Chapter Nine

Cal didn't sleep the rest of the night.

Though Deme insisted that she would be okay without him there, he hadn't gone far. He'd camped out beneath a tree where he could see the Gamma Omega dormitory.

Twice, the campus cop had circled. Twice, Cal had ducked into the shadows to avoid questions. As the campus maintenance man, it wouldn't do for him to be caught more or less stalking a dorm full of girls. Especially given the fact they'd had several attempted rapes. Despite the danger of getting caught and blamed for what he was trying to stop, Cal stayed put, managing to nod off near dawn.

Not until the sun shone down on his face did he awaken. Students passed by on the nearby sidewalks, carrying books to the commons for breakfast and a cram session before class.

Cal stood and stretched, checking his cell phone for any text messages or missed calls. None. He dialed Deme's number and hit Send, only to punch the end call button before the first ring. She needed her rest, and he felt certain nothing else had happened since the garden incident.

With the grunge of a restless night making him feel sticky, he straddled his bike and headed for his apartment and a warm shower. He had to report for his first day of work as maintenance man in less than an hour, and he was certain that he would have a lot to do besides investigating the case.

After a shower, he headed back to campus, swinging through the local gourmet coffee shop for a strong dose of caffeine. Gritty eyes and an empty stomach didn't seem to be the best way to start the day. He had toilets to fix, drains to unstop and lightbulbs to change out, based on the repairs list his supervisor had given him the day before. He also wanted to ask a few questions while he had the opportunity.

Cal stepped into the maintenance shop fifteen minutes before his shift was due to begin.

Fred Knowlton sat at his desk, staring at the computer. "Damned thing is slower than molasses," he muttered.

"Morning, Mr. Knowlton."

"Fred. Call me Fred or I'll fire you on the spot," he groused, without looking up. "Know anything about computers?"

"A little." Cal stepped behind Fred and looked over his shoulder.

"Can't get this application to come up."

"Mind if I drive?"

"Not at all." Fred stood and let Cal take his seat. "I have a kind of love-hate relationship with these things. I love to hate 'em. I had the work schedule up and was adding your name to the list of employees when it locked up on me."

Cal checked the task manager and canceled the program that was locked up and restarted it. "That should do it." He stood and let Fred resume his seat.

Fred spent a few seconds keying in information using the one-fingered typing method and pressed Enter. "There." He grinned up at Cal. "You saved me a lot of heartburn. What can I do for you this morning?"

"I was just curious about the guy I'm replacing. What happened to him? I heard rumors he disappeared."

Fred frowned. "Damnedest thing. I gave Kyle his list of repairs and sent him off about three weeks ago. Guess he didn't like the kinds of repairs and decided it was time to quit. He didn't come back that afternoon to clock out, didn't call and tell me he was quitting, and I haven't seen him since."

"Did you report it to the police?"

Fred shrugged. "I told the campus cop and HR. Figured if they were worried, they'd follow up. In the meantime, I've had some of the other guys working to pick up his slack. Glad you've come on board." His eyes narrowed. "You will let me know if you decide to quit, won't you?"

Cal grinned. "Don't worry. I will."

"Here's an updated list of repairs for the day." Fred handed him a printout. "If there's anything on the list you need help with, give me a call."

"What was on the list you gave Kyle when he disappeared?" Cal looked down at his list and back up. "Not anything on this list I hope."

"No. I seem to recall the only major repair was to a steam pipe in the basement of the student commons. At least he fixed it before he disappeared." Fred stood, clipped a tool belt around his waist and stepped away from the desk. "Still have a lot to do today. Been shorthanded so long, I've been helping out, as well." He slapped a campus maintenance hat on his head and handed another to Cal. "Here." He pulled a set of keys from his pocket and handed them to him, as well. "The master key should get you in most places on campus. Oh, and you should be able to find a coverall in the locker room that will fit you. See you at quittin' time."

Cal followed Fred to the locker room and the older man left him there with a map of the campus and a stack of coveralls in various sizes.

Dressed in a coverall and the maintenance cap, Cal hoped to blend into the woodwork. He quickly tackled the replacement bulbs in a couple of the lecture halls, keeping his ears open for anything out of the ordinary. Working through the list took up most of his morning, more than he would have preferred. But his next stop was a leaky faucet in the student commons kitchen. He wanted to check out the basement while there and see if he could find a clue to the missing maintenance man, Kyle.

