Sweetheart, West Virginia - 7. Chapter Seven

“I got the mangoes for you, Tita Jane.” I walked into the kitchen and placed the bagged fruit onto the kitchen. “Tita Jane?”

“I’m here,” my tita called out as she walked down the stairs and entered the kitchen in her nurse uniform. “Thank you, Benny. You came back just in time.” Placing two mangoes into her lunchbox, she then said, “Well, I’m heading to work now. There’s plenty of leftovers in the refrigerator when you get hungry, and I’ll be back right before midnight, okay?”

I nodded. “Okay.”

Tita stopped zipping her lunchbox halfway and looked at me before placing her gentle, warm hands on my cheek. “I heard what happened yesterday at the wedding. Are you okay?”

Nodding again, I said, “I’m okay. News travels fast, huh?”

Tita gave me a small smile. “In a small town like Sweetheart, of course. You’ll be staying home for the rest of the day, right?”

“Yeah, I have nothing else to do,” I said, knowing what all my attention will be focused on once I went into my bedroom.

“Good. I don’t want you outside when there could be a serial killer or kidnapper out and about.” Kissing my forehead, Tita Jane zipped up her lunchbox and slung the strap over her shoulder. “Okay, I’m heading out now. Your Uncle Jack should be home by six after he’s done with his job. And Benny?”

“Yeah?”

“I love you.”

I smiled and said, “I love you too, tita.”

Tita Jane smacked her lips and I got caught the imaginary kiss midair, placing it on my cheek. I followed my tita to the front door before closing it behind her. I watched as she got into her car, and when she drove away, I pulled out the wand from the pocket of my jeans that was concealed from under my shirt.

I felt the same energy emitting from the object and part of me wondered whether this thing was radioactive; though, if I was being radioactively poisoned, I wouldn’t know since I didn’t feel anything other than curiosity. I needed to know more about this mysterious object and after locking the front door, I sped up of the stairs and veered to my bedroom.

Planting my butt onto my desk chair, I held the wand with both hands, admiring its simplistic design that contrasted greatly by the incredible abilities it performed back in the mines. Not knowing where to start, I decided to turn the object by rolling it slowly in my fingers, wondering if there were any buttons or some type of switch that I didn’t see before. But there was none.

There were no seams, no screws, no lights or wording, nothing. If someone else came across this wand, that person would’ve thought it was a single chopstick that was missing its significant other. But I knew that this was more than what it simply appeared, and I wanted to activate what other powers this object held within. I then pulled gently on the wand, wondering if there were any detachable pieces, but there was none either. I wondered if this piece of whatever material this thing was made of ran out of juice or if I somehow broke it. But I didn’t want to handle it too roughly if this object wasn’t broken at all, and I just hadn’t figured out how to work it yet.

Not knowing what else to do, I began absently waving the wand like I was some sort of magician or wizard, and when I flicked it, I almost jumped out of my chair when something appeared in front of me. Looking closer, I saw it was an image of a loading icon in the shape of a simple bar. Then a few seconds later an interface materialized with what appeared to be application icons that were arranged in a vertical ring. I stood up from my chair, completely marveled by what I was seeing. There were no words or any forms of language on the icons, but the images on the icons were enough for me to assume what each one did. The interface moved with the wand and when I swiped the tip like a finger on a smartphone screen, the icons rotated along an invisible axis. I randomly hovered the tip of the wand over one application; it then enlarged before the entire interface disappeared.

Suddenly I felt warming sensation emanating from the wand, and the tip was glowing. Out of curiosity, I blew on the tip, and shockingly I blew a large fire that caused me to fall back onto my chair. I couldn’t believe what the wand just did; a fire erupted from the tip like it was a torch and I was blowing fuel from my mouth. Fortunately, I didn’t burn anything in my bedroom as I stood back up. Doing the same flicking motion, the interface returned, and I looked at the application that had an image of fire, which I should’ve saw before selecting it.

I swiped through the rest of the applications, surprised by how many there were, and I wondered if more could be installed like it were a smartphone or computer. As I continued swiping through them, I then stopped at one application that had a glowing border around it. Curious again, I tapped the wand on the application, and the interface disappeared once again. And before I knew it, I felt intense pain that caused me to release the wand from my grasp. I cursed several profanities, the wand feeling like it heated to a thousand degrees. I quickly went to the bathroom and placed my hand in the sink as I ran cold water on it. I breathed out in relief as the pain subsided and when I unfurled my fingers, I saw what looked like glowing lettering of some foreign language that lined my palm before fading away. No scars or any signs that I seared my hand were there. I even touched the area and didn’t feel anything different. Looking in the mirror, I saw nothing other than my own reflection.

