Witch's Net Read online

  “You have to believe me, Mr. Porter, I don't have any involvement with any of this.”

  “Yeah, I kind of figured that out when I heard you praying outside the building,” he said with a grin, “and call me Jonah, please. Now, I need you to trust me and tell me everything you know, even if it seems insignificant.”

  “What?” Malaika placed her hands on her hips, indignant. “If you didn't suspect me of anything, why did you threaten to arrest me?”

  “To get you talking,” Jonah said, his smile broadening. “I figured the fastest way to get you to admit to your ability was to scare the hell out of you. Now that I've accomplished that, I need you to tell me everything.”

  “Well, that could take a while,” she muttered, a few residual sparks of anger still flaring. She realized to her shame that she'd be madder than hell if not for the fact the detective was so damn attractive. He stood a little over six feet tall with a lean build and a handsome face. He wasn't movie star gorgeous but there was something about him that made a woman take notice. The air of authority about him certainly didn't hurt his overall appeal, nor did the dark hair which tended to fall over his brow, giving him a bit of boyish charm despite the ruthlessness she could see hiding in his eyes. Beautiful hazel eyes, she noted, a little more brown than green.

  What the hell was wrong with her? Craig, the father of her child and love of her life, wasn't even decently buried—may never be, considering he was most likely eaten alive—and she was checking out the detective? What kind of woman was she?

  “Ms. Jordan?”

  Malaika blinked, chasing away her wayward thoughts to look at the man who was staring at her curiously. “I'm sorry, it's been a long day, but I guess I don't need to tell you that.” She chuckled a little, the sound forced, as she gestured for him to take a seat among one of the barstools sitting before the long counter which bisected the small living area from the even smaller kitchen space. “Would you like a drink? I have Coke, sweet tea or grape juice. I'm not much of a coffee or alcohol drinker.”

  “Sweet tea sounds great,” he said, situating himself on one of the barstools facing into the kitchen area as she reached into the refrigerator with shaky hands. I'm just nervous because he's going to question me, she told herself, not because he's fine… and a seemingly decent guy who didn't laugh at me or call me a freak when he discovered my ability to see events from the future.

  “Where would you like me to begin?” she asked as she poured him a glass of tea and slid it toward him.

  His long, tan fingers encircled the glass and she watched in rapture as he lifted it to his mouth and swallowed, the action drawing her attention to his soft-looking lips. Damn. If only her mother could see her now. She cringed at the thought, knowing exactly what her mother would say. “Well, I guess it's not enough you gave your body to one worthless white man without so much as a ring on your finger and had a child with him but now you're looking for another white plaything to help you forget what you are. What? Your black brothers aren't good enough for you? Or you think you're too good for them? I just don't understand you, girl, you are an embarrassment! If only your father were still alive… ”

  Malaika cringed, hearing her mother's words drilling through her head with clarity. Oh, yes, she knew exactly what her mother would say if she caught her looking at the detective, licking her lips with lascivious thoughts crawling through her mind.

  “Thanks,” Jonah said as he placed the glass on the counter before him and watched her intently. “Start from the beginning or wherever makes logical sense to you. I'm not an expert in the field of…” he struggled for a word but not in a way which made her feel embarrassed as if he were belittling her ability, “psychic matters so you just tell me what you know whether it be something that came to you in a dream, vision, whatever.”

  Malaika nodded, resting her elbows on the counter, the memory of the first dream chasing away all lustful thoughts from her mind as the images chilled her to her core. “Sometimes I have dreams that are actual visions. Sometimes a vision will hit me out of nowhere regardless of whether I'm awake or not, or engaged in physical activity. The first vision came to me while I slept. There was… a man,” she said after a long pause, deciding not to reveal Craig's identity. She didn't know why but the thought of doing so frightened her. Shaking it off, she continued. “The man felt a pull to a woman and there was music, a voice singing to him.”

  “In his mind?”

  “Yes. Only he could hear it. It had been coming to him for a long time, growing stronger each day until he reached the point he had to find it. He had to know who the woman he sensed was.” Malaika bit back anger, for the hundredth time wishing Craig had been stronger but there was no point being mad now. He was gone. He'd gotten more than any man deserved for straying.

  “He was being pulled by her voice, down by the Inner Harbor area. He passed quite a few fisherman and then she was just there, standing in the glow of moonlight like an angel or something but she was too… dark … to be described as an angel.”

  “What did she look like?” The detective leaned forward, his eyes gazing into her own with an intensity bordering on desperation.

  “Long dark hair, perfect body. Hispanic, I think. Very beautiful, almost too beautiful, you know? She was… unreal.”

  “Like she could have been projecting herself as every man's dream?” the detective asked, frowning as though surprised by his own words.

  “Yes! That's exactly it,” Malaika agreed. “She seemed like an illusion. Oh! And there was an old fisherman there. He told him not to go to her, said he'd seen many men go to her and never come back again, but he didn't listen. His mind was filled with images of him and the woman, disgusting images.” Malaika shuddered as the disgustingly perverse images rolled through her mind. She hated the woman more for those images than anything else. She'd not only taken her child's father from her but she'd left behind those awful images of them together for her to see over and over again, ruining her view of the man she'd wanted to marry.

