Binding the Shadows (Arcadia Bell #3)(73)

“Out of revenge?” I asked.

“Not really. I thought if the elixir could do that for Merrimoth, maybe it could help me. Everyone in my family has knacks—I’m the only one without one. I thought maybe if I took the elixir, it would bring out something in me.”

“Did it?” Lon asked.

Evan shook his head. “I took a whole bottle. Nothing happened. My wife came over to get some things from the attic and caught me with it, so I told her what it was. Telly was with her. He must’ve overheard us arguing, because the following night he broke into my house and stole three bottles. Next thing I know, I’m hearing about all these crazy knacks being used to commit crimes in Morella. I knew it was Telly. He’s been in and out of juvie. Runs away from his mom’s house for days at a time. Kicked out of school twice.” He stared at Telly’s body, a look of pity on his face. “Stupid kid. If he would’ve just minded his own business . . .”

“Wait a minute,” I said. “If Telly stole it from you, and we heard him talking about going straight to the source to steal it, he couldn’t have been talking about Merrimoth. He’s dead.”

“No,” Evan said softly. “Merrimoth wasn’t the source.”

Lon groaned. He was seeing the answers inside Evan’s head before the man could get them out. And the way Lon looked at me, I knew it wasn’t good.

I looked at Evan. “Who’s the source?”

The question hung between us for a moment before he answered. “Dare.”

My world shrank. Hair on my arms stood on end. “Dare? How?”

Evan swallowed. “Merrimoth claimed Dare had some magician cook it up a few years ago. Merrimoth had the idea to stop administering the Transmutation Spell to new initiates of the Body.”

The transmutated higher-ups in the Hellfire Club formed the Body. Only thirteen seats, and Lon held one of them. At least he used to. He hadn’t been active in the club for years, and hadn’t attended a monthly full moon “meeting” since he took me along several months back. I don’t think either of us knew where he stood in the club now that I’d told Dare to screw himself.

Evan’s thin, rough voice sounded even wearier than he looked. “It was a way to be transmutated in public. No horns, you know.” He glanced at Lon’s, shrugging. “Merrimoth was complaining that Dare hoarded it, and it wasn’t fair, because it was Merrimoth’s idea. They’ve been on the outs since Dare punished him for . . .” Evan’s attention turned to me, realization widening his eyes. “You’re the girl who broke the summoning circles in the caves. The reason Merrimoth got punished.”

And the one who killed Merrimoth when he was jumping off the second-floor balcony of his house into the ocean, but I didn’t volunteer this information.

“Don’t worry about her,” Lon said.

“Sure, sure,” Evan mumbled. “Anyway, Merrimoth took it from Dare. He made it sound like Dare was clueless about the theft, but I guess Dare eventually caught on when he heard about stuff on the news with the robberies. When I heard, I knew Telly had been selling it. I tried to get it back, but he ran away again. Told his mother that a black car had been following him.”

Black car. Oh . . . f*ck. I looked at Lon. Dare’s been trailing me.

Evan touched his nose and winced. “Once I found out Dare was looking for the elixir, I just wanted to get rid of it. So when I saw Yvonne was in town, I thought, well—she lives in Florida, and she’d take it with her. Get it out of Dare’s territory, you know.”

“Why didn’t you just throw it away?” I said.

Evan scratched his arm, avoiding Lon’s gaze.

“Because he wanted to sleep with Yvonne,” Lon answered.

“I’m sorry, man. You don’t understand what it’s like to be in that club and watch everyone else having fun. Everyone else making friends. Everyone else getting the good jobs. I’m a nobody. Useless. No family. Separated. I’m almost fifty, and all I do is crunch numbers in a cube all day. I just wanted to be part of everything, just once.”

We all sat in silence for a long moment.

“If Dare had Telly killed, he’ll kill you, too,” I said.

“Don’t you think I know that? I was packing when you showed up. I thought Dare had sent you here. I need to get out of town. Please, I’m begging—let me get out of here.”

“What about Telly’s body?” Lon said. “You’re just going to leave him?”

“I was going to call my wife after I left.”

“You have any more elixir hidden?”

Evan shook his head. “Telly stole the rest. All I had was what I gave Yvonne.”

Lon threw Yvonne’s vial of elixir on the floor and crushed the glass beneath his foot. Red liquid seeped into the pale carpet. “It’s not right to leave the boy like this,” he said.

“Police will be able to tell the bullet didn’t come from your gun,” I added.

“I know, but what am I supposed to do? Tell them Dare’s behind it? Who are they going to believe? I have no evidence. I don’t stand a chance against him.”

Lon’s horns spiraled away. His fiery halo receded to its normal gold and green as he let go of Evan. “You can run, but if Dare catches up to you, you’re on your own. Don’t contact Yvonne again.”