This Strange Addiction by Julie Steimle (story books to read .TXT) 📖

Matthew? Audry searched the road with her eyes in panic. Andrew lived way too far away to call him. And Audry was not sure 911 would be a good bet either. What could she tell them? That a witch was talking nicely to her fiancée? Danna hadn’t assaulted them—yet.

Audry put her hand into her purse and found her tazer. It was up to her. She was just sorry she did not have her tranquilizer gun. That she could use at a distance.

Hogan then lifted his eyes to the shop window, spotting Audry on the other side. And seeing him look, Danna did.

Danna blinked her eyes as they came to focus on her and then a grin split across her face.

Audry shoved the door open and stormed out. “Leave them alone.”

“I just want Silvia,” Danna said, cocking her hip to the side and smirking.

Audry pulled out her tazer.

Looking at it, Danna stepped back.

“Back away,” Audry said.

“Isn’t that a little extreme?” Hogan said, looking from Audry to her tazer.

“She’s just like Isis,” Audry said, not even looking back at him. She made sure she was between Danna and her grandmother.

Hogan drew in a breath and backed away, pulling Grandma Bruchenhaus with him. Danna looked confused, having no clue who Isis was.

But then, showing up like sprouting jack-in-the-boxes, several policemen in uniform stepped out from doorways and from plain cars. One of them was Matthew.

Danna went pale. Her eyes whipped around in panic. Clearly she had never been caught off guard before.

“Took you long enough!” Audry backed toward Hogan, glaring at Matthew.

Matthew shrugged, hands up. “You did great though.” He then looked to Danna. “Hi again.”

Recognizing him very well, Danna scowled like she would kill Matthew if she could.

“What’s going on?” Hogan protested, pulling Audry aside as the police cuffed Danna while reading her Miranda rights.

“What have I been charged with?” Danna called up with huffy disdain.

Matthew grinned more. Audry realized that he was hearing Danna’s thoughts as she was saying this, probably culling useful information from the witch’s head. This was extremely good for them.

“I’m sorry, Hogan,” Audry said. She then turned to her grandmother. “Are you ok?”

“Confused is more like it,” Grandma Bruchenhaus murmured.

“You are being charged with stalking, vandalism… and attempted murder,” Matthew said to Danna.

“What?” Danna seemed to laugh at the absurdity of the charges.

“Oh, that’s right,” Matthew said as the police started to drag her to the car, “You don’t attempt murder. You succeed.”

Danna looked like she wanted to spit in his face. She wisely didn’t.

“I’ll change the charges for you, if you’d like,” he said to her, grinning.

Hogan pulled back. “Attempted murder?”

“Not you,” Matthew said, turning towards them while the police, opened the car door. He blushed as he said, “Harlin Nichols—Silvia’s and Audry’s ex.”

Pulling back further, Hogan went white. He looked to Audry who closed her eyes.

“Why?” Hogan asked, his eyes now raking over Danna with the realization that he had been in close proximity of a possible killer.

“She wants Silvia,” Matthew said matter-of-factly Audry wondered if this was wise, but as Matthew talked, she saw the effect it had on Danna who was overhearing it all as the other police pushed her into the squad car. “Possibly dead, but I think alive.”

Danna went pale. Livid really. It was like his words were spoiling her ability to get what she wanted.

“Oh… before I forget.” Matthew turned around and pulled out what looked like a red paper ribbon from his pocket. There was black writing on it. He reached into the car, pushed Danna forward by her neck while she screeched about police brutality, and wrapped it around her cuffs and wrists, and then her waist. She swore and cursed as he did it, though it looked ridiculously silly… as if Matthew thought a bit of paper tape could hold Danna in place better than a pair of handcuffs. And when he pulled out, tearing off the end of the paper tape strip, grinning, he said to her, “This is a gift from Silvia.”

“Damn you, Silvia!” Danna cursed to the sky as he shut the door. “Traitor!”

Matthew patted the roof of the car, grinning. The driver immediately took off into the street.

“What was that?” Hogan asked, looking to Audry.

Audry shook her head. She had a guess, but it creeped her out. Another spell maybe?

After a brief discussion with Audry’s grandmother to explain what had just happened, Matthew then said to Hogan before he left, “There is one of them still about that we know of. Now that you know, be aware.”

“Why are they harassing us?” Hogan demanded, growing more flustered as Matthew talked.

“They seem to think that Audry is the key to finding Silvia. And we need to convince them that she’s not,” Matthew explained. “But we don’t think they will be coming after you again after this. I think after this incident they will see pursuing Audry is unproductive.”

“And why are they after Silvia?” Hogan asked, his arms wrapping protectively around Audry.

Meeting his gaze as one man to another, Matthew replied, “Because, Silvia is a witch who is trying to leave her coven.”

Hogan’s eyes widened. He had heard Audry say something like that before, but he had thought it hokey. “What?”

Sighing, Matthew explained. “I am not going to go into the details—but Silvia Lewis is trying to leave her coven, a group that does not allow members to leave. And these are dangerous people. Fact is, they’ve killed two women already and I think a cat, and they attacked Harlin Nichols when Audry and Silvia dropped off their map.”

Glancing down to Audry, Hogan held her closer.

“Now, they are vengeful and nasty—but what we really need to do right here is to get as much evidence against them so they don’t get released and wreak havoc on Audry who they have decided to target to get to Silvia.” Matthew looked most especially at Hogan, hoping he had something useful.

