” I asked, cold beginning to run through me.

  Miguel looked down at me. His hair was iron gray, and I guessed he must be in his mid-sixties, at least ten years older than the prima he had just lost. In his dark eyes, I saw the kind of fear I’d felt building in me ever since I’d stopped to wonder how far Simon Escobar’s vengeance might go.

  “They say it was a car accident, but no one knows what really happened,” he said. “The front end of her car was smashed in, as though she had driven at full speed into a brick wall, but there was no wall, only the open freeway. They took her to the hospital. I am waiting to hear whether she needs surgery.”

  Louisa reached with a reassuring hand to touch Miguel’s arm, but the gesture barely registered with me. I was too busy trying to push back a sense of growing horror.

  No phone calls getting out. No vehicles driven by Castillos allowed to leave the state. I had no evidence to back up my suspicions, but I had a feeling that any McAllisters or Wilcoxes who’d attempt to come to the rescue from the Arizona side of the border would meet the same fate.

  Simon wanted to make sure none of us had any outside help.

  We would have to do this on our own…no matter what happened.

  2

  Plotting

  After Louisa murmured some soothing words to Miguel and told him to let everyone know that she’d be downstairs shortly, I reached for Rafe’s hand. I desperately needed the reassurance of his touch, even though I knew his physical strength was only an illusion. Simon was so much stronger than he — so much stronger than anyone I’d ever heard of.

  Yes, possibly stronger than his father as well, although I didn’t want to face that possibility. Working together, my parents had just barely defeated Joaquin Escobar more than twenty years earlier, and only because Isabel Castillo had given up her own life to lend them her s
trength as well. If it turned out that Simon commanded powers which dwarfed even his father’s, I didn’t know what in the world we were supposed to do.

  Especially now that I couldn’t count on any help from my parents. I’d briefly considered teleporting myself to Arizona to let them know what was going on, but I realized the risk was far too great. If Simon’s magical barrier was strong enough to crumple a car driven by a witch, I really didn’t want to think about what it might do to someone using magic to try to get through it.

  “Simon’s walling us off,” I said, speaking not just to Rafe, but to Cat and Malena and Eduardo and Louisa. Especially Louisa. As the new prima, she would be responsible for getting the word out to the rest of the clan. “He’s doing everything he can to make sure we’re on our own. I don’t think anyone can dare leave the boundaries of the state, at least not until we can find out for sure whether what happened to Miguel’s daughter was the direct effect of a dark spell, or whether it was just some kind of horrible coincidence.”

  Louisa’s cheeks were pale, but she nodded. “I’ll make sure everyone knows. And the phones?”

  “It’s probably okay to call each other,” I said. “Simon’s spell broke both Cat’s and Rafe’s phones because I was reaching out to my parents. Then again, he might not want you Castillos communicating with each other as well.”

  “That’s easy enough to find out,” Eduardo said. He reached into his jacket pocket and brought out a slim, gunmetal-gray phone. A few swipes over its screen, and I heard a faint chiming sound coming from somewhere near. As I watched, he went to the nightstand on the opposite side of the bed from where he stood and extracted a phone from the top drawer, one that appeared to be the mate of his. “Genoveva’s,” he said briefly. “She left it in here because she knew she would not need it during Marco’s wake.”

  Well, that answered one question. It seemed as though calling one another should be safe enough for the members of the Castillo clan. I was fairly certain that if any of them tried to reach out to any of the Arizona witch families, their phones would immediately get nuked, but I didn’t think that was going to be much of an issue. The New Mexico and the Arizona clans in general didn’t have much to do with each other. Maybe the situation would begin to change once Rafe and I were married, but I sure as hell didn’t know when that was going to happen. We might have committed to one another for real, but we needed to solve this problem with Simon — and allow the clan time to mourn the loss of their prima — before we could even think about having an actual wedding.