Out Of The Dark by Phaedra Weldon Page B

recording everything
from spells to meeting minutes in them. I'll bet if we find their grimoire , we'll know what Bonville's up to."
    Grim-who?
    Dags grinned at me as he took his hands from
mom. "It's kinda like Rhonda's book here," he pointed to the Big
Honking Book of Everything. "Like a Witch's Book of Shadows. It'll
have all their spells and secrets in it."
    Oh.
    "Let's see if I can recap," Jemmy said with
her hands on the table. "Zoë got a request from a hostess at a
bar/restaurant in Roswell. Dags here actually works there as a
bartender. One of the co-workers was tripped and ended up in the
hospital and the manager refused to pay. Dags is actually owned by
this Magician's group and they're trying to suck him back --and the
Shadow Folk in the restaurant who are accused of tripping people
and playing jokes actually helped you find these documents." She
pointed to the papers in front of Nona. "Did I leave anything
out?"
    Sounded about right.
    Nona spoke. "Jemmy and I will focus on why
these documents are important. I can sort of decipher the first
page, but the other pages are just jibberish without the secret
decoder ring."
    Hehehehe. I love my mom.
    Sometimes.
    "I suspect that the missing wife, as well as
Maureen and the others, learned of Bonville's fiendish
plot--because you know Magicians always have fiendish plots--and he
killed them or did something to them. Dags --let me and Rhonda do
something about those tattoos. In here you're fine, but out there
you're done for."
    Dags blanched.
    Mom looked at me. "I need you and Rhonda to
check out Maureen's apartment and see if there's anything in there
that might lead us to where she went. But the big thing to do is
get a hold of Bonville's Grimoire ."
    All eyes stared at Nona as if she'd lost her
mind. And I think she had.
    "Nona," Rhonda frowned. "Exactly how do you
suppose we do that? I'm sure he's got it locked up in his home or
where ever they do their mojo."
    She smiled and I didn't like it. "I don't
think he has that Grimoire anymore," she held up the documents.
"These pages attest that it was taken, or defaced in some way."
    "They do?" Rhonda said.
    "You think those pages are out of the book
itself?" Jemmy said.
    "Yes I do," Nona said. "And if it was taken
and these pages ripped out, my guess is either Bonville's wife,"
she looked at Dags, "Or Maureen took it."
    "Which would make sense in a motive
standpoint if he came after her," Dags said. "And you don't think
he's found it?"
    "No. But rest assured," she grinned and I
still didn't like it. "If we can get our hands on it, he'll be
coming after us as well."
    Oh. Hell.

    *****

    CHAPTER SEVEN

    The problem we faced--well okay we had
several problems but I'm gonna concentrate on one at a time--was
that we needed Dags to come with us to look at Maureen's apartment
(he had a key!) but if he stepped outside of the house wards then
he might get zapped.
    Rhonda and Mom moved into the Botanica while
Dags and Jemmy talked about stuff in the corner. I decided to be
useful and started picking up things and taking them back into the
kitchen. Tim appeared there as well and was solid enough to open
the dishwasher so I could load it.
    "You got any Wraithy feelings on this
one?"
    I paused in the middle of putting a dessert
plate into the washer. Uh…no. And what is Wraithy
feelings?
    "You know--kinda of like a spidey sense?"
    I pursed my lips and shook my head before
finishing up the dishes. Once that was done I poured myself another
glass of tea over my half-melted ice and looked at my little spooky
buddy. I don't get this thing with Dags--the whole marks on the
hand thing. That's more Rhonda's schtick. But those things in that
restaurant? I shook my head. There were two types of
things--kinda like we were attacked by a set of apples and then an
orange helped. They were both fruit, but just different kinds of
fruits.
    Tim laughed. "I'm not sure which is
sadder--your analogy or the fact I understood it."
    I blew him a quiet