Episode 11 of The Witch’s Key: “Secrets Of His Own”
Happy Friday, Everyone!! It’s time for a new episode of The Witch’s Key. Join us daily on YouTube for a new episode live at 4PM Eastern!
If you’re new to this story, you can start here:
Watch The Live Reading of Episode 11
Episode 11: “Secrets Of His Own”
Why couldnโt I have just stayed put for once?
The look Uncle Martin was giving me made me want to go back and crawl under my bed. Yes, I messed up. I should have stayed in my room and trusted him to deal with whoever was at the door, but I always felt like I needed to be in the middle of everything.
And now, Iโd given myself away to this detective. Iโd probably also brought Kai into this questioning session.
Not to mention the fact that my body was bruised and burned. How was I going to explain that?
Oh, no big deal officer, I just skipped school yesterday and fell into a demonโs fire spell. But I swear, I have no idea what happened to Peyton.
At least I had the new girl thing going for me. It wasnโt like I was here when the other girls were taken.
Which is potentially why the detective gave Kai a strange look. If this guy was worth anything, he already knew Kai had come to town just before the first disappearance. And that Kai worked at Sir Bean, a place all the girls had visited right before they went missing.
โIโm just going to get back to my studying,โ Kai said, turning the other way.
โNo, why donโt you go ahead and join us down here,โ Detective Lancaster said.
Kai groaned and followed me down the stairs.
โYouโre here pretty early,โ Detective Lancaster said to Kai, making a point to check his watch.
โSo are you,โ Kai said with a smile. He didnโt offer any additional information, and I got the distinct feeling these two had met before.
There was definite tension in the air between them.
โWould you like a cup of freshly brewed coffee, Detective?โ Martin asked. โWhy donโt we all go back to the kitchen to have a cup and sit down together?โ
โI think weโll just have a seat out here,โ Detective Lancaster said, motioning to the parlor.
I rolled my eyes. These couches were going to get more use in a couple of days than theyโd seen in the past hundred years.
I sat down on the same square of navy velvet couch Iโd chosen when Ms. Greer questioned me and pulled my legs underneath me. I wasnโt exactly dressed for company, but the loose sweats and tank top Martin must have changed me into last night would have to do.
Kai hadnโt been there when he did that, right? Surely not.
My entire body suddenly went up in fresh flames, and I scooted down, hiding my red face behind my arm.
โWhat happened to you, Miss Thorne?โ Detective Lancaster asked, nodding toward my bandaged arm as he sat down in the straight-backed chair across from me.
I didnโt answer, hoping we could stall that conversation for as long as possible.
Martin opted to stand, placing an arm on the mantle of the large fireplace, while Kai took a seat next to me on the sofa. He coughed slightly as a cloud of dust rose from the fabric on that side, and I had to stifle a grin.
โMiss Thorne?โ the detective asked again.
โOh, um. Just a minor accident,โ I said attempting to laugh it off. โIt looks worse than it is. Just a scratch, really, but my uncle tends to go overboard on the bandages.โ
Detective Lancaster didnโt look convinced. He pulled out a small spiral notebook and a pen.
โI looked for you at school yesterday, but the office said youโd been checked out by Julie Peterson. Are you close to the Peterson family? From what I understand youโve just moved to the area recently.โ
โLenny moved here just before summer,โ Uncle Martin said, stepping in. โShe had my permission to leave school yesterday, but I wasnโt able to pick her up myself.โ
The detective narrowed his eyes.
โIโd like to hear Lennyโs answers, if you donโt mind,โ he said. โIn fact, Iโd love to speak to her in private.โ
โThatโs not acceptable to me,โ Uncle Martin said. โIf you wish to continue your questions, you may only do so in my presence.โ
Detective Lancaster cleared his throat.
โOkay, so then Lenny. Are you good friends with the Peterson family?โ
I looked to Martin, and he gave a slight shrug.
โNot really,โ I said. โI only just met Olive and her mom the other day.โ
โAnd what about Peyton?โ he asked, leaning forward. โHow long have you been friends with her?โ
โAbout the same amount of time,โ I said. โI only just started school this past week, so I met Peyton on Monday.โ
He made a few notes and seemed to chew on the inside of his cheek for a moment.
โFrom what some of the other girls have told me, you had an afternoon swim at Peytonโs home Tuesday afternoon. Is that correct?โ
โYes.โ
He went through all the basic questions with me. Who was there. What we did. Whether I noticed anything unusual about Peytonโs behavior.
He spent a good deal of time asking various questions about my ride home, too, and what time Peyton drove off, but it all seemed pretty standard.
โAnd what about those bandages?โ he asked, giving me a once-over. โDid you sustain your injuries before or after Peyton dropped you off at your house the other night?โ
I glanced at Martin again, which I realized must look a little suspicious. I couldnโt help myself, though. How was I going to explain this?