“And why are we protecting Silvia?” Hogan asked.

“Hey!” Audry slapped his chest. “Don’t say that. She’s my friend.”

“She just sounds like trouble.” Hogan shook his head. “Did you know she believed in witchcraft?”

Nodding, Audry rolled her eyes. “Yes. Ok. For a long time.”

He stared. “You’re kidding me.”

She shook her head. But she said, “Just because somebody you like believes in something weird does not mean you have to. And I don’t.”

He sighed, then looked to Matthew. “Ok. So what do we need to do?”

That being the response he wanted, Matthew said, “I need you to be a witness. Make your statement about what Danna has said and done.”

“But all she did was ask questions,” Hogan said, looking worried. “No crime.”

Matthew smirked. “That’s ok. Just the fact that she asked you questions about Silvia is evidence they were looking for her. We’ll work on the rest.”

Audry nodded.

“And you can testify that she has been stalking you,” he said. “Your texts to me will stand as evidence. It was very useful. Thanks.”

Then it hit her—they needed proof of stalking, and they had none except eye witnesses. The text was proof. And they could get camera footage… maybe. But Audry also felt used. This was sneaky and not her style.

“Don’t get mad,” Matthew said, taking a step back. “I told you, you might not like our methods.”

Hogan stared at him. He then looked to Audry. He reached out a hand and Audry took it, pulling closer to him. Hogan said, “Don’t do that again.”

Backing away, Matthew lifted his hands. “OK.” He then waved to Grandma Bruchenhaus who was given a drink and had been talking with one of the police on duty. “Have a good day!” He then saluted Audry, “See you later!” He then walked off.

Disgusted, Hogan pulled Audry to the side. “See you later? You didn’t actually plan to see him later, did you?”

“No.” Audry shook her head, rolling her eyes. “I think it is just something he says.”

But Hogan’s expression said he did not believe it.

They went to get an early dinner, skipping the rest of their plans for the day as they all needed to emotionally recover. Funnily enough, Grandma Bruchenhaus patted Audry on her back and said when she left to go home, “You are a good girl. I am proud you are a Bruchenhaus.”

Audry wondered what those policemen had said to her.

 

Hogan had work the following day and could not join her and her grandmother as they tasted wedding cakes. But he did join her briefly for lunch at a restaurant where her grandmother had them look over the invitation list. “I will send this list to your father so he can get enough invitations printed out. He will mail them. Have you thought of a wedding photo yet?”

Hogan and Audry exchanged a look. They had thought to hire a friend to do the wedding photo—but after these two days together they knew her grandmother would want a more formal photo, so they lied and said ‘no.’ Hogan figured they would have to get two photographers: the one they wanted and the one they would be forced to take.

As they went over the invitation list again, Hogan halted on one name. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“What is it?” Audry asked, peering over where he was looking.

He pointed to Rick’s name.

“We promised,” Audry said, gazing up at him.

He moaned. “But why?”

Her grandmother then peered over to see.

Audry hissed. “It’s not likely that he would actually attend. He just needs it.”

“Because he has a crush on you?” Hogan ground out, irritated.

Audry moaned. “Come on. For closure. And he does not have a crush on me.”

“He does.” Hogan now laughed, but not happy.

“Who?” her grandmother now asked, eager to find out. Apparently she loved scandals.

“Nobody,” Hogan said. Then handed the list back. “It’s fine.”

But Audry’s grandmother looked to her for the answer. Audry rolled her eyes and pointed at the name. “It’s nothing. We’re just friends.”

“I thought you said you two were just passing acquaintances,” Hogan retorted, growing more irritable.

Audry blushed. “Ok, so I was wrong. He is the best friend of my good friend’s husband.”

“Oh… him,” her grandmother said. “The Deacons. New money.” And yet her eyes lit up. “But money nonetheless.” She then poked Hogan in the stomach with her boney finger. “If you blow this, I’m rooting for him.”

She then walked off to find the ladies room.

Hogan stared at Audry from across the table in silence. Then he said, “Your grandmother knows about him?”

Audry rolled her eyes. “Oh please. We were in a restaurant two days ago and some people I met at a Junior League function with Vincent—friends of Rick’s—stopped by to say hi, and we got talking.”

“And who was that?” Hogan asked darkly.

Poking the list, Audry said, “Stewart and Kim McGivens. Grandma was thrilled when I invited them. They’re old money.” She rolled her eyes.

He frowned. Clearly he was not happy. It was as if he believed that Rick was encroaching on their lives… which made Audry glad she had not said ‘yes’ to Rick giving her a new car.

When her grandmother returned, they immediately changed the subject to the wedding dinner, and of all things, a joint bank account. Hogan left that meal, going back to work slightly irritated. Not about the wedding plans, but about Rick being invited to the wedding. Audry could feel it. He just didn’t understand that it was necessary.

 

The next day, her grandmother decided to take all their plans and such to Audry’s parents’ home to discuss it with them. It gave Audry a free day—especially as Hogan had to travel to Connecticut to test the water in one neighborhood which locals had reported contaminants and the city wanted to either have it confirmed or refuted with science. She decided to use that time to research where she ought to go for her wildlife study. She spent most of the day doing that. She realized her research would have to be continued after their honeymoon and would probably be delayed a while after that as it was not wise to immediately separate after just getting married. It