Viktoria locked the door behind Eszter, who’d insisted she needed to get home to Niko. Eszter’s contact information had been added to Viktoria’s cell phone. If Eszter was a no-show tomorrow, Viktoria would know exactly where to send the cops this time.

The nagging feeling that Niko wasn’t as Eszter portrayed him kept Viktoria tense and suspicious. How was it possible he’d never made the connection to the missing woman whose picture was all over the news and plastered on lampposts in their hometown of Newmarket, Ontario and the surrounding areas? Why hadn’t he gone to the police to find out who she was?

Viktoria checked the time. Seven o’clock already, and she hadn’t had any dinner yet. After the emotional upheaval of Eszter’s return, Viktoria’s stomach was in knots. Food would congeal in her gut, and she was afraid it would come right back up. She went into the kitchen, got some water, and then returned to the living room to retrieve her cell phone.

Her intuition was garbled. Try as she might, she couldn’t get clarification on the headstone image, and nothing else about Eszter, her disappearance, or Niko came in. Perhaps a seasoned psychic and witch like Rowan would get better results. Viktoria called Rowan, The Green Witch’s owner and Viktoria’s best friend, and asked her to come over.

By eight o’clock, the two women were sitting in the living room. Viktoria had set a tray of tea and muffins on the coffee table, and while the cup of tea she sipped on soothed her, the muffin she chewed on sat in her stomach like a hairball.

“When Eszter first disappeared, what impressions did you get?” Rowan said.

“I didn’t. Nothing came through no matter how hard I tried.” Remembering that awful time brought back with it a sense of loss and bereavement. “We were terrified she was dead, but I couldn’t verify it. At the time, I assumed grief and proximity to the situation blocked me …”

“What are you thinking now?”

Viktoria shook her head. “Nothing concrete.” She sighed. “Maybe we were right, and it was a matter of emotional involvement and trying too hard. But, even then, I couldn’t shake the sense of being blocked.”

Rowan frowned. “I read about it in the news.” She picked up her cup of tea and sipped. When she set it down again, she said, “I’ve never told you this, because I thought it didn’t matter, but I tried to connect to Eszter.”

“You mean before I met you?”

Viktoria and Rowan had met two years before when Viktoria had applied to be a reader at The Green Witch. She’d impressed Rowan with her psychic abilities, and Rowan had hired her on the spot. They’d been not only coworkers but close friends ever since.

When Viktoria had told Rowan about her missing sister, Rowan had immediately tried to pull in information on the case but had received nothing substantial.

“Yes. I didn’t tell you when we met because nothing came of the information I got.”

“But you got something? And didn’t tell me?” Viktoria picked at the muffin on her plate, crumbling what was left between her fingers. “When I asked you to try, you said you couldn’t get anything. Is that true?”

Rowan gently pried the muffin from Viktoria’s fingers and set the plate and mess of crumbs on the table. She took Viktoria’s hands in her own.

“I got something, yes, before I met you. I took the information to the police, but they never updated me after. When you and I met and you asked me to do the remote viewing for you, I did, and it went as I’d said. I received no useful information. I picked up less than I had when I first heard the news.”

“What did you get the first time, Ro, and why didn’t you tell me about it?”

Rowan sighed. “I’m sorry. Maybe I should have mentioned it, but three years had passed. The police hadn’t found anything or contacted me for follow up, and I didn’t want to upset you.” She released Viktoria’s hands. “I was obviously wrong, anyway. Eszter came back.”

A lump formed in Viktoria’s throat as the image of the headstone appeared in her mind’s eye again. Breath held, she asked, “What did you see?”

“You have to understand, we hadn’t met then. I only wanted to help.”

“Rowan, I won’t shoot the messenger. I understand how this stuff works. What did you get?”

“That someone had taken her, and she was in spirit.” Rowan squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head, her long, red mane swishing behind her back.

“Okay.” Viktoria exhaled. “She’s back, so she’s obviously not in spirit. You were right not to tell me. I was terrified of that and afraid we’d never find her body. If you’d told me that, it would have been a nightmare come true, and it would have been incorrect.” Realizing there had to be something more, something Rowan still concealed, she added, “What was it you went to the police with, then?”

“Have you ever tried remote viewing?”

“Yes.”

“Any luck?”

Restless, Viktoria rose and walked to the living room window. Daylight faded. The traffic on Davis Drive flowed steadily. A bus headed east disgorged two passengers at the bus stop and then continued along the bus lane.

Viktoria had tried remote viewing, which involved focusing on a target to receive psychic impressions, in her search for Eszter. “Some minor results. I’m only fair at it. I got nothing when Eszter disappeared. I couldn’t feel her anywhere, even in spirit.”

She turned back to face Rowan. “Tell me. What did you get?”

“I thought she was dead, remember, and that she’d been kidnapped. So I focused on who took her. I got that two people were involved—a man and a woman. But when I opened to receive more information, a location or a description, it shut down. All I got was a black wall. But there was power there, Vik, and I sensed strong interference.” She rose, went to the window, and peered out. “Busy out there. That’s why I prefer living in Sharon. Fewer people.”

“You live on Leslie Street, Ro. It’s just as busy.”

“Not north of Green Lane.”

“You’re distracting me. Surely you didn’t tell the police a powerful witch took her? Do you think a witch took her?”

Rowan paced between the window and the coffee table. “Not a witch, no. But someone with power. It felt more druidic than witchy—definitely not Wiccan. Wicca, as a religion, didn’t appear until the 1950s. What I felt was much older.” She stopped walking and put an arm around Viktoria. “I’m sorry, sweetie. Whoever took her did it with a purpose in mind.” She hesitated.

“Sex? Did they take her for sex?” Panic edged Viktoria’s voice, and she forced herself to take a deep breath. Eszter had returned, looking so good Viktoria had assumed Eszter had run away, causing the family needless worry and stress.

“Not sex, but I can’t figure out what. It’s not over, Vik. Don’t trust Eszter or anyone she’s associated with. I don’t say these things lightly.” Rowan turned to Viktoria, hugged her, and then stepped away. “When I walked in here tonight, I felt energy that wasn’t you. Whatever or whoever it is, it feels sinister. Listen to me. Don’t trust Eszter.”

Anger percolated through Viktoria, and she stepped away from Rowan and frowned at her. “She’s my twin. Missing for five years. I’m not turning my back on her.”

“I’m not saying you should.”

“She’s dying.” Viktoria’s voice hitched as the tears flowed. “Eszter has breast cancer. I wasn’t going to tell you. I don’t know if she minds that I’ve said something, but I can’t keep it inside. We lost her for five years, and now we’ll lose her again.”

“Oh, God, Viki. I’m so sorry.” Rowan put an arm around Viktoria and guided her back to the couch.

“Sit.”

When Viktoria sat, Rowan poured a fresh cup of tea. “Drink this,” she said, holding out the cup and saucer.

Viktoria accepted the tea and sipped. It was still hot and soothed her insides. She stopped crying. “My parents will be devastated.”

“Your parents are strong. They survived the last five years, and they’ll cope with this. You all will. At least you have her back now. With Eszter here, you’ll pull together as a family. And if conventional treatments aren’t working, I’ll refer her to some alternative practitioners.”

Eyes tearing up again, Viktoria shook her head. “She won’t do it. She’s refusing all treatment.”

When Rowan didn’t reply, Viktoria glanced up.

Face white, Rowan’s seafoam eyes met Viktoria’s gaze.

Numb, Viktoria hugged herself. “What is it, Ro?”

Rowan opened her mouth to speak and closed it again. Finally, she said, “Oh, God, she’s come for you.” Rowan slid to the floor in a faint.