Returning to my bedroom, I hesitantly picked the wand back up and it felt somehow different in my hand, like I held this device before and it felt completely familiar. What exactly have I just done? I didn’t know anything about where this object came from, and I only knew that it had multiple purposes like blowing fire just from the tip, and it left an invisible marking in my hand of some language that didn’t look human at the slightest. Whatever it was, I knew I came across a magnificent discovery since nothing like this wand had ever been created before and nothing that was known or available to the public. I wanted to know more. So much more.

But before I could do anything more with this fantastical object, I heard a familiar voice calling out my name. I quickly placed the wand into one of the drawers of my desk, knowing that explaining what I discovered to my uncle would be difficult to say the least. So, walking out of my bedroom and down the stairs, I saw Uncle Jack at the foyer where he was placing his coat on the coat rack.

“Hey, Uncle Jack!” I greeted.

“Benny Boy! How are you? You look shell-shocked.” Uncle Jack said with wide smile.

“I’m okay. Tita Jane told me that you wouldn’t be home until around six.”

“Yeah, well we made great progress on renovating the Jefferson’s home, so I decided to end it early and come home,” Uncle Jack explained as he took his boots off and placed them on the shoe rack. “Anyways, have you eaten lunch yet?”

“I have. Do you want me to warm up the leftover sinigang for you though?” I offered.

“That would be great. Thank you.”

I nodded and walked to the kitchen. I warmed up the sour soup on the stove and then filled a plate with the soup that included pork and various vegetables along with freshly cooked white rice that was made by Tita Jane before she left. Placing it on the dining table, Uncle Jack then returned in casualwear. He thanked me again, and he started digging into our plates. I returned with the pitcher of cold water and an empty glass, and Uncle Jack took a big gulp of his water and then looked at me with a smile.

“So, Benny Boy, what did you do today?”

“Nothing much,” I lied, wanting to head back to my bedroom.

“I see. Your tita told me that you helped photograph Trevor Nolan’s wedding yesterday… I didn’t know you were an expert on that.”

“Yeah, it was pretty much my career back in the city,” I confessed as I looked down to the floor.

“Really? Why haven’t you told your tita and I whenever we called you?” Uncle Jack asked with his elbows on the table.

I shrugged.

“What does that mean?” Uncle Jack said, imitating my shrug.

“Nothing. It was just something that I did to make a living for myself. That’s all.”

“You weren’t living on the streets or anything like that, were you?” Uncle Jack furrowed his eyebrows with concern.

“No, of course not. Photography actually gave me plenty of opportunities and…”

“And…” Uncle Jack leaned forward.

“And…I’m sorry.”

“Sorry? Sorry for what?” Uncle Jack asked, looking confused.

“I know that being a photographer isn’t the most ideal career you had planned for me,” I admitted, looking anywhere else instead of my uncle. “I know it’s not the manliest thing I could be doing…like football or being in the Navy.”

Frowning, Uncle Jack said, “So, because I was in the Navy you thought I couldn’t fathom raising a child who likes to take pictures as a hobby?”

I just shrug again with my arms crossed. “It was more than a hobby, Uncle Jack. It was my life. I even made a name for myself in the city because of my photography skills.”

“Well, that’s great, Benny. I’m all for it then.” Draining the rest of his glasses, Uncle Jack then sighed and said, “I’m sorry if I made you believe that doing anything other than football wouldn’t be acceptable to me. My views have changed since retiring from the Navy when you were in high school. I just want you to be happy and if photography gives you the life that you desire, then I’m more than okay with that. I love you, Benny.”

I smiled and said, “Love you too.”

Smiling back, Uncle Jack said, “So, what kind of photos do you take back in the city? It couldn’t be nature shots?”

I chuckled and said, “Definitely not. I basically recreated old portraits, mostly painted ones with several of them dating back centuries ago.”

“Wow! How do you do that?”

“A lot of makeup, costumes, and different types of lighting. It’s more than just the final flashing of the camera; there were other elements which made taking the picture like adding the glossy varnish to a finished painting. It was great.”

