Page 93 of Bargain with Fate
“Your mind would go directly there, wouldn’t it?”
“Maybe the shadow is the tool he uses to perform dark deeds. That way he gets to keep his distance and proclaim his innocence,” Louise said. “The men I knew never took accountability for any of their misdeeds.”
“You think he sold his soul, and now it’s out there committing murder for funsies?”
She gave me a pointed look. “Have you met men?”
I shook my head. “I don’t think that’s our situation. He has no reason to sell his soul.” I felt confident Stephen was telling the truth about his experiments. He was a wizard with time and curiosity on his side. It made perfect sense that he’d want to push the boundaries of the known world while he was still capable of it. Plus, he was lonely.
“If you tell me who the owner is,” Meemaw said, “I’ll tell you whether I think this is a Jekyll and Hyde situation.”
“Nice try, Meemaw. That information is confidential until the matter is resolved. At this point, I’m less concerned with the ‘why’ and more concerned with the ‘how do we stop it?’”
“What will you do if you capture it?” Bernice asked. “You’d need to have a room warded and ready to contain it.”
I dismissed the idea of Stephen’s closet. That hadn’t worked well so far. “I don’t know. I haven’t gotten that far yet.”
“I don’t envy your job, Maya,” Edith said. “Seems like a lot of work for very little reward.”
“Your safety is my reward.”
Margie gave me a knowing look. “Seems to meyoursafety is your reward, at least this time.”
Joan spun the pinwheel in her hand. “I have a thought.”
We all turned to look at her.
“I think the owner needs to reintegrate his shadow. Sounds like it’s the part of himself he’s been rejecting, so he needs to show acceptance by embracing all of himself, even the part he doesn’t like.”
Quiet descended upon the room.
I was first to break the silence. “Joan, you’re a genius.”
“Where do you come up with this stuff?” Margie asked.
“Years of therapy, honey. You don’t spend a wheelbarrow full of cash on giant billboards just to call your ex-husband a cocksucker and not do any self-reflection afterward.”
“This is why you’re so good at understanding the motivations of serial killers,” Catherine said in awe. “All that psychology experience.”
Joan basked in the glow of admiration. It was nice to witness.
“It sounds like you need two spells,” Edith said. “One to capture the shadow, and the other to reintegrate it.”
I thought of Ronald’s dream and the astral cord that snapped me back to my body. “I think I only need one. If we reverse the original spell, I bet his shadow will snap back to him, no matterwhere it is. Two birds. One stone.” Undo Stephen’s spell, and wherever the shadow was, it would simply reattach to him.
“Do you know the spell he used to separate from his shadow?” Meemaw asked.
“I know where he keeps it.” In a neat file folder in his drawer. I shot to my feet. “If I’m not back in time for Operation Decoration, start without me.”
From behind the sofa, Edith pushed me back to a seated position. “Absolutely not. You said there’s a killer shadow after you. Use the telephone.”
“But we need to do the reintegration spell.”
“Then you’ll do it here,” Meemaw said. “Edith’s right. I don’t want you to leave this condo. It isn’t safe.”
“Then you’ll know who the owner of the shadow is.”
“We’ll know soon enough anyway, won’t we?” Louise asked. “He won’t get out of this quietly.”
