Chapter Twenty-seven
HARMONY got behind a twin bed and pushed it forward with every bit of strength she had in her. Reggie landed on it and bounced, as did the ladder . . . in Jake’s direction.
Harmony and Reggie screamed and lunged for him, but the ladder veered away from Jake, as if something had deflected it and sent it in another direction.
Harmony snatched Jake up and turned her back on the ladder to protect him. It crashed into a full-length mirror.
Still shaking, Reggie cried as she took her son. “A broken mirror,” she said. “Seven years’ bad luck,”
“I didn’t break it, Mama.”
“We know, Scrumpling.” Harmony wiped her own tears. “And no bad luck. That’s an old wives’ tale. We needed good luck, and we got it.” They sat on the bed together to catch their breaths.
Gussie, Gussie, Gussie, Harmony thought. You hate the daughter as much as the father, but you protect the grandson. Why?
“Destiny and Storm,” she called telepathically. “Now. It’s time now! Where the hell are you?”
“Hot and smokin’ witch patrol reporting for duty,” Storm said, as they walked in.
“Thank God,” Harmony said. “This is getting scary.”
“Very scary,” Reggie said.
“Reggie, these are my sisters. We’re triplets.”
“No freaking kidding.”
“Storm and Destiny, meet Reggie, King Paxton’s daughter, and this is her son, Jake.”
Caramello flew into Destiny’s arms, and Warlock hopped on Storm’s shoulder and pawed at her hair until he tossed her wig to the floor.
Jake doubled over giggling.
Storm huffed, and with a flick of a hand, poofed her purple spiked hair. She picked up her cat and looked him in the eye. “Warlock, I know you like Mummy the way she is, but we have a job to do, and I have to look like Harmony, so lay off the wig!”
Jake’s giggles became contagious.
“Jake,” Storm said, “did you cry on the boat on your way here?”
“Yes,” Reggie said. “He did. He’d never been in a boat before. How did you know?”
“I get a sense when kids are in distress. It’s a psychic thing.” She smoothed the boy’s hair. “I’m glad you’re okay now.”
Tigerstar jumped on the bed, and she rubbed the top of her head on Jake’s arm, then Regina’s hip. Jake petted her, and Star purred and climbed on his lap to curl up. “She likes me!”
“She sure does,” Harmony said, while Storm put her wig back on.
Reggie examined their faces. “Don’t think I’m gonna remember which of you is which. The only way I can tell you’re Harmony is because you’re wearing different clothes.”
“Which I need to fix.” Harmony took off her shirt and replaced it with the orange and black one her sisters brought. “Hold on to Jake, Reggie, not for his protection, but for yours. We have to we see what we can do about the g-h-o-s-t.”
Reggie laughed.
“No joke. Didn’t you feel as if something pulled that ladder back?”
“Well yes, but—”
Harmony slipped into a pair of black shorts and shoes like her sisters. “Did you not see the ladder veer away from your son?”
“Very weird, I agree, but—”
“I believe you’re safe as long as you’ve got Jake in your arms. When you get to the dorm, take an amethyst crystal from my top drawer and put it in your pocket. That’ll help deflect her negativity.”
“What you’re saying isn’t possible.”
“It’s as possible as a teen dragging a one-year-old across the country to find a father she’s never met. A lot of people wouldn’t believe your story, either.”
Reggie tilted her head. “You’re right. I defied the odds.”
“And raised Baby Einstein while you were at it. So listen, weirder things have happened. It gets cold when the g-h-o-s-t shows. Do you remember getting cold?”
“Yes. I was freezing all of a sudden.”
“Bingo. She’s your ancestor, by the way.”
“Wonderful, but on my mother’s side, right?”
“No. Her problem is with you and your father. “We need the power of three as one to handle this, and that’ll take all our concentration. We’ll get our best shot without distractions; they break our power of concentration. If we’re weak, the g-h-o-s-t is strong. Trust me on this. Don’t tell anybody you saw triple. We have some serious psychic w-i-t-c-h peacemaking to do, so if anybody sees us, any one of us, we’re all me, no questions asked. The less explaining, the more energy we conserve.”
