“Oscar.”I ran into the living room. “Did you go into my room, or my closet?”
“’Course not. I haven’t even been around for the last day, remember? What’s wrong?”
“My shoe box is missing.”
“The creepy one? No offense, mistress, but no great loss as far as I’m concerned.”
“It’s important, Oscar. Who could have taken it? Among other things, whoever came in here was able to overcome my protection spells. Think about it that way.”
“Good point. See what happens when Oscar isn’t on the job? You think I’m just sitting around, but I providewhat I like to call ‘preventive services.’ You sure you didn’t leave it somewhere else?”
“I’m absolutely sure.” I sneezed once again. Had Renee really cast a befuddling spell over me? And if so, had it dulled my senses enough so that I couldn’t call out to the Ashen Witch? Had it diminished my abilities even to cast protection over my store and home?
Unsure where to even start looking for the shoe box, I decided to check out the information Maya had left me.
“Oscar, I’m going down to the shop to get the mail. Want to be my guard pig?”
Oscar’s green eyes widened. “You’re really that spooked, mistress?”
“Just trying not to act a fool, as my mother used to say. If someone was able to waltz in here and take something from my closet, all bets are off.”
“All right, then,” Oscar said, puffing out his chest. “Let’s go.”
We descended the stairs carefully, keeping our eyes and ears peeled. We had rushed through the store earlier, so now I looked for anything that looked out of place. I flicked on the lights in the back room and the store, but everything seemed as serene as ever. Oscar made a big deal about trotting through all the aisles of the shop floor and investigating behind the mannequins.
I was checking behind the register when I noticed Oscar had opened the door to the mini-fridge.
“Pretty sure no one’s hiding in there, Oscar,” I said.
“You never know,” he said with a quick cackle. “In fact—Wind Spirit.”
“Excuse me?” I went to join him in the back room, and Oscar ran to hide behind my skirts, pointing toward the green linoleum-topped table.
Hiding underneath the table was the witch named Wind Spirit, formerly known as Amy.
Chapter 26
I stroked my medicine bag, assessing the situation. According to Bronwyn, Wind Spirit was a martial arts expert. And if she had been ruthless enough to go after Tristan Dupree, she was more than dangerous—she was homicidal.
Then again, I had Oscar with me. Currently he was cowering behind my skirt, but I’d seen him in action; once Oscar got riled, he was a force to be reckoned with. Still, what if Wind Spirit had a weapon? Her hands were tucked into the pockets of her baby-doll dress, so I couldn’t be sure. Even a gobgoyle couldn’t fend off a speeding bullet.
“Wind Spirit.What are you doing here?” I demanded.
She shook her head, but said nothing.
“Come out from under there, and let’s talk,” I said, trying to keep my tone steady and as light as possible. “What are you looking for? Did you come for the shoe box?”
She continued to stare. I realized her eyes lookedhollow, as blank as those of the “Sailor” who wasn’t actually my fiancé. A shiver ran down my spine.
“Are you... are you the doppelgänger?”
She shook her head again and jumped out and up from under the table. Now I was sure. It was Wind Spirit, and yetnotWind Spirit. Her face looked like her, but she seemed much smaller than she had before. It was confusing, disorienting to see her like this.
She moved slowly, lurching toward us, her movements jerky, as though her muscles were rusty or out of practice. Oscar and I stumbled back another couple of steps. I could hear my familiar mumbling: “Gack!She’s like the Mummy!”
Yes, she was creepy, but I thought of what Aidan had said: Maybe the doppelgänger had chased me all over Chinatown because he’d been trying to communicate.
“Amy!”I yelled. I never could get used to her new name. “Stop, and talk to me. Tell us what you want.”
