“Erasmus Boone is not my master,” Aurelia fairly hissed. The scuttlebutt shifted slightly, fluffing but settling quickly.
Patience was a commodity I was preciously short on. I needed to quickly dig a deeper well and locate more. “I know. That’s not what I meant. Asking someone else to do something for you doesn’t have to be an order. Many times, it’s a kindness to do something for someone else.”
Aurelia’s slow blink told me she was considering my words. “I am unfamiliar with such things.”
“I know.” Another time, I would have expressed more empathy. Right now, I was desperately trying to refrain from going into full panic mode. “Could you explain what you mean about Boone’s momma. Please.” That last word was strained.
Thankfully, Aurelia didn’t hesitate. “Lydia Boone advised me she had work to do today but would be back by a designated time.” I raised an eyebrow. Aurelia wasn’t great when it came totime. She seemed to understand that look because she raised her arm and showed off a smart watch. “Lydia programmed the information into this keeper of time. It alerted me to the correct moment for a visit.”
I stared at the watch. “Did Peaches get that for you?”
“No. Lydia did.”
“It’s a considerate gift.” And a brilliant idea. Kudos to Boone’s momma for thinking of it.
“It is mine,” Aurelia said as if she thought I might take it from her. As if I’d survive such stupidity.
“I’m glad,” I quickly answered. I attempted to get back on track. “So, the timer went off, and you went to Lydia’s house and…”
“She is not there.”
Cars didn’t exactly whiz by our parked vehicle, but they moved fast enough that each passing shook the SUV. “Maybe something came up. There could be traffic or—”
“It is unlike Lydia Boone to miss a meeting, and she was looking forward to seeing Fuzzy Britches again.” Aurelia ran her fingers through the scuttlebutt’s fur. The diminutive creature rumbled something that sounded close to a purr. “Fuzzy Britches was very taken with Lydia during their first meeting.”
“I… Okay. Exactly how late is Lydia?”
Aurelia shoved the watch in my face. “This is the time we were supposed to meet.”
My worry ratcheted up a notch or twelve. Lydia was over two hours late. “Did you call her?”
Aurelia’s glare was scathing. “I do not wish to carry that device.”
I blinked while trying to marry the idea that Aurelia was fine wearing a smart watch but not a cell phone. Having no desire to get into the semantics of modern human technology, I grabbed my phone, pulled up Lydia’s number, and hit send. While it didn’t immediately go to voicemail, she didn’t answer either. When prompted, I said, “Hey, Ms. Boone, just calling to check in. Please call me when you get this message.” I ended the call and stared at my phone, a chill slowly working its way down my spine.
“You say Ms. Boone told you she was going to work?”
“Yes. I believe she monitors others as they explore housing units.” Boone’s momma was a real estate agent and sold homes. Aurelia’s description wasn’t all that off.
“Does Boone know?”
“No. I came to you first. I did not want to…upset him.” Aurelia sounded confused by her own words, as if she eitherhadn’t meant to say them or wasn’t certain why she had. “I do not know if anything is wrong.”
I considered those words. Aurelia might not be certain, but there was a reason she was in my vehicle. “But you think there could be.”
Aurelia shifted. Fuzzy Britches didn’t so much as twitter. “It is unusual behavior for Lydia Boone and I was…looking forward to our meeting.” Again, Aurelia sounded confounded by the words exiting her mouth. “It is an odd notion and one I am not familiar with to expound upon.” Head twisted, Aurelia stared out the front windshield. Her next words lacked emotion but made my stomach drop. “I cannot locate her.”
My knuckles whitened as they gripped the steering wheel. “What do you mean?”
Aurelia’s gaze tracked back to mine. “It is a simple enough statement.”
I swallowed down my irritation. “Simple for you, not for me. Please explain.”
Had Aurelia been human, she would have huffed. “I simply think of who I wish to go to, and I am there. I do not know how. It simply is.”
I had no clue how the witches of old crafted such a powerful creature and hoped like hell that knowledge had well and truly been lost to the ages or outright destroyed.
“We need to find her.” The only problem was I had no idea how. Maybe I didn’t, but I knew someone who probably could. Still sitting on the side of the road, I pulled up Warlock Holland’s number and hit send. It rang and rang, and all I got was voicemail.
