Seeing You – Part Thirty

“Mazi, hurry. Bring me the necklace,” Moonsong exclaimed, her voice cracked and edgy as an injured Rayne slumped into her arms. She lowered both her body and Rayne’s to the carpeted floor, one hand pressed over the gaping wound on Rayne’s shoulder and her other hand outstretched to grasp the necklace.

Mazi ran to the center of the circle and handed the necklace to Moonsong, who immediately wrapped the chain around Rayne’s neck. Mazi circled around behind the fallen pair and with trembling fingers, clasped the chain together. The pendant radiated a soft metallic glow as Moonsong chanted an ancient spell.

Rick and Jenna moved at the same time to go to Rayne, but Mazi held up a hand and shook her head. “Stay, we’ve already tampered with the circle. She’ll be okay for a few moments longer,” Mazi whispered.

Moonsong continued chanting, her voice rising and falling with words of intent. The necklace’s glow turned brighter and vibrated against Rayne’s throat. After a few moments, Rayne moaned and fluttered her eyes open. She gazed up at Moonsong, who radiated in a kaleidoscope of colors. Her head ached, as did her shoulder. She tried to move, but the pain was too great. She felt a warmth fill her body as Moonsong ended the chant.

“Charlene, break the circle. We have to treat Rayne’s wounds,” Moonsong demanded.

Charlene went about the quarters as fast as she could, thanking the Lord and Lady and the Watchtowers for guarding their circle. She then kneeled and swept her hand across the salt to open the circle. She nodded at Mazi who rushed from the circle and into another room.

Rick and Jenna hurried to Rayne’s side.

“Here, let me do that,” Rick said to Moonsong as he placed his hand over hers on Rayne’s wounded shoulder.

Moonsong slipped her hand from beneath his and smiled at him. “Thank you, my hand was going numb.”

Rayne winced from the pressure. She tried again to sit up, but slumped her head back into Moonsong’s lap.

“Don’t sit up,” Jenna said as she moved Rayne’s legs to flatten them on the floor.

Mazi returned with a bottle of peroxide and some bandages. “This is the best I can do for now. I need to mix some herbs,” she said as she handed the items to Rick.

“It’s too deep. She’ll need stitches,” Rick informed her as he lifted his hand and inspected the deep gash. “Jenna, call 911.”

Jenna nodded and rushed out of the room. Her cellphone was in the large meeting room.

“Rick… I saw…” Rayne muttered.

“Shhhh. It’s okay,” he whispered as he smoothed her hair back with his free hand.

“No, I… 22… 16.”

“What is that? Rayne? What is 2216?”

Rayne’s eyes fluttered and she closed them.

Rick patted his hand on her cheek. “Rayne? 2216?”

“His house… hurry… the girls…,” Rayne moaned.

“Mazi,” Rick said, turning to his cousin, “find Jenna. Tell her to call Troy. 2216. Percy’s house number.”

Rayne cried out as pain pounded against her skull. She tried to open her eyes, but everything went black again.

# # #

Back in Fairfax, Troy, Captain Jakes, and half of the Fairfax Police Department descended upon Kent Percy’s house at 2216 Trent Avenue. Across the street stood a Stop-n-Go. This had been one of the houses they’d knocked on several times, always with no answer. They didn’t need to knock this time. With a warrant in hand, they broke down the door to the closed-in porch, then the door to the house. Troy and two officers made their way into the house, giving the all-clear as they moved toward to basement. Captain Jakes and his other officers began survey the main floor.

As Troy made his way down the stairs, he heard muffled cries. “Kent Percy, FBI,” he shouted as he neared the foot of the stairs. He stopped before he reached the bottom two and raised his gun.

Percy stood at the long wooden table, a knife pressed at Gina’s throat. Muzzled and strapped to the table, Gina could only whimper.

“Don’t come any closer. I’ll kill her. I swear to god I will.”

Troy’s eyes darted around the room. Two empty cages. He could barely make out Mia in the third.

“Where’s Sally, Kent?”

Percy jerked his head around and glanced at a corner off to the right. Sally leaned against the wall in a fetal position with her eyes closed. “She’s not dead. Not yet, but if you try to take me, I will kill all three of these damn dogs.”

There was a creak on the staircase. One of the officers had advanced a few steps.

Percy pushed the blade harder against Gina’s throat. “I said don’t come any closer!”

Troy held his hand up at the officer and he stopped. “We will stay where we are, Kent. Just put down the knife and let the girls go.”

Percy laughed and waved the blade around. After a moment, his eyes turned black and he whispered, “How’s your witch doing?”

“You damn well know how she’s doing. You nearly killed her.”

“Only nearly? Damn. She’s a fine-looking witch, but she’s not getting my dogs and neither are you.”

“They aren’t dogs, Kent. Look at them. They are frightened little girls.’

