Page 48 of Demon and the Raven

“You’re correct,” I assured him. “How’s the backyard?”

“Come see.”

Rushing down the hall, I popped out onto a small cement area with five stairs on three sides, all leading to a cement walkway that wound around an outdoor entertainment area, complete with a pool, hot tub, enormous patio filled with furniture, and a barbecue. The overgrown garden Lorne had mentioned was nowhere in sight. What remained were husks of trees and lots of dead, dried vegetation.

“Oh my God,” Lynette gasped behind me, walking out and around me, hand over her mouth, eyes wide, turning in every direction.

There were floodlights on, and there were lights farther out on a small footbridge that led to the edge of the property overlooking downtown Osprey. It was a lovely night, and the stars were out, the sky gorgeous in layers of indigo, navy, cerulean, and lapis.

“How did you…” she began but stopped herself. “The garden was full of something wasting away, wasn’t it?”

“Is that how it felt to you?”

She nodded.

“I think perhaps you need to get some landscapers out here and make the front and back match. The backyard is for you to enjoy, and it should be as beautiful as what the neighbors see.”

“Yes, it should,” she agreed. “Would it be all right if we talked? Maybe get your help with some wards for the house?”

I smiled. “Of course.”

“You should start by getting rid of that welcome mat at the front door,” Lorne told her. “Never know what you’re inviting inside with that.”

She turned to me.

“He’s not wrong.”

Slowly, she looked back at him.

“I take my oath to protect and serve seriously,” he assured her. “On all levels.”

She only nodded.

SEVEN

Once we left, Lorne drove us home, and it was late, well after midnight, but with the windows down, the air humid and warm, with the radio low and him beside me, it was like the world lifted off my shoulders. I wasn’t worried or scared.

“I had a thought,” he told me.

“What’s that?”

“What if Kathy being killed, and then someone or something prowling around Lynette’s house, means that witches are being hunted?”

“Why would anything be hunting witches?”

“I don’t know, but it’s possible.”

“Yes, but unlikely.”

“Why would you say that?”

I shrugged. “It doesn’t seem reasonable. For what purpose?”

“That’s the mystery, isn’t it?”

“Not to be unsupportive of any other witch,” I began, “but while it’s true that Kathy was practicing passive magic, Lynette doesn’t do anything but wave some sage around once in a while. She’s not working on any portion of her craft.”

“Yes, and maybe the whole point is to weed them out to find you.”