I looked up to see him staring at me, a look of deep concern on his face.

“This is bad, Sage. Do you have any idea who it could be?”

Chapter Nineteen

“I…I don’t know.”

I sucked in a breath, trying hard not to let the tears escape. Jo looked around the basement some more, but didn’t seem to have come up with anything. He turned to face me, his arms crossed, his brow furrowing.

“Sage, you mentioned the Farrows at lunch the other day. Have you met any of them besides Theresa?”

“No.”

He gave a deep sigh as he stared down at the floor, his chin resting on one of his fisted hands. I could tell he was wrestling with some sort of internal dilemma, but what? Though I wanted to know what he was thinking, I kept quiet in case he thought twice about helping me.

At long last, he looked up, his face set with determination.

“We need to secure these cellar doors. Have you got locks on all your first-floor windows and doors?”

I nodded, but the memory of the holes in my magical barrier nagged at me. It was getting harder not to tell Jo about the witch side of things. I found myself wanting to tell him everything, wishing he would stay and stand guard or something. The thought of being alone again terrified me.

“I’m going to run back home for just a few minutes. I’ve got a similar cellar door with a chain and lock on it. I’ll put it on yours for now.”

“But what about…”

He waved away my question. “Your need is greater than mine right now. I’ll be right back, okay?”

“Okay.”

Jade rushed over to me the minute Jo left.

Are you all right?

I took in a shaky breath and gave one quick nod. “I think so. Jo is going back home to get a chain and lock for the cellar door.”

That won’t stop a witch.

I glared down at her. “Maybe not, but at least it will make it a little harder to get in here.”

She didn’t respond, but she stayed with me until Jo came back. He secured the chain on the door and showed me the combination to the lock. Only then did it occur to me to wonder why he kept his own cellar door chained, but I didn’t ask.

When we reached the front door, Jo turned to face me.

“I’m glad you called. Other weird things have been happening in town, and I think they have to do with Theresa’s disappearance. This break-in might be related, too.”

I arched an eyebrow. “Why do you say that?”

He shrugged. “I know of certain…people who don’t like Theresa. Maybe they’re trying to send a message by threatening you, since you two were getting to be friends. I know it doesn’t make a lot of sense, but I’ve just got a feeling that all these strange things are connected.”

I paused, considering his words. “So, you think the person breaking in here could be the same person who kidnapped Theresa?”

I’d come to that conclusion months ago, but I was curious to see what he thought. He gave one slow nod.

“Yeah. Someone is the mastermind behind all of these problems. I just don’t know who.”

He put a hand on the doorknob, then turned back to me.

“Are you going to be okay here alone?”

With a feeble smile, I gestured to Jade. “I’m fine. I’ve got my cat.”

Jo gave Jade a pointed look. She responded by hissing at him.

“She certainly is protective. I’ll give you that.”

I laughed. “Yes, she is.”

He sobered again as he fixed his gaze on me. “If anything else happens, give me a call.”

“I will. Thanks.”

With that, he left. I stood at the door for a long time, listening to the engine of his car roar to life and then the car driving away into the night. I had no idea how I was going to sleep when I trudged up the stairs, but the adrenaline rush must have worn me out. I fell asleep in no time.

Things remained quiet for the next few days, but I jumped at every little sound and found myself watching the windows at the shop constantly.

One quiet afternoon, I noticed that I had a missed call from Tim. He hadn’t left a message, so I assumed he called on behalf of Maria and I didn’t call back. I found it odd that I hadn’t heard from her for a while. Then again, the last time I’d seen her had been that embarrassing morning when Jo came into the shop.

I jumped when my phone rang. It was Tim. I ignored it, but he called again as soon as the first call cut to voicemail. With a groan, I picked up my phone.

“Hello, Sage! Glad I caught you!”

I sighed. Whenever he started a conversation like that, it meant I was in for a long lecture.

“Hi, Tim. Sorry I missed you. I was…with a customer. What’s up?”

He started on a long-winded speech about how the Black family needed to step up once again in the community and establish our position. I zoned out after the first five minutes, wishing he would just shut up already.

“So what do you think? Are you in?”

The words jolted me out of my stupor.

“Am I in what?”

“The city council election!”

A look of horror spread over my face as I clutched the phone.

“The what?”