  “It's alright, Ms. Jordan, you don't have to go into graphic detail of those images if it bothers you, but were they sexual or are we just talking graphic violence here?”

  Malaika blinked, bringing herself back to the present. “I'm sorry, they were just so disgusting they shock me every time I recall them. They were sexual but… ugh, I'm no prude, Mr. Porter—”

  “Jonah.”

  “I'm no prude, Jonah, but these images were just… foul. I couldn't believe that he… that any man would be turned on by seeing those things.”

  Jonah nodded, his brow crinkling in thought. “I'm sorry your mind was invaded with that. Can you tell me what happened next?”

  “Oh. Yes, sorry. He didn't listen to the fisherman. He followed the woman and I can't tell you where, I honestly couldn't tell where she led him to. They walked into a dark building and she turned around. Then a deep male voice told her she'd done a good job and there was this horrific pain in the man's neck and… that was it. I woke up, knowing the man had just been killed.”

  A vengeful little part of her battered heart said he'd gotten what he deserved for being a lying cheat but her mind told her jealous heart to shut up. He'd been enthralled by the woman's voice more than her beauty. He was practically hypnotized. Her mother would say she was making excuses for him, that he'd never been anything more than white trash and she'd been turning a blind eye to it for years and maybe she was a little right. She had turned a blind eye to his faults, let him get away with too much for the sake of their daughter but she knew he'd been more than seduced by the woman, or whatever she was.

  She felt warmth cover her hand and jerked, causing the detective to jerk backward as well.

  “I'm sorry, Ms. Jordan.”

  “Malaika. If I'm calling you Jonah, you can call me Malaika,” she said, feeling foolish. The man had only tried to comfort her with a light touch on her hand. “I'm sorry. I'm a little jumpy right now.”

  “I understand,
and I really appreciate your help. You've confirmed a part of my suspicions.”

  “Suspicions?”

  “The victims have mostly been male. Two of the three female victims were confirmed lesbians. I had a gut feeling that a woman was luring them. I don't know why but I did and your vision confirmed it. Would you recognize the woman if you saw her again?”

  “Yes.” And I'd be more than happy to kick her skanky ass, she thought to herself.

  “And the fisherman?”

  “Yes.”

  “Good. If he's seen the woman more than once he could have useful information.”

  “You honestly believe me? No questions, no doubts?”

  “You have a gift, Ms. Jor—, Malaika. Hell, you have a gift that could save lives.” He frowned suddenly. “Why were you at the crime scenes? Have you had visions before each murder?”

  “I've had visions…” Malaika allowed her voice to trail off, wondering how she could explain the newer visions without losing the credibility she seemed to have with the detective. “They don't make any sense. I know they're related,” she said, not bothering to tell him she knew this because she sensed Craig in them, “but they're beyond weird.”

  “Weird, how?”

  “I see the silhouette of the woman in some of them, she's doing her whole luring stupid horny men to their death thing but then it changes and I see these beasts. They're like wild dogs or wolves or something.” She stopped as the detective jerked, giving her his complete attention.

  “Animals or men that look like animals?”

  “Animals,” she answered hesitantly, wondering if the man before her was a little on the crazy side himself. “Beasts, really. They don't look like anything I've ever seen.”

  “So you see the men being lured away and then you see them being attacked by wild animals?”

  “I see them being eaten by wild animals,” she said with a shiver. “And I don't see where they're being led to though I know it's different places.”

  “Then how do you know which crime scenes to show up at?” Jonah asked, his tone a little suspicious.

  Because I feel Craig there, she thought to herself, but didn't voice the words. It made no sense and she knew he was already dead but she just couldn't put his name out there like that. It was bad enough Deja would grow up without her father but to have his name tarnished, somehow involved with this whole mess… No way. She wasn't going there. “I don't know. Just as I don't know why I've only witnessed the men being killed and not the women. I come out of the vision and I get this feeling, this urgency to run toward something. I've been to a few of the sites but each time I'd get there the police would already be setting up barricades. I'm always too late.”

  “So you never actually know where you're going?”

  “Not until I get there. I just follow the feeling… when I can. There's no way I'm taking my daughter near one of those sites.”

  He nodded his head. “You did see one female victim. You saw my partner.”

  “A few nights ago I saw her go into that building and…”

  “And what?”

  “I saw the animals rip her open and eat her alive.”

  Jonah closed his eyes. “But you didn't see me.”

  “No.”

  “Are you sure what you saw was what took place earlier today?” he asked, fear lacing his voice as he opened his eyes to look directly at her.

  “Definitely. I know it was at a crime scene and she looked exactly the way she looked today. Same clothes and everything. My visions sometimes aren't exact right down to every little detail. I didn't see you but that doesn't mean it wasn't what happened today. Originally you may have not went in with her, but you believed me. You knew to watch out for her and you did. If you hadn't believed me…” She cringed at the thought of what would have happened if he'd thought her a lunatic like his partner obviously had.

