I cursed and started to pace the sidewalk in front of her house and shop.
Gigi pursed her lips. “I’m assuming you checked the church.”
“Three times in two hours!” Landreia groaned. “You don’t understand. I was sitting right here waiting because I knew what time service would be over. A lot of people walk so I saw them, figured it’d be any minute. But then the crowd vanished and she hadn’t shown so I went looking. She was nowhere to be found.”
“Did you call The Coven?”
“Gigi—”
“What?” She looked up at me and made a face. “Why is that a bad question?”
“Because it’s three in the morning on Christmas,” Landreia said under her breath. “I didn’t want to alarm them if she was by chance with you.”
“But she’s not.” Gigi arched one eyebrow.
“Is there some place else she might go? Or somewhere she’s shown you she liked?”
“I still think we should call The Coven—"
“Not yet.” I narrowed my eyes at Landreia. “Have you tried a tracking spell?”
She seemed to deflate. “Several. Nothing.”
“I really think we should call—”
“GIGI. Stop, please. It’s only been three hours. Saffie has proven she can fight off demons. I don’t want to panic before it’s absolutely necessary.” I turned my gaze back to Landreia. “Show me what happens when you do it?”
Landreia pulled her wand out of her coat, flicked it in the air, and chanted words in the ancient language. I knew them but I wasn’t listening. I was too busy watching what her wand did. It flashed with light…then did nothing. It was like the world’s fastest sparkler on the Fourth of July.
Landreia sighed. “See? Nothing. That’s not normal.”
“Okay, okay, okay…have you called Dr. Troy?”
She shook her head. “I don’t have her number or address. I thought I did but can’t find it. I always wanted to be respectful of Saffie and not pry, this wasn’t the typical foster situation.”
“We know where her office is.” I started backing toward my mom’s truck. “We’ve dropped her there a few times. Let’s go ask her.”
Landreia jumped up and sprinted for the passenger door as I hurried around for the driver’s door. Gigi groaned and climbed into the backseat a split second before I sped off down the road. I heard my mom’s voice in my head asking me to be careful and I knew I needed to given the amount of snow on the road but I just couldn’t focus properly. I was turning into the driveway of Dr. Troy’s office before I even realized we’d gotten close.
Shit, that was bad, Savannah.
Well we made it for now, do better when we leave.
All three of us practically dove out of the truck the second I threw it in park. Dr. Troy’s office was on the first floor of the blue wooden house tucked away in the back. The lights were all off but that wasn’t surprising given it was Christmas, and three in the morning. Landreia and I pulled our wands out at the same time and bright light poured from the tips – the flashlight spell had always been one of my favorites.
That first day we’d walked her here I’d made sure to watch exactly where she went just in case. And boy, was I glad I had because there wasn’t a single sign on the house that said it was a doctor’s office. I led the way up the few steps to the front door. There were still no lights coming from inside. I frowned and knocked hard on the wooden door.
“This is the doctor’s office?” Landreia hissed in disgust.
“Yeah, we watched her go in this door.”
I sighed. “I’m gonna have to knock louder and wake up the whole damn neighborhood. Here goes nothing…”
I slammed the side of my fist on the wooden door as hard as I could over and over. The wood rattled and the knock echoed through the dark night.
Golden light spilled from the second floor and my heart stopped. Shit. Here goes. I heard a door creak open then crash against the wall. Footsteps thundered down the stairs on the side of the building. I grabbed the back of Gigi’s black coat and dragged her back behind me. The last thing we needed was for her to go penguin in front of a human. Again.
“What is going on down here?” A man grumbled and then he rounded the corner and froze. His eyes widened. “What? Ladies, it is three in the morning on Christmas, mind telling me what the hell you’re doing pounding on the damn door?”
It was a bit too dark to really see the guy but he was definitely tall with wide shoulders.
Landreia stepped in front of us then pointed her wand-flashlight up at her face. “I am sorry, Sir. My daughter didn’t come home from Midnight Mass tonight so we’re looking for her.”
The man frowned and cocked his head to the side. “Do I know you?”
“I’m Landreia Night, I own The Night Haven shop on Essex—”
“Ohhh. Right. Salem’s witch, right, right.” He took a step forward then reached up and touched something I couldn’t see – and light poured from a fixture on the wall. The man shook his head, his salt and pepper hair looking rather disheveled. He took a good hard look at us and sighed. “Your daughter, you say?”
“My foster daughter, yes,” Landreia said softly. “These are her friends. We’re sorry to disturb you we’re just worried about her.”
The man scratched the back of his head. “I understand, I have kids. But…why would she be here?” He pointed to the door I’d been knocking on.
“When she left home for Mass it was to meet up with her therapist.” Landreia gestured toward the door. “So we’re here.”
“This is her doctor’s office,” I added, in case that wasn’t obvious.
The man’s face scrunched up. “Ladies, I think you’re confused—”
“No, I brought her here once.”
The man looked to me with suddenly sad, dark eyes. “When?”
I shrugged. “Few days ago?”
“That’s what I’m telling you, I think you’re confused.” He sighed then scrubbed his face with his hand. “The therapist who worked here died last year. We just haven’t cleaned out the office yet.”
“No, no that’s not possible. I saw her go in here.” I scowled and replayed those memories in my head but they were clear. I saw her go inside. “Maybe some other doctor moved in?”
“No.”
“How do you know—”
“Because that therapist was my mother.” His lips smashed into a straight line. “I own this house and this office, and I promise you I have not rented it out to a single person. You must be confused. Maybe she used to be a patient of my mother’s but now has a new doctor?”
“But…but….” I blinked and stared at the door.
I am confusion.
I know what I saw…I saw her walk inside this door. I know I did, because I remember thinking it was a creepy place to have a therapist’s office.
Behind me, I faintly heard a discussion continuing with the man, Landreia, and Gigi but it made no sense at all. There had to be another answer. This was where Saffie went for her meetings, I knew she wasn’t going anywhere else. If he said someone else had moved their practice here I would’ve believed it more. There had to be more to this story, otherwise Saffie was getting therapy from a — ghost.