“Who’s the w-i-t-c-h?” Reggie asked. “You or the g-h-o-s-t?”
“All of us,” the three of them said.
Reggie shook her head. “Does my father know?”
“He doesn’t know what my sisters look like or that they’re here. Keep our secret for a few hours, and give us a chance to work our m-a-g-i-c-k. We’ll come out of the broom closet before the day’s over.”
“I can spell, you know,” Jake declared, arms crossed. “J-a-k-e.” He nodded, annoyed that he couldn’t understand them.
“Jake, you smart boy, will you take your mama back to the bedroom so she can rest?”
“Can I take the kittens?”
“They need to stay with us. Caramello belongs to Destiny. Warlock is Storm’s. And Gingertigger is mine.”
“Can Tigerstar come with us, then?”
“You know, I think she might like to do that.” It looked as if Vickie’s Tigerstar, a powerful familiar and wise to Gussie’s presence, was lending her protective instincts to Reggie and Jake, a big relief.
Harmony walked them up the hall. “Be gentle when you tell your father about this.”
Reggie hugged her. “You care about my dad, don’t you?”
“What are you, psychic? Don’t tell him; you’ll scare him away.”
Reggie laughed. “I won’t tell a soul.” She picked up her son.
Harmony’s sisters met her halfway back. “The technocrat with the steel rod up his butt has a daughter?” Destiny asked.
“Never mind the daughter,” Storm said. “Harmony’s got the hots for the father. I told you she’d been getting laid.” Storm caught her sleeve. “Is the brass ass good in the sack?”
Destiny cuffed her. “Geez, Storm.”
Harmony made a fainting motion with the back of her hand against her brow, and they all three hooted. “Listen,” Harmony said, “there are a couple of guys I want you to check out while you’re pretending to be me. I need to know if my take on them is right or if I’m blocked.”
“If you’re blocked, it’s because some guy’s docked in your man radar,” Storm explained with a wink.
Harmony rolled her eyes. “Check out Aiden McCloud. He’s cute in a shaggy-dog sort of way, a guy who’s at his best with a Harley or a woman under him, and whichever it is, all engines will be revved and purring.”
“Okay, McCloud’s mine to size,” Storm said.
“The other one’s Morgan Jarvis. He’s an architect, and—you’ll love this—a paranormal debunker. Give me your take on him before I say any more. Like us, Des, this one doesn’t seem to know who he wants to be when he grows up. You’ll know him when you see him.”
Destiny frowned. “I resent that. I know who I am. I’m the manager of the Immortal Classic.”
“That’s what you do, not who you are,” Harmony said. “You’re only going through the motions.”
Destiny folded her arms but didn’t argue. The triplet thing had its uses. She was right, and Destiny knew it. Harmony sensed Paxton coming as her sisters ducked into the closet. How foolish, and yet their scheme would backfire if they became a sideshow. Better for their midsummer ritual preparations if they concentrated on their task. Every nosy question would suck their energy and diminish their collective power.
“What the hell happened in here?” King asked. “Are Reggie and Jake okay? Are you? I thought they were with you.”
“Good paternal instincts, Paxton.” She took his arm to lead him from the room. “We had a visit from Gussie. I have good news and bad.”
He didn’t take either well, she thought a few minutes later as he ran up the stairs to the dorm.
Aware the coast was now clear, her sisters joined her.
“We have to concentrate,” Harmony said, “and work our way through this place, room by room. The negative entity is strong, so we have to be stronger. Do you have everything we need to bless and cleanse each room?”
Destiny ticked off their supplies on her fingers. “Salt, smudge stick, black candles, water, and a broom.”
“Here, I found a source for amethyst crystals here on the island and brought one for each of us.” She led them through the formal parlor, their kittens following. “This’ll take a few days, but the more rooms we cleanse and protect, the easier it’ll be to do the ritual.”
“We’re doing it, then?”
“I don’t see that we have a choice.” Harmony led them behind the small tapestry. “In a way, I’m glad Gussie expended a good amount of energy this afternoon, because our task here should be easier. Don’t worry, none of the rooms will be as difficult as this one.”
She placed her hand on the doorknob. “Brace yourselves. We’re about to enter . . . the toy room.”