โAfter,โ I said. โAfter I left school yesterday.โ
โSo, if I ask around, some of your friends from school will verify that you had no injuries when you showed up yesterday?โ
โYes.โ
โWhat happened?โ he asked. โDid someone hurt you?โ
He glanced toward Kai and then back to me.
โNothing like that,โ I said. โItโs no big deal, really. Besides, it has nothing to do with Peyton.โ
โDo you feel safe, Miss Thorne?โ
His question caught me a bit by surprise.
Safe? How could any girl feel safe in this town?
But I had a feeling he was talking about my present company. Did I feel safe around Kai and Uncle Martin?
โAs safe as I can under the circumstances going on in this town,โ I said. โBut if you mean here at home, then yes. I am perfectly safe here.โ
He sighed, slapped his notebook shut, and stood.
โOkay, thank you very much, Miss Thorne,โ he said. โYouโve been very helpful.โ
He walked toward the door, so I stood and followed him out. Martin and Kai were close behind.
He may have been done with me, but I was definitely not finished with him.
โDetective, is there anything you can tell me about what happened to Peyton?โ I asked. โWas there a struggle in her home? Did the kidnapper leave anything behind? Is there anything that points to who took these girls?โ
He turned and tilted his head, studying me.
โYou sound like youโre really interested in this case,โ he said. โBut I can assure you that our department is doing everything we can to find your friend.โ
In other words, he didnโt want to tell me. But Brandy knew something about what happened. Yesterday morning, sheโd said the police had told her not to talk about how they knew Peyton had been kidnapped. I wanted to know, too.
โI understand,โ I said. โBut Iโm just wondering how you know she was taken and not just visiting a boyfriend or something like that. Besides, the more I know about what happened, the more I can protect myself from having it happen to me.โ
That last bit must have gotten to him, because he turned around, a look of concern on his face.
โEvery girl whoโs been taken has been alone at home when it happened.โ He glanced at Martin. โOne of the best things you can do for yourself is to make sure youโre not alone here at the house or out walking alone in the dark.โ
This time, he looked at Kai, and he didnโt even try to conceal his feelings about him. His expression could have been categorized as a glare.
โIโd just advise you to be careful who you decide to be alone with,โ he said. โNot everyone who acts like a friend is a friend.โ
โThanks,โ I said. โIโll keep that in mind.โ
It was obvious we werenโt going to get any real answers from this detective, and I sadly had the feeling he didnโt have any real answers, either.
โThank you for stopping by, Detective,โ Martin said, opening the front door and ushering him outside. โIf thereโs any other way we can be of service, please let us know. We would do anything to help find those poor girls.โ
Detective Lancaster turned, his brow furrowed. โYou know, there is one thing Iโd like to ask you,โ he said. โI know you didnโt know Peyton for long, but did she ever mention anything to you about using lavender? Like keeping it in her house or receiving some as a gift from anyone?โ
My eyes widened, and my stomach flipped with nerves.
โNo, why?โ I asked. โDid you find lavender in her room? Maybe under her pillow?โ
He stepped closer to me, grabbing his notebook again.
โWhat do you know about lavender under someoneโs pillow?โ he asked. โDoes that mean something to you?โ
Now, we were just trading questions, but what I needed was answers.
โI just know sometimes people use lavender to help them fall asleep at night,โ I said, trying to remain casual so he didnโt start to suspect I had something to do with this. But I needed more details. This was the clue Iโd been hoping for.
โThere was a small bundle of dried lavender under her pillow,โ he said, lowering his voice as if he was afraid someone in the neighborhood might hear. โBut that wasnโt the strangest part.โ
He hesitated and glanced toward Kai and Martin, as if he just didnโt trust them.
I couldnโt risk him not telling me about the lavender, so I quickly slipped around Martin to join the detective on the front porch. I shut the door behind me, closing us off from the other two.
They could be mad at me about it later.
โWhat else was strange?โ I asked.
He seemed to think it over before finally leaning in.
โThe lavender was wrapped in poison ivy,โ he said. โDoes that have any significance to you? Did Peyton ever mention being allergic to poison ivy?โ
I sucked in a breath. It definitely had significance to me, but nothing I was going to talk to this guy about.
โIโm sorry,โ I said. โShe never mentioned anything like that to me.โ
He looked away and shook his head. โYou know, this case has really been hard on all of us,โ he said. โI would hate to see another girl go missing. Did you happen to see Kai the night Peyton dropped you off? Did she mention having a relationship with him? Or having any kind of run-in with him in the past?โ
I wondered what this guyโs past was with Kai and why he didnโt trust him, but I wanted to tell him he was barking up the wrong tree. And none of us had time for following false leads right now.