“Was?” Uncle Jack said with a raised eyebrow. “You’re still doing that type of photography in the city, right?”

I wanted to tell Uncle Jack what happened only a few months ago, when I was defamed by an art critic for have an affair with his husband, which tanked my career and caused me to lose everything that I worked hard to get from my car to my studio apartment. However, I felt that I already revealed enough to my uncle and that the rest could be confessed later. And the fact that I wanted to return to my bedroom where I could continue to experiment with the wand was also hovering in my mind.

So, I said, “Of course I am. When I go back to the city I will.”

“Ah, got it.” Uncle Jack took another spoonful of sinigang and rice into his mouth.

After that subject ended, I decided to grab a plate of my own and ate with my uncle, while we talked about his construction business. I also showed phone images of the photos I had taken and just the look on his face told me that he was impressed by what I created. Then with our plates licked clean, Uncle Jack insisted that he would clean up since I was still considered a guest and Filipino hospitality was definitely ingrained in the old man of English descent.

“While you’re here in town, are you doing any more photography gigs?” Uncle Jack asked while washing the plates at the sink.

“Yeah, at the wedding Mr. and Mrs. Dodd approached me and asked if I can take a picture of their family.”

“That’s great. Maybe you can set up your own photography business in Sweetheart. I’m sure the townspeople will appreciate that.”

“Yeah, I doubt that’ll happen. And I’m sure you’re only saying that, so you can get me to stay home where Tita Jane can fatten me up.”

Chuckling, Uncle Jack said, “You got me… Just know that you always have a home to fall back to when things get rough. All right, Benny?”

I nodded and gave my uncle a half hug before returning to my bedroom, closing the door behind me. Taking the wand from the desk drawer, I looked at it in my hands, marveling on how such a simple-looking object could possess so much power and possibilities. I performed another flick of the wand, and unexpectedly it turned the screen of my laptop on. I chuckled to myself, impressed once again since this wand was also compatible with today’s technology like my laptop. Then an idea popped in my head.

After typing in the password, I pointed the tip of the wand onto the screen of my laptop. The last thing that I wanted was for the wand to break my laptop since the warranty had long since expired, and God knew there was no way I could afford to repair or replace it. So, I gently tapped the wand on the screen and surprisingly the same interface was now displayed on my laptop screen. And not only that, words were displayed below the application icons, English words to be specific. Somehow the interface was translated into the language selected in my laptop, and I could interact with the interface like a stylus pen. As I swiped through the applications like I did before, the light from my desk lamp diminished, and I sighed. Then another idea appeared.

I quickly unscrewed the dead lightbulb of the lamp and after throwing it into the trashcan, I placed the wand into the lamp’s socket. Suddenly the entire room was brightened by what looked like natural sunlight. It was like I was outside with the Sun shining through a cloudless sky and onto my bedroom. I even felt the warmth only the rays of the Sun could provide. It was wonderful.

“Impressive, isn’t it?”

I jumped from the floor, and I spun around to see someone sitting on the side of my bed. “What the—Who the—Who the hell are you?”

This someone, this man, chuckled as he stood up from my bed and took a step forward as I stumbled backwards. My heart was beating so fast by the surprise of some random man appearing in my bedroom from out of nowhere. This was definitely because of the wand, and I went for the lamp and pulled it from the socket just as the man reached his hand out to me. Luckily, I was the faster one as the man disappeared along with the wand.

“Benny? Are you okay there?” Uncle Jack called out.

“Yeah. It’s nothing,” I said, looking at my bed where the man stood only a few seconds ago.

My door then opened, and I saw Uncle Jack pop his head out. “Are you sure? I heard a yelp.”

“Yeah, sorry. I just stubbed my toe,” I lied, looking back at my empty bed.

“Oh, okay… Oh, and Benny?”

“Yeah?” I said, looking back at my uncle.

“I just received a call from your tita that Trevor Nolan is in the hospital,” Uncle Jack said.

“Oh, God. What happened?”

“She couldn’t tell any specifics. Only that something happened at the police station, but he’s in stable condition. You can visit him if you want.”

“Yeah, I’ll do that.”

Nodding, Uncle Jack closed the door, and I was left by myself in my bedroom once again. However, I decided that staying here wasn’t the best idea, and I placed the wand in my pocket before leaving my bedroom.