It didn't take him long to replace the washer in the faucet, successfully stopping the drip. Then he located the stairs leading down into the basement. The doors were locked, but the master key Fred had given him worked to open them.

The first thing he noticed was the rumble of machines, completely obliterating any other noise he could hope to hear. If he worked down here long, he'd require earplugs or suffer hearing loss.

The basement was a maze of pipes, air-conditioning ductwork and stuff Cal didn't recognize. The lighting was less than adequate, forcing him to pull out the flashlight he'd grabbed out of the toolbox he'd been assigned. He searched the length of the basement, checking in, around, behind and over everything. He located several steam pipes Kyle could have worked on, none of which were leaking steam.

When he thought he had exhausted every inch of the space, Cal turned toward the stairs, in the process of hitting the off switch on his flashlight. When the beam swung across the concrete floor, it flashed on something beneath the metal stairwell. His hand froze on the switch. He'd missed it before because it wasn't all that obvious. Beneath the metal stairwell, he noticed metal rivets standing out on the floor. An iron ring the size of a softball stood vertical, as if it had been used not long ago and the rust caking the hinge kept it from dropping back down.

This was the basement. What could be below it?

Cal reached for the iron ring and tugged.

The door didn't budge. He searched for a lock, hoping he had a key to match. No lock. Which meant the door should open. He pulled again, putting his back into it.

This time the door creaked upward, but the weight of the door pulled it back down, dragging Cal with it.

Determined to get the door up this time, he used both hands, bent his knees and pulled with all his might. It took a lot of effort to get it open, but once he did, it was as if whatever suction had hold of it from below let go.

The door swung upward and clanked against the concrete wall beneath the steps. With the door's opening the stench of rot, sewer and damp wafted up into his face, making him gag. He pulled the collar of his coverall over his nose and shone the beam of his flashlight into the hole.

Metal ladder rungs led down into a dark abyss, the sublevel of the building. He knew that Chicago had an entire labyrinth of tunnels beneath the city. Could this be part of it?

His heartbeat kicked up the pace as he placed his foot on the first rung while holding on to the staircase above. He wondered if he'd find Kyle down here, and if so, would he be dead and decomposing?

Cal braced himself for the worst as he stepped another rung lower. In the back of his mind he thought maybe it wasn't such a good idea to go below without backup. He'd about decided to come back up when the cell phone vibrated in his jeans pocket.

His jeans were buried beneath his coverall. In order to access it, he had to climb back out of the hole and unzip his coverall.

The caller ID indicated Deme. He punched the talk button and pressed the receiver to his ear. "Deme? Are you all right?"

"Cal? Where are you?"

"In the basement of the student commons. What's up?"

"Gina's been working in the library all morning and found something interesting. I'm headed that way. Can you join us there on the second floor in the east-side stacks?"

"I'll be there." He flipped the phone shut and stood for a moment shining his light down into the darkness and obscurity of the subterranean level below. It would have to wait. He'd check with Marty and see if he knew anything about the tunnels before he ventured farther.

As he lowered the heavy iron door to the ground, he could swear he heard something like a groan from down below. An unwanted chill spread through his skin right down to the bone. All the talk about magic had his imagination working overtime.

He jerked the door open again. "Hello!"

No response. Not even an echo, as if the ground below swallowed his call.

Maybe he'd imagined it.

He lowered the door again. The hinge gave with an eerie creaking sound almost like the cry of a child. That must have been it. Nothing a little oil wouldn't cure. He left the trap door and walked up the staircase into the student commons, feeling as if a weight had lifted from him.

But the creepy feeling he'd gotten followed him all the way across campus to the library.

* * *

Deme knew the exact moment when Cal entered the building. The vibration of his movements were his alone, and she recognized it from the many weeks they'd dated. Each time he'd entered her apartment complex, she'd known, her body anticipating their greeting and the tumbled mess they'd make of the sheets on her bed. Every minute of every day had been spent thinking of him and what he'd do to her when they finally got together. She'd been so completely obsessed with him, it had ultimately scared her into running.