โNo. I donโt think she really ever talked to Kai,โ I said.
โAnd how did you come to know him?โ he asked. โIt seems the two of you are close.โ
I smiled. โWeโre old friends from a really long time ago,โ I said. โOur parents used to work together.โ
This news really threw him for a loop. โI didnโt realize Kai had any connections to anyone in town,โ he said. โOther than his grandmother, who no one seems to have heard from in a while. Have you seen her or had any interaction with her since you arrived in town?โ
I had to stifle a giggle at this. I was quite certain Kai was not living in his grandmotherโs house, even if that was the story heโd been giving people. I would have to ask him more about that later.
โI just saw her yesterday, actually,โ I said, hoping to steer the detective away from his suspicions about Kai. โI think sheโs been travelling a lot, though, which is probably why no oneโs heard from her.โ
โHmm,โ Detective Lancaster said, glancing at the door and jotting something in his notebook before putting it away. โAnd youโre sure you feel safe at home?โ
โIf youโre referring to Martin, everything is fine here,โ I said. โBut thank you for being concerned about me. Iโm just worried about Peyton and the others.โ
โWe all are, Miss Thorne.โ
He pulled a card from his pocket and handed it to me.
โIf you think of anything else, donโt hesitate to call me. Night or day,โ he said. โThat goes for anytime you donโt feel safe, too. I hope youโre having someone treat you for those injuries. You sure you wonโt tell me what happened there? That doesnโt look like a minor accident to me.โ
I looked down and realized some blood had soaked through the bandage on my arm.
โItโs nothing,โ I said quickly, pulling my arm behind my back. โMartin was a medic in the military, and he tends to go nuts when he gets the chance to use some of his old supplies. I promise, itโs not as bad as it looks.โ
He didnโt look convinced, but he seemed to realize he wasnโt going to get anything else out of me today.
โWell, you take care, Miss Thorne. You know how to reach me.โ
He started toward his car.
โThank you,โ I said. โAnd Detective?โ
He turned back again, squinting against the harsh morning sun. โYes?โ
โDid you happen to find those same lavender and poison ivy bundles under all the girlsโ pillows?โ I asked.
โIโm afraid thatโs classified information right now, but if someone does give you a gift of lavender or tries to sell you something like that as a sleep remedy, youโll give me a call?โ he asked.
โOf course,โ I said.
He nodded and got into his car.
He hadnโt verbally confirmed the lavender bundles, but I saw the answer in his eyes. Which meant we had our first real clue from the crime scenes.
Any witch knew lavender was a natural sleep aid, but when it was wrapped in poison ivy, it became a dangerous drug. The moment Peytonโs head hit that pillow, she would have instantly gone into a deep sleep.
Deep enough that someone could have easily kidnapped her without a fight.
I went back inside to find Martin and Kai peeking out the window. They quickly moved away, trying to pretend they hadnโt been spying on me. I smiled.
It was sweet that they both seemed to care so much. It felt good to be looked after.
โWhat did he tell you?โ Kai asked.
โHe gave us our next clue,โ I said and then looked at Uncle Martin. โI know I can help find Peyton and the others. I understand why you donโt want me to be a part of it. I know the death of my parents is still fresh for both of us. But you and me, weโre a family now. And family sticks together. Besides, you know I canโt just let this go. So, what do you say? Can we work together to find them?โ
Uncle Martin studied me for a very long moment before finally allowing his serious expression to break into a partial smile.
โOkay, Lenora,โ he said. โWeโll do this together. But if youโre going to be ready to face a demon of this level, youโre going to need some real training.โ
His eyes flickered toward Kai.
โBoth of you,โ he said. โAre you sure youโre both up for it?โ
Kai and I looked at each other, both of us holding back smiles.
โYes,โ we both said at the same time.
โWell, then,โ Martin said, straightening his shoulders. โLenny, get dressed and join us in the kitchen for a cup of coffee before we go back to the site of last nightโs attack. If youโre going to be a part of this now, thereโs a lot more you need to know about this demon.โ
He turned to walk back toward the kitchen, but I ran after him.
โWait a second. Are you saying you know a lot about this demon that you havenโt been telling us?โ I asked. โAfter just one day of looking into it?โ
Martin turned his head just enough so I could see his profile and the gleam in his ancient eyes.
โDear girl,โ he said with a snicker, โIโve been looking into this particular demon since before you were born.โ
With that, he calmly made his way to the kitchen, leaving both Kai and me standing in the foyer with matching looks of surprise frozen on our faces.
Uncle Martin, apparently, had been keeping some major secrets of his own.
This is testing my patience if I had the whole story I probably would read it all already.