Beneath An Ivy Moon (Legacy Of Magick Series, Book 4) (5 page)

“Felt that implosion earlier, did you?”

“Yeah, that was a hell of a disturbance on the astral plane,” Autumn agreed. “What’s going on down there? Was there an accident on the construction site?” she asked.

“No.” I started to flip through the images on my digital camera. I found the best one of the construction worker uncovering the skull. “They found something.” I turned the camera so she could see the digital screen.

Autumn took the camera, and frowned down at the image. “That’s a human skull,” she whispered.

“I know,” I said.

“See how discolored it is? I bet that’s
old
. How’d you get such a clear, close up photo?” Autumn asked, with a thoughtful expression.

I shrugged. “I was
inside
the site when I took that picture.”

Autumn shut her eyes. “I don’t suppose it occurred to you that walking in a construction area might be dangerous?”

“They weren’t even paying attention to me, not at first. I got some damn good shots before they hauled me out.”

Autumn handed me back the camera. “Your innate nosiness might get you into serious trouble one of these days,” she pointed out, crossing her arms over her bright blue blouse.

“I was assigned to photograph the construction for the University paper. So I’m thinking— right place right time.” I lowered my voice before I continued. “I was walking up when I felt the big
boom
on the astral, and right after that, all of the men started shouting.”

Autumn frowned at the group of construction workers, campus security, suits, and the police that had gathered. “How long have the police been on site?”

“Half hour maybe?” I raised the camera and focused again.
Weird psychic implosion aside,
the campus newspaper would be thrilled with the pictures.
I thought.
Maybe I could land a photo credit for the local William’s Ford Gazette.

While I tried for another good shot, I saw the big guy in the plaid shirt talking to Lexie. He was gesturing broadly and scowling. He pointed right at me. As I watched through the lens, she followed the man’s gesture and focused on me. Lexie crooked a finger. She wasn’t smiling.

“Uh-oh. I think Lexie wants to have a word with you,” Autumn said.

I lowered my camera and glanced over at Autumn. “Aw, hell.”

With my cousin quietly lecturing the whole way, I made my way to the opening in the fence at the construction site. “I have a hunch that those remains are not modern,” Autumn said. “However, the site is going to be treated as a crime scene, so behave yourself.”

I nodded, letting her know I understood, and we stopped at the entrance. A security guard from the University was waiting for me, and he escorted me over to Lexie.

Now that I was back on the site, I detected a very different mood. No one seemed upset or concerned. There was, however, a buzz in the atmosphere. Almost a palatable excitement. Whatever they police had discovered had changed the mood from horror to curiosity.

Buffalo plaid shirt guy swung around and pointed at me. “That’s her,” he sounded pretty proud of himself.

“Thank you,” Lexie said calmly. “I’ll take it from here.”

The guy sneered as he walked away. I fluttered my eyelashes, and blew him a kiss when he passed. Surprised, he promptly tripped over his own boots.

I chuckled and walked up to Lexie. “Hi ya, Lexie.” I angled my neck trying to see around the people blocking the excavated area.

“Explain to me what you were doing taking pictures inside a restricted area.” Lexie scowled.

“Is it restricted?” I glanced around knowing full well there were no signs announcing it as such. I tipped my hat back, scratched my forehead, going for an innocent, vibe. “Golly, I guess I missed seeing the signs.”

The man in the orange hard hat stepped up and shook Lexie’s hand. “Hello, I’m the construction site manager. The signs hadn’t arrived as of yet, but I guarantee you they will be posted on the construction site. Today. I will see to it myself personally.”

“Your construction site is now our crime scene,” Lexie informed him. And I had the pleasure of seeing the man’s jaw drop. “Until the Medical Examiner releases the scene, we are treating it as an active crime scene.” Lexie scanned the man’s ID badge that hung from his shirt. “I’ll tell you what— Steve. We are going to want to interview everyone who was involved with discovering the remains. If you could round those people up for me. I’d appreciate it.”

The man’s chest puffed up importantly. “I’m happy to help in anyway that I can.” He walked away.

I grinned at Lexie. “Well that was smooth—”

“I’m going to need those photos, Ivy.” Lexie cut me off.

