Even more interesting are the wards on the house. I couldn’t get past them.
“Oh, I bet that pissed you off.” I snicker.
Quite, but it also makes me curious.
“Me too,” I agree.
Eugene stops when he reaches the side of his house and turns to face us. It’s hard to make out his features, but his posture is rigid. “There’s no use looking in the dark,” he states as if it’s our fault the sun is quickly falling behind the horizon.
There’s truth to his words, even though I hate the thought of leaving someone alone in the dark, especially a woman who might genuinely be confused, but he’s right. We really don’t have another option right now, unless he wants to try scrying for her. It’s been in the back of my mind to suggest it all day, but it only gives a general location, and Eugene seemed confident Aisling was near the house, so it would have been rather fruitless to put forth the effort for something we already knew.
I still feel compelled to mention it though. “Should we try a locating spell?”
Eugene makes a disgusted sound. “She can’t have gotten far. If putting in the work is too hard for you, I can do it myself.”
“Knock off the attitude.” Remy levels his glare on the older man. “She has been putting in the work, if you hadn’t fucking noticed.”
I place my hand on Remy’s arm. “I’m just trying to get options out there,” I tell Eugene. “I don’t like the idea of her being out at night all by herself.”
“When she gets back, I might just tie a rope around her this time,” he mumbles, and I think it’s supposed to be funny or lighten the mood, but it falls flat. It feels more threatening than it does anything else. I think he realizes it also, because he rubs the back of his knuckles across his jaw and adds, “I’ll be out first thing in the morning looking for her.”
I nod. “Does she have any friends she might have called or visited?”
“Not really anymore, we keep to ourselves,” Eugene replies.
“I’ll be here at dawn. Where will we be looking?” Having an idea of where and what we will be doing will make things a little easier.
“There are a few more places on the property we could check.” Eugene looks off to the left. “If you could talk to your dad, he might give us a few more ideas,” he adds, turning his attention back to me.
Hexes, he’s relentless. “I’ll see what I can do,” I answer noncommittally.
Remy places his hand over mine and leads me back to the car, going around to my side and opening my door for me. Percy jumps from my shoulder onto the back of the passenger seat, then moves to the center console while I get in.
Once we’re back on the road, Remy gives me a quick glance, then returns his attention to driving down the isolated dirt lane. “You’re not coming back alone,” he tells me flatly, as if he’s expecting me to argue with him about it.
“That guy gives me the heebie-jeebies, so I would welcome the company. I want to ask Gray about him,” I add more to myself.
“What did the cops say?” Remy relaxes back into his seat.
“Not much. Deloris confirmed that Dad has helped find her in the past, and the longest she’s ever been gone was four days.” I say the last part with as much incredulousness as I feel.
“Four days?” Remy is just as shocked, if his tone is any measure. “That can’t be safe. If she has medical shit going on, I’m sure she needs medicine, right?”
“You’d think, but Eugene seems to be more worried about what everyone thinks than he is about Aisling. If she has prescriptions, they may not even get it, for all we know.”
“That’s fucked up.” Remy pauses. “I don’t think your dad would go for something like that.” He shakes his head.
“How would Dad even know? It’s not like he can call the doctor and see if he prescribed anything, then ask the pharmacy if it’s been filled. It would be illegal for them to give him that information.”
Remy lets out a loud huff. “What about you, Percy? Did you pick anything up?”
The wards on the house are fresh, only a few days old at the most,he says, and I repeat the info for Remy to hear.
“It’s tempting to call Dad,” I admit.
“You have to wait for him to call you though, right? That’s how you guys set it up.” Remy slows the SUV and turns down the drive to their house.
It’s still a sight to see, even in the dark. The ambient glow from the outdoor lights gives the house a warm, inviting feeling. “Yeah, and it won’t be for another couple days. I’m hoping we’ll have found her before then.”