***

I still couldn’t believe what I just witnessed. A man killed himself right in front of me in the one of the most horrific ways possible. Blood everywhere, people screaming and scrambling, a father crying…and it was all my goddamn fault.

I shouldn’t have let Trevor use that intercom; I should’ve been more vigilant. Now a man was dead, and I was ordered to watch Trevor as he lied sedated in a room at the hospital, making sure that he doesn’t do anything suicidal himself. Hopefully I won’t screw this up. I couldn’t afford to screw anything up because I saw the accusation in the sheriff’s red eyes when he ordered me to watch his now only son, and I didn’t blame him at all. Why exactly he ordered me to do this job other than another police officer I didn’t know; I guessed that watching a man who just lost his brother for a second time because of my doing was punishment…and it was well-deserved.

As I adjusted my body on the wobbly metal chair, I looked back into the room of Trevor as he lied on the bed, completely sedated and silent. I did this constantly and my aching neck was proof of that along with my numbed ass since I didn’t stand up from the chair at all.

I sighed as I tried fight off sleep that I didn’t get last night when a nurse approached me with a smile. I smiled back, knowing the nurse was Mrs. Bratt who was holding a container with food inside.

“Hello, Cash. Are you hungry?”

On cue, my stomach growled, and I said, “Yeah, I am.” Mrs. Bratt then offered me the container that had what looked like thick sausages with rice. “Oh, you don’t have to, Mrs. Bratt.”

“Don’t worry about it. And it’s either this or hospital food, and I’m sure you don’t want that.”

I chuckled and thanked her before taking some of the sausage and rice into my mouth with a metal spoon before eating it. “Wow, this sausage tastes amazing.”

“I’m glad you like it. It’s called longanisa, a Filipino sausage. If you want any more, just ask me. Okay?”

I nodded and placed another spoonful of the Filipino cuisine into my mouth. Mrs. Bratt patted my shoulder and went inside Trevor’s room. I looked back to see Mrs. Bratt doing her hourly check-up on her patient by feeling his pulse, checking the monitors, and the other duties that were assigned to her. I had major respect for nurses since I believed they worked ten times as harder than doctors when it comes to their hospital duties. Claudia wanted to be a nurse, and I wished she could’ve fulfilled her dreams instead being cooped up in a mental institution.

“Officer Monroe?”

I looked away from the room and saw a doctor walking towards me. “Yeah?”

“Hi, I’m the hospital’s pathologist,” the man said, extending his hand out that I shook. “I’ve been told you’re the only police officer stationed here, and I think it is best if I show what I’ve discovered while examining Travis Nolan’s body. Maybe you can give me some answers to what I found.”

“Sure. Lead the way.”

I followed the pathologist to the lower level of the hospital where the autopsy room was located. I rubbed my arms when I entered, the cold temperature of the room causing me to shiver as the pathologist walked to the center of the room where Travis Nolan’s body was lying on the autopsy table with a sheet covering him.

“You’re not squeamish, are you?” the pathologist asked.

Shaking my head, the pathologist then slowly removed the sheet, and the cold body of Travis was revealed to me. The memory of what occurred at the police station flooded back into my head, and I did my best to block the waves of guilt as I looked at Travis’s face that was so pale and lifeless.

“So…what do you want me to see?” I asked.

“Well, normally with cases like these the cause of death is very clear. I would’ve just written in the paperwork as a gunshot wound to the head for the reason for his death…however, I noticed that he was missing his left hand. So, I did some extra examinations just out of curiosity and…well…”

“What did you find?”

“Something very strange.” The pathologist walked to the counters and returned with a metal tray which he placed on the side of the table. “It was lodged into his left arm. I only noticed because the tip of the object was sticking out of the severed area. Do you have any idea what this object could be?”

Looking at the tray, I saw the object that looked like a wand. Black in color with several round coves and beads like the leg of a wooden table, I leaned my face forward to get a closer look.

I then faced the pathologist and said, “May I?”

“Go ahead. Here’s some gloves.”

Picking on the rod-shaped object with my gloved hands, I rolled it in my fingers and wondered what exactly it could be.

“Have any ideas?”

I shook my head. “None that I can think of... You found this in his left arm?”

“Correct, specifically between the radius and ulna bones. My best guess is that this object was inserted through the severed area where it remained for years. I’m surprised; there’s no signs of infection and just the idea that he survived having his hand severed without medical intervention is also unbelievable. I’ve been in this profession for thirty plus years, and I never came across a case like this before.”