I clutched my camera protectively. “I was assigned by the campus paper to photograph the construction... you can’t take my photos!”
No way was I going to let that happen!

Another man walked up wearing a suit and tie. He was dressed more formally, but my first impression was that he too was a cop. “Hello, I’m Detective Johnson,” he introduced himself. “I understand you were photographing the site at the time the remains were found?”

Lexie flared her eyes at me in a silent warning to be polite. “Yes sir,” I said respectfully. “I was covering the construction for a story for the University paper.”

“I’m sure that you are protective of your photos, however according to Dr. Meyers from the University, those photos might be important to any future research or archeological excavation,” he said.

“Archeological excavation?” I asked. I glanced back at Autumn who was hovering outside the fence.
Damn, the girl called it! Score another one for the Seer.

“Ivy,” Lexie’s voice was low. “The skull and the other bones... they are discolored, meaning they’re more than likely
very
old. The ME could tell that almost immediately.”

“Oh, did they accidentally dig up an old grave?” I asked, trying not to sound too excited.

An older gentleman walked up. I recognized him as Dr. Hal Meyer. Autumn worked with him at the museum. He was a nice older gentleman and was practically quivering in excitement. “Hello Miss Bishop. Lovely to see you again.” He eyeballed my camera as he spoke to me. “Would you be willing to share your photos with the future archeological team? As I was telling the detective, the photos would be invaluable to their research.”

Well when he put it that way...“
I’d be happy to share.
If
I’m given the photo credits, and I retain all the rights to the photographs.”

“I’ll take care of that personally.” Doctor Meyer nodded at us, and turned away to answer his cell phone.

“Is that a digital camera?” Detective Johnson asked conversationally.

“It is,” I said.

“Would you please show me the photos that you took?” he asked pleasantly.

I glanced up at Lexie, she nodded, and I scrolled through the pictures for the detective. He noted the number of a few of the pictures, 57 through 64 and asked me to email them to him. He handed me a card and excused himself.

I considered the guys in the zippered suits down in the hole. I raised my camera, focused and snapped several shots of them as they worked.

“Okay, that’s enough.” Lexie caught my arm and steered me towards the opening in the fence.

“Aw, come on Lexie!” I said. “Let me get a few more—”

“Do you want your camera confiscated?” Lexie cut off my protest.

I clutched the camera protectively to my chest. “You wouldn’t!”

Lexie escorted me to where Autumn stood outside of the fence. “Wait here,” she ordered, and walked over to Detective Johnson for a brief word with him.

I slanted Autumn a look. “You were right on the money. They said the remains were old.”

“I spoke to Dr. Meyer,” Autumn said. “He’s very excited, even though this will probably put a halt to the construction for a few months.”

“Will you get to help the archeology team?” I asked.

Autumn shook her head. “No, I’m not a physical anthropologist.”

“Okay...” I frowned at her words. “Why aren’t you a physical anthropologist? What’s that mean?”

“Simple answer?” Autumn said. “I don’t deal with bones.”

“Oh,” I said, working hard not to make a face over the word,
bones
.

Lexie marched back over to us. “Okay Ivy, let’s go,” she said.

“Go?” I blanched for a moment imagining being hauled off to the police department.

“I’m escorting you to the nearest computer where you will email both me and Detective Johnson the photos he’s requested. If you do that, you are allowed to keep your camera and its contents.”

I sighed. “The simplest way would be to use my laptop. It’s back at my dorm.”

“Excellent.” Lexie took me by the arm. “You’ve earned yourself a police escort back to Crowly Hall.”

Autumn burst out laughing. “Call me later,” she said.

“Hey!” I winced when Lexie clamped down firmly on my arm. “Sheesh, Lexie,” I said as she quickly walked me to a squad car and opened the back door for me.

Unexpectedly, Lexie put her hand on top of my head and pushed. “Watch your head,” she said, shoving me into the backseat.

I barely got my feet inside before she smartly shut the door.

I checked the door, it was locked. I couldn’t get out. I rapped on the glass with my knuckles. “Are you freaking kidding me?” I yelled.