Even now, every one of her nerve endings alerted her to his presence. She'd arrived a minute before him and hadn't met up with her sisters yet. But her feet wouldn't take her farther, forcing her to wait near the central staircase. Her pulse quickened, her breathing becoming more ragged in anticipation of seeing him again.

No amount of self-chastisement slowed her beating heart. She really had to get a grip on her reaction to the man's presence. When they found Aurai, Deme would be on her way back to St. Croix and the thriving private investigation business she'd established there. Cal had said in no uncertain terms he didn't believe in magic. Therefore he'd never understand her.

Not that she'd been dabbling much in magic. She preferred to live a normal life much as Aurai had aspired to, touching on magic only to help solve investigations no weightier than finding a missing pooch or a cheating husband.

The distance from Cal hadn't lessened her longing for him and the physical ache of not having him to lie next to her in bed. Even now, she wanted him.

This is ridiculous. She couldn't go on mooning over a man she'd left behind a year ago.

Deme turned away, determined to move on and join her sisters in the stacks.

A sound behind her made her look over her shoulder.

Cal stood at the top of the stairs. Dressed in a Colyer-Fenton College maintenance uniform, he looked no less handsome. The tool belt hanging from his hips actually increased his appeal.

Her heart flip-flopped in her chest, her cheeks burning, the heat flooding her body, dipping low into her belly. The apex of her thighs flamed, and ached with longing.

Cal reached out and cupped her face. "Are you okay? You look a little feverish."

Deme almost laughed out loud, her face smoldering with heat. "It's a bit warm in here." She told herself to turn, to walk away from where this man stood touching her cheek. But she couldn't. She wanted to lean into his palm and press a kiss there. Again, she couldn't.

"Come—" Deme squeaked, cleared her throat and started again. "Come on. Selene and Gina should already be here."

As his fingers left her cheek, the cool library air barely helped to bring her temperature back under control. Her feet finally cooperated and she moved one step at a time toward the east-side stacks.

"Aren't you afraid of blowing your cover?" Cal asked. Deme shook her head. "Gina chose this location because no one uses this corner of the library. We should have no problem as long as we keep it quiet."

Gina and Selene leaned over a microfiche reader, pointing at the screen. Brigid stood beside them, her arms crossed, her brows pushed low.

"They still use those things?" Deme leaned over Gina's other shoulder.

"The librarian said they're in the process of converting everything to digital format. They just hadn't gotten this far back." Gina spoke without glancing up. "Look at this." She maneuvered the film backward to the beginning of a copy of an article from an old Chicago Tribune newspaper.

The headline read Five Sisters Die in Colyer-Fenton Fire.

"What the hell?" A cold hand squeezed Deme's heart, making her chest hurt almost as if the old article was a portent of her and her sisters' deaths. Which was crazy. "What's the date on that paper?"

Brigid stared at Deme. "It'll be exactly thirty years ago tomorrow."

All four sisters were silent.

"It doesn't mean anything to us," Gina finally said. "What's interesting is the location. Apparently the fire occurred in Lion Hall and it was burned completely to the ground." She looked around at the people assembled. "Anyone have a copy of the campus map?"

Cal pulled a wrinkled paper out of his pocket and handed it to Gina.

She spent half a minute scanning the page and the legend detailing the names of the buildings. "Just like I thought. There isn't a Lion Hall."

Brigid shrugged. "Which means they didn't rebuild the hall after it burned. So?"

Deme leaned over Gina's shoulder, reading down through the entire article, skimming over the details of the emergency response. The more she read the colder the room became until a shiver shook her from head to toe. "Says here in the article that it was the central building in a spokelike design. The five adjacent buildings suffered minimal damage."

"You think the forbidden garden is where Lion Hall used to be?" Gina asked.

Selene stood straight, her eyes closed, her body swaying. "Yes. That's exactly it. And the five sisters have to be the voices calling to me in my night and day dreams." She pressed her fingers to her temples. "Thank the goddess. I thought I was going crazy. I hear them now."

Deme shot a glance at her sister. "Really? Can you hear what they're saying?"

Selene's brow scrunched. "No. But the closer I get to the garden, the more I hear them and the more chaotic their voices are."

"Has to be where Lion Hall stood. That's why you can hear the sisters. They burned with the hall thirty years ago."

Brigid touched Gina's shoulder. "See what else you can find during that time frame. Any strange happenings, unexplained events, attacks, problems with students?"