Rubbing the back of my neck, I continued to look at the object in my hand without any idea of what it could be. “I don’t have any answers for you. Sorry.” I placed the object back onto the tray and then said, “Doctor…do you mind if I have a moment alone with Travis?”

“Of course not. I’ll just be finalizing the paperwork. Take your time.”

The pathologist patted me on the shoulder and left the autopsy room. I looked at Travis’s lifeless body on the metal table and sighed. Approaching the table, I clasped my hands in front of me as I continued to look at the man who had been in my mind for years. Guilt then began to rush into my conscience once again as thought about what I could’ve done differently back at the police station, then maybe Trevor wouldn’t had to witness his twin brother’s death and maybe Sheriff Nolan wouldn’t have lost his son for good. I didn’t have any positive opinions of the dead man, but his family didn’t deserve what they were currently going through.

Looking back at the mysterious object on the tray, I picked it back up and turned around so the light from the ceiling could give me a better visual on it. There was nothing significant about the wand-like item in my hand other than it was embedded in Travis’s arm for Lord knew how long. I was about to place it back on the tray when something on the wall caught my attention.

On the wall was a shadow that was being casted by the wand…however, the shadow didn’t look like it completely matched the wand. The shadow was long and when I looked down, I saw that the shadow transformed from a narrow line to what looked like a human figure.

I then dropped the wand by my waist before placing it against the light again, and the same human-like shadow appeared on the wall. The wand was just a round stick with some beads and coves; nowhere on the wand could explain what I was seeing, this shadow that grew as I walked closer to it.

The shadow looked like the profile of a man from the waist up; l could even see small details like the shape of his hair, nose and lips. I wondered if I was seeing this correctly, so I rubbed my eyes and looked again. However, the shadow of the man was still there…and when the man’s head turned, I jumped backwards, dropping the wand on the sterile floor.

I almost pissed myself; there was no way that just happened. When I looked down, I saw the wand and its shadow that was growing from the tip and rising against the wall. To my horror, the same shadow of the man appeared again, and when he turned his head to face me, I could hear a low chuckle. The man’s shadow then began moving against the wall, and I watched, frozen in place. The room began to feel even colder, and as my eyes followed the shadow, I heard a door and the shadow’s head turned before it shortened and was sucked back into the wand. What the fuck?

I looked to my left and saw the pathologist walked back into the room.

“Do you want more time?” the pathologist asked, completely unaware of what I just witnessed.

“Oh, um…no. Thank you, though…” Looking down at the wand, I quickly picked it back up and said, “Do you mind if I take this object as evidence? It could be important for another investigation.”

“No… No, I don’t mind. Just let me bag it for you,” the pathologist said.

The pathologist must’ve wondered why the wand was on the floor or why I was probably pale in the face, but those were the least of my worries. This wand wasn’t any normal object, and I needed to do my own investigation on it, remaining cautious of course.

After the pathologist placed the wand in a sealable, plastic bag for me, I thanked him again before exiting the cold room and returning to my chair where I placed container of the longanisa and rice. I didn’t feel hungry anymore, but out of respect for Mrs. Bratt, I finished eating it. I then examined the wand in the clear bag before placing it inside the side pocket of my pants. Mrs. Bratt then returned, and I thanked her for the meal she generously provided for me after handing her the empty container.

“Do you want anymore, Cash?” Mrs. Bratt asked.

“No, thank you. What you gave me already filled me up,” I said, patting my stomach.

“That’s good.” Mrs. Bratt smiled and then she said, “It’s a thank you for what you did for my Benny.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Oh…no problem.”

“I saw you helping my nephew get into the house and into his bedroom after he went to that bar that one night. I also heard about the altercation he had with Leroy King, and that you helped diffuse the situation before it could get any worse. I really appreciate it… Benny is like a son to me, and it’s nice to know there’s someone looking out for him…especially after all the rumors and speculations that spread throughout the town about him all those years ago.”

I gave a small smile. “You’re welcome, Mrs. Bratt.”

“Just call me Jane.”

“All right. You’re welcome, Jane.”

Jane chuckled and rubbed my shoulder affectionately.

“Hello? Is this Trevor’s room?” a person asked with a heavy Russian accent.

I turned to see Trevor’s newly wedded wife, Natasha, approach us with her finger pointing into Trevor’s room. “Yes, that’s his room.”

