“It’s not in the kitchen, and it’s not on a hook by the door,” Jesse added.

They stood like that for a moment, and Jesse felt the beginnings of despair. If they couldn’t find Scarlett…

“The surfboard,” Runa said suddenly. She was eyeing the giant board by the front door.

“What about the surfboard?”

“Look, there’s something behind it.”

Jesse followed her line of sight. There was a very narrow closet door set in the wall just behind the surfboard. They moved at the same time; Jesse pulled the board aside so Runa could grab the closet doorknob. It opened with a jingle. There were three sets of keys tacked to the back of the door. Someone had taped a piece of masking tape over each one, labeling the sets Car, Apartment, and HotD.

“Hot Dee?” Runa said, confused.

“Hair of the Dog,” Jesse said. He snatched the car keys off the hook and thrust them at Runa. “Let’s do it.”

Runa looked around the room, and finally went over to the carpeted area in front of the TV. She pulled a piece of chalk out of her skirt pocket. “Other witches do this differently, but I’ve always liked working within circles,” she explained, drawing a large one on the carpeting. She didn’t completely close the circle, leaving a gap of four or five inches. “It helps me focus.”

Jesse shifted his weight uneasily. “Do you need me to leave?”

“No, just be quiet and don’t let anything cross the line.” She looked around. “And I don’t have a map, so I’ll need to do this with a pen and paper.”

“That I did see in the kitchen,” Jesse said, and he retrieved a chewed-up pen and a pack of Post-it notes for her. “How long will it take?” He tried not to sound as anxious as he felt.

Runa shrugged helplessly. “Five minutes? Ten? Usually I do an elaborate circle with candles and stuff to help get me in a trance, but this is the quick-and-dirty version. Just try to be patient.”

He nodded, and she stepped into the circle, sitting cross-legged with the paper and pen and key in front of her. She picked up the chalk again and closed the circle, then exchanged the chalk for the car key. Jesse sat down in the folding chair again, not wanting to crowd her by taking the sofa or armchair. He was expecting her to start chanting in Latin or something, but to his surprise she closed her eyes, took in a deep breath, and let it out in a single humming note. Jesse had attended a couple of her yoga classes when they’d first started dating, and this was not unlike the Ommmmmm sound she used at the beginning and end of each class. She had a nice voice, and he found the tone sort of pleasant, rather than annoying.

That went on for a few minutes, until Jesse felt the tiredness overtaking his body. He’d been running on adrenaline since his stakeout at Kirsten’s, and he hadn’t exactly slept well on the floor at his parents’ house. Now that his body was still, he was beginning to feel it.

Suddenly the hum stopped, and Runa did begin to chant, but not in Latin. It was a singsong, lilting language Jesse didn’t recognize. Kirsten was Swedish, wasn’t she? If they were cousins, maybe this was Swedish? Finnish? Something Scandinavian, surely. Runa’s upper body tilted forward, and her right hand crept down to the floor, picking up the pen. She scrawled something on the Post-it note, and Jesse had to restrain himself from running over to break the circle and snatch it up. Instead, he sat impatiently as Runa went through a couple more minutes of the humming tone, and then she opened her eyes. She shook her head a little, focusing on him, and looked blearily down at the note.

“Oh, here.” She ripped the top sheet off and handed it to him. He squinted to make out her tiny handwriting: Dayton and Freight St., Redondo Beach. “Do you know where that is?”

“I think so,” Jesse said. “I know Freight Street, anyway.”

“Then you should go.”

He took a step and hesitated. “What about you?”

Runa smiled sadly. “I’m going to call a cab.” She brightened suddenly. “Oh, wait.” The witch dug in her other skirt pocket and came out with a tiny bag on a long string. “I grabbed this for you from Kirsten’s car. She keeps a couple just in case.”

He took the little bag, looking at her face. “Protection amulet?” he asked, surprised. He’d been under the impression that only certain people were given these.

She nodded. “It’s not elegant, but it’s the quick-and-dirty version again,” she said. She reached over and tapped the bag. “This one is for protection against witches.”

“Not vampires?”

Runa shrugged. “You can only wear one at a time, for it to work. From what Kirsten told me, Olivia will stay pretty close to Scarlett, which means the witch will be the one at large. This will prevent her from spelling you.”

“Thank you.” He hung the long string over his head, tucking the bag into his shirt. Looking around, he also picked up the crowbar and hid it back in his sleeve. Just in case.

“Remember,” Runa added, “as soon as you get close to Scarlett, that amulet will short out. So make it count, Jesse.”

He met her gaze and found a whole unspoken conversation there. She stepped forward and gave him a gentle, brief kiss on the lips. “Go,” she whispered.

He went.

Chapter 29

The second I realized what Olivia was planning, the panic took over. Even though some rational part of my brain knew it was useless, I kicked backward against the golem, forcing it to hold my weight so I could use both legs. Nothing happened. The damn thing didn’t even have to adjust its grip, and my kicks were completely ineffective. I braced my feet back on the ground and slammed my head backward, hoping to startle it, but the golem didn’t have pain sensors, and although I did feel a tiny bit of give as I dented its nose, all I really ended up with was a minor headache.