tormented even in death,” Jonathon said.
“How? By what?”
“By the evilest man I’ve ever known,” Jonathon replied, his face grim.
Chapter Fourteen
Oakwoods Now
Brenna stirred in her bed and awoke hearing Rowena’s conversation with Ronan and Jonathon replaying in her head. She wrapped her hand around the moonstone that hung from her neck. A comforting warmth emanated from the stone. Yawning, Brenna sat up and stretched her arms high into the air. She slid out of bed, still wearing her little black dress from dinner last night. She scolded herself when her feet hit the ground and she nearly twisted her ankle, finding out she was still wearing her black stilettos. Her feet ached as she pushed off the shoes and rubbed her feet, which were numb having been squashed into the tight shoes all night. When her feet stopped complaining she pulled off her black dress and threw it on top of her shoes.
Plodding into the bathroom, quickly showered and dressed in jeans and a long-sleeved crochet top Maggie had bought her. Adding some black and white sneakers, she was ready to go. On the outside anyway. On the inside, she felt anything but ready. She quickly packed up all of her things and made sure the room was nice and tidy. She even wiped down the bathroom vanity.
Sick and tired of the continuous rain, Brenna screwed up her nose at the dark clouds in the sky. Raindrops pummeled her hair, making it heavy. Her hairdo had fallen apart by the time she reached the office and hung down limply with hairclips hidden in dark tangles of hair. Jeff was standing in the office hanging a picture of a leafy green forest on the wall. He turned to her and smiled as she entered the room.
“Morning, Brenna! Saw a sweet car pick you up last night.”
Brenna laughed, remembering about the library book she’d told Celestine she’d return.
“Yes, it was a nice car all right,” Brenna said, thinking the driver was even nicer.
“Anybody I know?” Jeff inquired.
“Oh, I doubt it. Where was that picture taken?”
“Your forest.”
“Really?” Brenna stepped toward the picture and took a better look.
“Yup, Annwyn took this photo last time she was in there. I found an old film while cleaning out a drawer and took it in to have it developed in town yesterday.”
“It’s a great photo. What else was on the film?” Brenna asked. Jeff flattened his lips together, thinking.
“Just some stuff that didn’t make much sense really.”
“Like what?”
“Well, there was a shot that was taken high up in the forest, almost as though Annwyn was sitting in a tree when she took it.”
“Can I see the photos?”
“Sure.” Jeff disappeared into the room next door and returned holding a white envelope. “Here ya go.” He passed them to Brenna. She eagerly opened the envelope and pulled out the photos. Sure enough, there was an overhead shot that looked like it was taken from the top of a tree. All the photos showed the same part of the forest from different angles.
“Maybe this part of the forest was special to her. Does it look familiar to you?”
“No.” Jeff scratched his balding head. “She started going there a lot, toward the end. She’d talk about wanting to find the reason why it had become so dark.”
“Maybe she did find where it was coming from.” Brenna looked down at the photos. There was nothing in them that stood out to her.
“You can keep the photos if you want.”
“That would be good, thank you.” Brenna slipped the photos back into their envelope and decided she should tell him she was leaving. “Jeff, how much do I owe you for the room?”
“Leaving already?” Sadness darkened his face.
“Yes, I-I’m not leaving Oakwood. A friend has invited me to stay at his house. He’s also a witch and he’s helping me out.”
“The one with the car?” Jeff brightened up.
“That’s the one. I’d like to come back and visit you if that’s okay.”
“Please do.” Jeff smiled, lighting up his face again.
“So how much do I owe you?” Brenna said, rummaging through her bag for her credit card. Jeff raised his hands and shook his head.
“I won’t take any money from you. I consider you family. In fact, you’re the only family I’ve got.”
Brenna stopped searching in her bag and walked over to Jeff. She threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly. She didn’t have any family left either. The thought of him considering her his family made her feel as though she belonged somewhere.
She drew back