Page 67 of Sweetwater and the Witch

“You said Harriet liked Willis, too. Maybe dust bunnies aren’t always real perceptive when it comes to judging humans.”

Ravenna contemplated Hatch. “I think he was on something.”

“Hatch?”

“Yes. When he came through the doorway he was hallucinating. He accused me of stealing his plot and his characters. He claimed he wouldn’t be able to write again until I was dead.”

“You said Willis seemed to think you were planning to destroy his casino empire.”

“Both of them were acting very much out of character. Maybe there is some new drug in town.”

“Got any reason to think either of them is into drugs?” Ethan asked.

“No,” Ravenna admitted. “But something weird happened to Garrett Willis, and now it’s happened to Clark. I’m sure of it.”

“Maybe.” Ethan glanced out the window. “It’s almost dawn. If we’re going to make it to your grandparents’ anniversary in time for the big barbecue, we’re going to have to get on the road in the next couple of hours. An investigation into Willis’s and Hatch’s behavior will need to wait until we get back from Silver Lake.”

“What about Clark? We can’t leave him here. He’s going to wake up soon—at least I hope he is.”

Ethan leaned down, grabbed one of Hatch’s arms, and hauled him up over one shoulder. “Maybe you should revise your agency profile to specify that you prefer smaller, lighter men.”

Ravenna shot him another glare. But behind the fierceness he could see the worry. It wasn’t panic, not yet, but it wasn’t good.

“Relax,” he said. “We’ll get this figured out when we get back from Silver Lake.”

“Thanks,” she said. “It’s very nice of you to help me again.”

“No problem.” He caught a whiff of an unpleasant floral scent and grimaced. “Hatch is apparently using the same bad aftershave that Willis favors.”

“I noticed. What are you going to do with Clark?”

“He and I are going to drop by Aunt Zora’s house. She can do her memory-erasing thing on him and then I’ll dump him on his own doorstep. Which reminds me—got an address?”

“Yes.” Ravenna picked up her phone. “I’ll get it for you. Ethan?”

“Don’t worry, I’m not going to send him into the tunnels without amber.”

“I know you won’t. It’s just that this is the second time this has happened, and I can’t help but wonder—”

“What?”

“Well, I wasn’t completely truthful when I filled out the questionnaire for the Banks agency.”

“I am, of course, shocked to hear that.”

“The point is, maybe my lack of honesty on the questionnaire is one of the reasons this is happening. I’d like to think Willis and Hatch were under the influence of drugs, but what if I’m the problem?”

“What are you trying to say?” he asked.

“I’m starting to think that maybe it’s not these two very nice men who have suddenly gone bonkers. Maybe I have a vibe that destabilizes the auras of certain males.”

“I gotta tell you, that’s a bit of a stretch.”

“I’m serious.”

“Speaking for myself, I find your vibe damned exciting. I might even go so far as to say you are one hot fire witch.”

She narrowed her eyes. “Get out of here before I set your trousers on fire.”

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