“May I enter?” Natasha asked Jane shyly.

“Of course you can, sweetheart,” Jane said.

Natasha smiled and entered Trevor’s room. I looked to see her taking a cushioned chair to his bed and sitting down before placing her hand on his. Jane then entered the room and talked to Natasha, answering her questions with a hand on her shoulder. I was saddened that she had to see her new husband in this state a day after their wedding. I heard they were supposed to go on a honeymoon to Hawaii or someplace tropical, but of course that vacation was interrupted when Travis reappeared and turned everything we thought we knew upside down.

“Cash?”

I turned my head and saw a familiar person walking towards me. “Ben. Hey.”

Ben looked around, looking weary, and then to my surprise he hugged me. I of course hugged back and appreciated the warm body against my own which felt so right. We fitted perfectly like a key to a lock which opened up fluttering feeling inside me. I wanted to kiss him again, but I knew the hospital wasn’t the most appropriate place to do that, and I reluctantly released my hold on Ben and took a step back which made what felt like a huge space develop between us.

“What are you doing here?” Ben asked.

“Oh, I’m ordered to watch Trevor,” I answered. “What are you doing here?”

“My uncle told me that Trevor’s in the hospital, and I thought it was only right that I’d visit him.” Ben turned his head to look in the room. “What happened to him?”

“God, it’s a long story, Ben.”

“Just give me the important details,” Ben said, looking at me expectantly.

I sighed heavily before placing a hand on his back and leading him away from the room. “It happened at the police station. The sheriff and two other police officers were talking to Travis in the interrogation room and that was when Trevor showed up as well. One thing led to another and before anyone could stop him, Travis took the gun from his father’s belt and…shot himself.”

Ben’s eyes widened, and he placed a hand on his forehead. “God…”

“I know. Everyone in the police station witnessed it…including Trevor. He went into hysterics, and he had to be sedated before being sent to the hospital. I’m basically watching him, so that he doesn’t do anything drastic when he awakens.”

Ben shook his head. “This is a dumb question, but…is Travis dead?”

I nodded. “I actually went into the autopsy room where his body is right now.”

Ben brushed back his hair with his hand and looked up to the ceiling before sighing. “I can’t imagine what Trevor will have to live through after seeing his own brother kill himself.”

“Me neither. And the pathologist who examined Travis’s body found something…interesting.”

Looking back at me, Ben said, “What is it?”

I gave a humorless chuckle and pulled out the wand in my pocket. “This was found inside Travis’s arm.” I showed Ben the black wand that was still in the bag. “I don’t how it ended up in his arm, let alone what it really is, but—”

“Shit…no way.”

“What?” I asked as Ben took the wand into his hands and examined it.

“I…I think I know I what this is. Well, kind of.”

“Really? How do you know?”

Shaking his head again, Ben said, “It’s also a long story.” He then reached for his pocket and pulled out a wand of his own, white in color, and similar in length and shape. “I also have one.”

“Wait a minute,” I said, taking a step back. “Where did you find that?”

“Like I said, it’s a long story. What I will tell you is that both these objects aren’t just pieces of wood or metal. They are so much more than that. So much more.”

Ben opened the bag, and I immediately took the wand away from him. “Don’t.”

“What’s wrong?”

“I…I saw something back in the autopsy room, and it’s connected to the wand.” Ben raised an eyebrow, and I continued by saying, “You won’t believe it, but…I saw a shadow coming from the wand, a human shadow that moved its head and even chuckled.”

I expected Ben to look confused, but instead he nodded and said, “I had a similar experience not too long ago.”

“No way. You’re kidding, right?”

“I wish I was. Seeing a man sitting on my bed scared the shit out of me.”

I groaned. “God, what’s happening?”

“I don’t know, but when I think about it, these wands must be connected to what happened with Travis and Claudia. This can be a lead, Cash.”

“How can it be when we don’t even know what these things are?”

“Some research could help… Where to begin I don’t know, but maybe looking into the town’s history could be a good start. When do you get off work?”

“I don’t know. As long as Trevor’s in the hospital I suppose.”

“Right. Trevor. Let me see him first, and then we’ll talk about what I discovered so far.”

I just nodded, and I watched as Ben walked into the room. I looked down at the wand clutched in my hand and wondered when I would finally get the answers that I wanted.