“Welcome to Woods Crossing and Herbs,” I greeted them, my tone not as enthusiastic as it normally was. After browsing for a while, the women each bought some shampoo and conditioner sets and an oil diffuser each.

Five o’clock rolled around at last. I closed up shop, pleased with the day’s profits, but still troubled by my thoughts about the Farrows. Jade sat on a wicker chair by the front door, basking in a ray of sunshine.

“Hey, Jade.”

Hey. Make a lot of sales today?

I sat down on the wicker chair opposite.

“A fair amount. What did you get up to today?”

Nothing much. Reading your journal, scratching up your furniture, that kind of thing.

I laughed, knowing she’d done no such thing.

“I don’t even keep a journal. But nice try.”

Her laugh echoed through my head as we went inside. I’d begun cooking larger meals so that I could share with Jade. The lasagna I’d put in before work smelled delicious, and both of us dug in as soon as I served it up.

“Jade…do you think it’s possible that the Chandra or some of her minions could have kidnapped Theresa?”

Intent on her food, Jade didn’t answer for a few moments. She smacked her lips, then looked up at me.

I guess it’s possible. Chandra is a real piece of work. The question, though, is why?

I nodded slowly. “Faith said Theresa was one of the nicer Farrows. Do you think she’s tried to stand up to Chandra before? Could that be why she left Woods Crossing?”

If she acted as nervous as you say, it wouldn’t surprise me if she had gone up against Chandra. Though if she did, I’m surprised she lived to tell the tale.

My hopes deflated instantly. “Good point.”

A somber silence filled the room. I felt a twinge of guilt for bringing up family deaths. Jade hadn’t wanted to talk about Willa’s death. She’d lived with my grandmother and aunts a long time ago, and despite the punishment she’d been given, she must have been at least a little close to them.

“Then again,” I mused, “Maybe since Theresa was family, Chandra let her go with a warning and just told her to stay away.”

Anything is possible. We won’t know for sure unless we talk to Chandra or Theresa, though.

Just the thought of encountering Chadra made me shudder.

“No thanks.”

After I cleaned up the kitchen, I settled in the living room with the basic spells book while Jade stretched out on the couch, but it was hard to concentrate. I noticed after a while that I’d read the same paragraph three times.

Setting the book aside, I drew my knees up to my chest and looked out the window at the growing twilight. Where was Theresa?

I couldn’t stop the burning guilt that worked its way through my insides. Had she been targeted for helping me? Or even for just associating with me? Was this Chandra sending me a message? Was she trying to tell me that anyone who helped me could be kidnapped or…

I didn’t let myself finish the thought. When push came to shove, Theresa was a witch with years of training. Chandra might be older, but Theresa was a witch, too. She was good with spells, which struck me as a more useful skill in witch battle than potions or mind reading or fortune telling.

What’s gnawing at you?

I looked over at Jade, who still reclined across the large couch. Though her body remained flat on the cushion, she lifted her head to look at me.

“I just can’t get Theresa off my mind. I feel like it’s my fault she got kidnapped.”

Why?

“Chandra might have kidnapped her because she was friendly to me.”

Jade let out a tiny, purry growl. I think your first scenario is more likely. If Chandra banished her, she wouldn’t be very happy about her coming back.

“Yeah, but it’s not exactly a secret that the Farrows hate the Blacks either.”

I thought again about the basement and the blocked door. Could the Farrows be breaking into the house as well? Was that part of the warning, too?

“Do you think one of the Farrows has been the one breaking in?”

Jade sat up, her eyes narrowing.

Almost certainly.

I frowned deeply. “Do you think it’s just to intimidate me? Or do you think they’re after something?”

Before she could answer, I sat bolt upright as a realization hit me.

“Wait a minute! Jade, you lived here with Grandma, didn’t you? Do you know if she hid something in that room?”

She started shaking her head before I’d even finished my sentence.

I wasn’t privy to all your grandmother’s secrets. She fed me and sheltered me a lot of times, but she didn’t let me in on anything she was doing. I think she didn’t trust me very much after Nick’s death and only kept me close sometimes to keep an eye on me.

Settling back on the couch, I sighed. A part of me felt sorry for Jade, but I could understand Grandma’s reasoning. If I were in her place, I probably wouldn’t tell Jade if I’d hidden something important in that secret room either.

With a groan, I stood up and started pacing.

“All I get is dead ends. I can’t answer the question of what’s in the room, or why Theresa was kidnapped, or who did it. Short of going to the Farrows themselves, I don’t know where I can get more information on them.”

I wandered into the kitchen and gazed out of the window at the back yard. There were planter boxes that I hadn’t noticed, along with a neat little white picket fence.

I wondered vaguely what Grandma had planted in those boxes, whether herbs or vegetables or flowers, or maybe all three. I wished so badly at that moment that I could talk to her, that I could figure this whole thing out.

And then, it hit me. No one knew more about the Blacks and their history than Tim. I dismissed the notion almost immediately, though. I couldn’t stand to sit through another long lecture about small town politics.

But what about Maria?

My mind caught hold of the idea. Tim said she’d worked at the library while they dated. If she’d gotten her information from the library, then surely I could, too.

I grabbed my jacket and shoes, and almost got to the front door when Jade called my name.