Gina nudged the microfiche tray, skimming across several days' worth of newspapers, searching for anything related to Colyer-Fenton College.

A headline on the front page of the Tribune captured Deme's attention. "Go back."

Gina eased backward slowly, coming to a halt on an article.

Local College Coed Attacked on Campus

Deme read over Gina's shoulder. "‘A young woman was attacked on the Colyer-Fenton College campus late last night. Miss Baker is being treated for injuries at an area hospital. The police questioned the victim, who was so traumatized she spoke of a huge beast, ravishing her.'" Deme looked up at Cal. "Sound familiar?"

Gina continued reading aloud, "Doctors and psychiatrists are working to help her in the aftermath of the ordeal. The president of the campus has hired additional security personnel to keep students safe, but some parents have pulled their students out of school until the perpetrator is caught."

"See if you can find the full name of the girl."

Gina swept across film, but no other news mentioned the campus or the student.

Deme straightened and paced the length of a shelf of books. "We need to get into student records."

"I'll see what I can do." Cal pulled a lightbulb from his coverall pocket, a smile tugging at his lips. "Surely there has to be a lightbulb burned out in there."

Deme almost laughed, glad he was there and helping them find her sister. "My gut tells me that the building that burned and the sisters who died in it are related to what's happening now. It's too much of a coincidence, especially considering there are five sisters involved now."

"I'll keep looking through the newspaper articles and historical records of the college," Gina offered.

"Good." Deme looked to Brigid.

Brigid rolled her eyes. "I'll check out City Hall and see what records they have on file for the buildings on campus back then. Although I'd rather be kicking ass than digging through moldy old papers."

Deme touched her sister's arm. "Thanks, Brigid."

Brigid's expression hardened. "Anything for Aurai."

"I have a class to teach right now in the theater. I can ask around and see if anyone knows where Rachel disappeared to," Selene said.

A student carrying a huge stack of research books passed by where they stood, casting a questioning look in their direction.

When he'd passed, Deme sighed. "We should meet off campus later this evening. I don't want too many people seeing us together. If someone on campus is causing all these problems, we don't need them to find out they are being investigated."

"Right." Brigid tapped a finger to her temple. "I'm outta here."

"Me, too." Selene slung the long handle of her bag over her head and across her chest, looking every bit the artistic drama teacher. "Wish me luck. I've never taught drama."

Deme smiled at her. "You'll do great. It's all about empathy and expressing emotions. Exactly what you're good at."

"Thanks. I just wish I could get rid of this headache. It's dragging me down."

Deme stared at her sister, for the first time noticing the dark shadows beneath her eyes. "Are you sleeping at all?"

She shook her head. "Not much. I'm having nightmares about being sucked into the earth by a wind tunnel."

Deme's breath caught. "You, too?"

Brigid, three steps away, turned back, her hand raised. "Me, three."

The three of them turned to Gina.

She nodded, her mouth set in grim lines. "Is the dream about Aurai?"

All the girls nodded as one.

Deme was the first to break the long silence. "Well, let's get to work and find our sister."

Brigid and Selene left.

Gina bent over the microfiche reader.

Cal touched Deme's shoulder and motioned her aside.

"Are you going to be all right?" Cal asked.

Deme frowned. "I can handle myself. If you can find out about the students who were here thirty years ago that could be a big help."

"I'll come up with an excuse to get inside the records."

"And Cal, find out anything you can about Zoe Adams, Mike Hubbs and Rachel Taylor. If we can get an address, we might want to check with Rachel's family and see if she made it home."

"Will do." He closed the distance between them, cupping her face. "Be careful, will ya?" His thumb brushed across her cheekbone, his gaze capturing hers.

Deme stared into his eyes, trying to read into his mind and soul. "Tell me, Cal. After last night, do you still think magic is a bunch of talk?"

"Let's say I'm teetering on the fence."

"You can't deny what you saw in the garden."

"No. And I have no explanation for it. But like you said, I'm a black-and-white kind of guy. It's going to take time for me to accept the gray." He touched her lips with his, briefly, bringing his head up so fast, Deme thought she might have imagined his kiss.

"Did you just kiss me?" she asked.

"Looks like it."