Lexie stood there in the bright sunshine and grinned. “This way you will stay out of trouble for a minute.” Lexie seemed way too cheerful as she waved goodbye to Autumn and climbed in the driver’s seat.

I crossed my arms over my chest and glared at the back of my sister-in-law’s head. “Police brutality,” I muttered.

“I heard that,” Lexie said, and with a cheerful whistle she started the car.

When Lexie pulled up outside of Crowly Hall everyone stopped and stared. “Oh my Goddess!” I rolled my eyes, mortified, as Lexie double parked the car in front of no less than a dozen of the residents. And sure enough... a bunch of the girls had whipped their cell phones out and were snapping pictures.

Of me.

Sitting in the back of a squad car.

Lexie got out, went to the passenger door, and opened it for me. “You’re lucky I didn’t have the lights or sirens on,” Lexie said with a straight face.

I resisted the urge to hold up my hands to show the other girls that I wasn’t wearing cuffs. I straightened my shoulders and strolled right up the front steps with Lexie. “Hey, Leann.” I nodded to the girl whose room was right across the hall from mine.

Leann stopped texting and stared at me slack-jawed as I strolled past her.

Oh man, I would never live this down...

Fifteen minutes later, Lexie had gone. I’d simply inserted the camera’s card into the media slot on my laptop and emailed the requested pictures to Detective Johnson and to Lexie at their police department email accounts.

Now that I was alone again, I downloaded all the pictures to my computer and started to scroll through them one by one. I skimmed past the cute, scowling guy I’d met earlier and went right to the important shots. Taking a critical study, I decided number 58 was the best of the lot. The angle of the photo, the line of the construction workers back as he brushed the soil away from the skull with his gloved hand.
Yeah, that one was the best.

Now that the adrenaline rush was fading I realized something else.
I hadn’t noticed any other negative energy from the construction site while I was there.
Meaning whatever had been there— was now released.

I thought back to the energetic implosion I’d experienced and reached for the silver pendant I wore. The pentagram had been a gift from my mother when I’d turned thirteen. I held it up to the light and considered.
I’d never seen the pendant manifest magick physically before.
For a moment I felt very close to my mother, and grateful for the protection of the pendant she’d given me.

When that energy had howled past, I’d been untouched. My hat hadn’t been blown off; my hair hadn’t even rippled, while the flowers next to me had been stripped. Grateful to have been wearing the protective talisman, I pressed a kiss to it.

“Thanks Mom,” I said, letting the silver pentagram drop back around my neck.

***

My favorite photo, number 58, made the front page of the local newspaper, the campus newspaper, and a few websites. I was interviewed by the local paper too, but honestly I was more thrilled with my photo credit. Cypress clipped the pages out of the papers and pinned them to my bulletin board for me, teasing me about being a glory hound.

Crowly Hall gossip had run hot and fast for two weeks about my involvement in the discovery of the remains. I’d heard everything ranging from that I was a suspect in a murder investigation, to I’d fallen into the site and had to be rescued— and my personal favorite, that I had made the bones appear by means of some dark magick spell.

Cypress had laughed uproariously over that last one. I’d told her that in this day and age there was simply no excuse for the general public not to be aware of, or educated, about the Craft and Paganism. I’d never been on the down-low about my religious beliefs or my family’s legacy of magick— and over the years this meant I kept my closest friendships limited to other practitioners. Sure, I saw the occasional open-minded mundane guy, for fun and casual dating only. Like my mother had before me, I mostly kept to my own kind.

I was proud of my heritage. It was a part of who I was. While I was basically considered to be a prodigy due to my telekinetic powers, in other areas of the Craft, such as spell casting, I was pretty mediocre. My magick would grow, change, and evolve over time, but Witchcraft would always be a part of my life.

I thought back to how shocked Autumn had been the first time I used a locator spell on her... which was simple magick, and something most Witches could pull off without a fuss. Even working alone. Holly and I had been a part of a magickal duo for eighteen years. Without my twin, I floundered with my spell casting. Truthfully, I had the best outcomes to my spells when I worked
with
another Witch, like when Autumn and I had broken that binding spell that had been on her a few years ago.