Percy lowered his head and raised the bladed-hand to his forehead. With the blunt end of the knife, he pounded on his head repeatedly. “They’re dogs,” he screamed.

Troy took the moment of distraction to advance down another step. “Kent, take a good look at her.”

Percy lifted his head and narrowed his black eyes. He leered at Troy, all the while keeping the knife raised in the air. “You’re trying to trick me. Just like my dad did. Just like…,” his voice trailed off as he glanced down at Gina.

“You loved Bethany. Why would you want to kill this one?” Troy said as he stepped off of the final stair-step.

“’Cause, she ain’t Bethany. None of these mongrels are,” Percy growled as looked back up at Troy.  He raised the knife even higher and began to swing it back down toward Gina.

“Don’t do it, Kent!” Troy yelled as he raised his gun a bit higher.

Percy laughed and aimed the knife right at Gina’s heart.

Troy knew if he didn’t act fast, that little girl would be dead. He raised his gun fully, got Percy in his sight and fired. The bullet struck Percy in the chest. As the man fell backwards and onto the floor, the knife slid from his hand and clattered onto the cement. Troy walked over to Percy, his gun still aimed at the man, and slowly bent down, taking the man’s pulse. He was dead. He raced over to Sally and directed the other two officers to attend to Gina and Mia. As he knelt, Troy placed two fingers on Sally’s wrist. He sighed, relieved. The pulse was faint, but she was still alive.

# # #

Rayne stirred, wincing in pain. She opened her eyes, blinking a few times. She felt a light pressure on her hand and slowly moved her head to the left. Jenna sat in a chair beside her bed, sleeping. Her hand rested on Rayne’s. She wiggled her fingers. Jenna sprang up in the chair and glanced over at Rayne.

“Hey,” Rayne whispered. “Did we… are the girls…”

Jenna flashed her a bright smile and leaned in close. “We got him, Rayne. You saved those girls.”

Rayne closed her eyes and sighed. “They’re safe,” she murmured repeatedly before drifting back to sleep.

Hours later, Rayne sat up in the hospital bed with Jenna, Rick and Mazi standing around her. She had to be reassured that Percy was dead and the girls were safe. She thought she’d merely dreamt Jenna’s previous answers.

“Troy got him. One clean shot,” Rick assured her.

“And Sally?”

“She’s fine. Weak and exhausted, but she’s back on her insulin. All the girls are fine, Rayne. You did good.”

Rayne smiled and then scrunched her face in confusion. “I still don’t know how he trapped me there. I couldn’t pass through anything.”

“What do you mean?” Jenna asked.

“Most of the time when I was in his world, I could pass through objects. That’s how I got the house number, but twice he trapped me. Once when he zapped me with the cattle prod and then this time after he pulled me from outside the house.”

Mazi shuddered. “He had some wicked powers. Thank goddess he’s dead.”

Rayne nodded. “I guess we’ll never know now how he did it.”

The four chatted for a while longer and then Jenna and Mazi left to get coffee. Rick sat down on the corner of the bed and squeezed her hand.

“Ready to go back home?” he asked her softly.

Rayne stared up into his lapis eyes. Home? She hadn’t thought about her cottage or her friends in nearly a week. Could she go back to her life as if nothing had happened? Would she be content to just make tinctures and read tarot after all she’d been through? All she’d seen?

“I… I don’t know,” she replied.

Rick grinned. “You could always hang around here a while longer. Maybe help…”

“Are you suggesting what I think you’re suggesting?”

“What do you think I am suggesting?”

“Me, consulting on more cases.”

Rick chuckled. “The thought had crossed my mind. Would you consider it?”

Rayne glanced over at her shoulder and then back at Rick. She had enjoyed working with him and Jenna. It had been dangerous and nearly fatal, but her old life seemed so boring now. She pursed her lips together and closed her eyes. Was this really what she wanted? To work side by side with Rick and Jenna? To help them catch serial killers? She would still need to go home, if for no other reason than to explain to her friends and close up the cottage. It wouldn’t be forever. She could still go home between cases. After a long moment, she popped her eyes opened, grinned at Rick and nodded.

~The End~

or is it?

---

Seeing You (a working title) is the story of Rayne Fallon, a witch with the power to see into the past and future, although not always accurately. She gets tangled up with FBI’s SA Rick Harris and SA Jenna Styles as they search for an 8 year old missing girl, thought to have been kidnapped by a Serial Killer.

Seeing You ©2016 Lori Carlson. All rights reserved. Permission must be granted to distribute or copy this serial (unless reblogging). Thank you.

In case you missed a part, click Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11, Part 12, Part 13, Part 14, Part 15, Part 16, Part 17, Part 18, Part 19, Part 20, Part 21, Part 22, Part 23, Part 24, Part 25, Part 26, Part 27, Part 28, Part 29

Today’s total: 1679 words. Total words: 52,026