"No. This is a kiss." She wrapped her hand around the back of his head and drew him down to her, kissing him hard and long. Her tongue pushed past his teeth to claim his, twisting and tasting. Her chest pressed into his, and she wished with all her heart she were naked in bed with this strong cop who'd saved her ass the night before.

A discreet cough reminded her where she was.

Deme pulled back, brushing her hand across her lips. "Sorry, I didn't mean to put on a show."

Cal grinned, then sobered. "Don't be sorry. Just be safe." He kissed her again, his lips pressing hard against hers. Then he left.

Deme watched him until he rounded the corner and disappeared. She sighed and turned toward Gina.

Her sister sat facing her, arms crossed over her chest and a smirk on her face. "Wanna tell me what's going on with you two?"

Deme straightened her shoulders. "No."

"Oh, come on. What are sisters for if they can't share the sordid details of their love lives?"

"Shh." Deme glanced around at the empty section of the library. "We've been here long enough. If we stay any longer someone's bound to see us together."

Having been the oldest sister forever, she had never shared her life with her younger sisters, feeling the need to hold herself to a higher standard while her siblings struggled through hookups and breakups during their teens. Not that Deme hadn't struggled. Being a witch with "talents" had its own kind of strain on every relationship she'd ever been in. When she'd finally found Cal, she'd been gun-shy and afraid to let herself care too much.

Her voice little more than a whisper, Gina continued, "Really, Deme. We're all adults now. You don't have to be the model sister anymore."

Gina's comment hit too close to home, knocking a chink in the wall Deme had built to hold herself up. "It's just…"

"He's a mortal and you're a witch?" Gina's brows cocked upward.

Deme sucked in a deep breath, finding it difficult to let go and share after carrying the burden alone all those years. "Yes."

"So?" Gina shook her head. "And here we all thought you were the smart one." Her sister tsked. "So disappointing."

"See?" Deme flung her hands in the air. "That's why I never shared. I couldn't let you see how messed up I was. You all counted on me to be the perfect sister, to lead by example."

"And you're not so perfect." Gina stood and wrapped her arms around Deme. "Which makes you all the more lovable and perfect in my eyes." She held Deme at arm's length. "Do you realize how hard it is to live up to your example?" Gina grimaced. "It's exhausting."

Deme stared at her sister. "Really?"

"You're a tough act to follow, and some of us would rather give up than try."

Deme's eyes widened. "Brigid?"

Gina nodded. "I've hit a few roadblocks myself in the path to being Deme."

"I'm sorry." Deme hugged her sister close. "I didn't know I was being a pain."

"Well, you are." Gina brushed a tear from her cheek and pulled away. "Speaking of pain, I need to check the archives in the basement. The librarian said there are boxes of old documents and manuscripts down there that haven't been converted to microfiche."

"I'll go with you. The Gamma Omegas are probably all in class about now."

"Good. I didn't want to go there by myself. It's dark and creepy."

"My kind of fun." Deme nodded at the microfiche reader. "Let's print off copies of what we've found so far. As we collect more data, maybe it'll all fit together like a puzzle."

"And we'll find Aurai."

Deme's body chilled, her heart squeezing hard in her chest. "Do you think she resents me?"

"Aurai?" Gina snorted. "Never. She worships the ground you walk on. Why do you think she wanted to live a normal life?"

"Because of me?" Deme shook her head. "She does not want my life. I've screwed it up so much, she'd be crazy to be like me."

"Looks like you have an opportunity to make it right," Gina said, avoiding Deme's glare. "I sure would make it right if your maintenance dude was the Right in the Mr. Right."

"Sharing is over." Deme gave Gina a pointed look. "Aren't you supposed to be cleaning aquariums?"

"Did the big one on the main level. I'll work the one on this floor and the third floor tomorrow. Poor fish were swimming in algae."

"Well, make yourself at least look like an aquarium cleaner while I print those articles." Deme parked in the chair behind the microfiche reader and located the articles they'd scanned earlier, printing out copies. When she was done, she paid the librarian and left ahead of Gina, headed for the basement.

As she descended the steps to the main floor, her head reeled with the realization that she'd been holding herself up to a standard too high for any normal person to live up to. She was allowed to have faults, foibles and to screw up every once in a while.

And her biggest mistake was leaving Cal. Was it too late to tell him she'd been wrong?