  “Thank God I did,” he said. “Ronnie's a pain in the butt but she's my partner. I'd take a bullet for her.”

  Malaika smiled wistfully, wishing she had someone who'd do the same for her. Hell, all she'd wanted Craig to do was be faithful. Had that been too much to ask?

  “You mentioned men earlier,” she said, breaking free of her reverie. “Men attacked your partner?”

  A shadow fell over Jonah's eyes as he answered. “Like you said, your visions aren't exact right down to every single detail but they're damn close.”

  “Daddy?”

  Malaika's heart lurched into her throat as she saw her five-year-old daughter come running down the hall, excitement shimmering in her small green eyes. She reached out to grab her but couldn't stop the little whirlwind before she'd grabbed the leg of a very surprised detective and looked lovingly into his eyes.

  “You're not Daddy,” she whined, her bottom lip trembling as she realized her mistake.

  “Hey, cutie,” Jonah said, his tone gentle as he looked down at her. “No, I'm not Daddy. I'm Jonah. What's your name?”

  “Deja,” she mumbled, turning tear-rimmed eyes to her mother. “I want Daddy!”

  “I know, baby,” Malaika whispered, scooping the small angel into her arms. “I'll be back,” she said over her shoulder as she carried Deja to her room, feeling the detective's stare on her the entire way. The weight of it seemed to be on her ass, she noted with a little thrill of pleasure.

  “When's Daddy coming back?” Deja cried. “I miss Daddy! He said he was coming back.”

  “I know, baby, I know,” Malaika whispered as she lay her child in the small bed and pulled the coverlet over her. She kissed her tiny forehead, allowing her lips to linger a moment as she wondered for the millionth time if she should tell her daughter the truth. Her daddy was dead. He'd been eaten.

  Taking a deep breath, she pulled away. “Try to sleep, baby. Mommy's got to talk to the detective.”

  “That man's a detective?”

  “Yes.”

  “Is he looking for Daddy?”

  Maybe, Malaika thought grimly, then wondered where that thought had come from. Craig was dead. His body hadn't been found yet, but that didn't mean anything. She'd felt his life slip away. “Go to sleep, Deja.”

  She turned away from the tears running down her baby's cheeks, sucking in air. She was going to have to tell her eventually. She couldn't allow the little girl to keep longing for a man who was never coming back. Hell, that was advice she should take herself.

  She noticed the barstool Jonah had been perched on was vacant as she walked down the short hallway. She entered the living area to find him facing away from her, looking out the window. She hadn't noticed it before, not on a conscious level anyway, but he did resemble Craig. She could see how Deja had easily made the mistake, especially from behind.

  “I'm sorry about that,” she said, watching him turn. “You kind of do resemble her daddy, the height and hair and all.” She was blabbering, she realized woefully. “Do you uh, want another drink?”

  “I'm fine,” he said, smiling a little. “I don't mind your little girl. She's adorable. Is her father missing?” he asked, his tone showing genuine concern. “She seemed awfully upset.”

  Ah, the detective and his questions, she thought with a trace of amusement despite her unease. “He walked out that door some time ago and hasn't come back since,” she finally said, allowing Jonah to draw his own conclusions. “Do you have all you need from me, Detective? My daughter is kind of upset right now.”

  “Of course. I'm sorry if she saw me and thought…” He let his statement trail off, giving Malaika a look of apology. “She really is a cute little thing. I'll let you get back to her.”

  Malaika nodded her appreciation and walked him to the door. He paused in the doorway and looked back at her. “I'd like to take you down to the Inner Harbor tomorrow morning when the fishermen are starting to set out, see if you can find the guy from your vision.”

  “Sure, that'll give me a whole,” she glanced at the clock, “couple of hours to rest.”

  “I'm s
orry. I know it's already late and you've got a small child but time really is—”

  “No, I'm sorry,” she said, guilt washing over her as she waved away his apology. “That was insensitive of me. People are dying and if I can help prevent another person losing a loved one, I want to. I'm just a little stressed right now.”

  “Understandably. I know it's too late to call for a sitter. Will it be a problem for your daughter to see me again?”

  “No, she was just… she saw you from the back and with you being inside the apartment and all…”

  “I understand,” he said. “Alright. I'll be back in three hours.”

  “Detective!” she called as he walked away.

  “Jonah,” he reminded her, turning back.

  “Three hours isn't that far away and you look beat,” she commented, noticing the dark rings forming under his eyes. “With all you've been through today with your partner and your job in general… you probably want to get some sleep. Why don't you just lie down on my sofa and take a nap? There's no point driving however far you need to and then driving all the way back here in three hours.”

  “You sure?”

  “Yeah, I mean, what better security could a woman ask for than an armed detective sleeping on her couch?” Sleeping in her bed, she answered her own question, tsking at herself for having such a thought.

  “Alright.” He smiled as he entered the apartment. “I appreciate it.”

  “No problem. The bathroom is right down the hall should you need it and you're welcome to the kitchen if you wake before me.”

  He nodded his thanks and started taking off his jacket as she closed and locked the door behind him. She moved quickly, grabbing a pillow off her own bed and a thin blanket from the linen closet.