The Stone Witch Society /// Sisters of the Twelve Stones (book two)

Chapter Two

CHAPTER TWO: The Discovery

“Good night, Josie.” Lanky, forty-something Grant Jameson peeks around the doorjamb into his daughter’s bedroom. It’s after eleven and Grant wishes nothing more than to crawl into bed himself. It’s been a long day. Memorial Day. Though not as bad as in the years past, when he missed his wife so much it hurt. No. With Grace at his side, he could finally look forward to the future again. Yes, he still missed Sarah Jameson, but this new all-consuming love somehow kept the past from hurting.

 Josie, at fourteen-years-old, had long outgrown being tucked in. But, for some reason, Grant wanted to check in tonight before going to bed. He’d seen the kiss between her and Seth at the cemetery. Somehow in that moment, he watched his daughter grow up. A boyfriend? Well, why not?

A cold breeze blew through Josie’s bedroom. “Gotta love Seattle springs, huh? In like a lion, out like a lion,” he laughs at his own joke. Aqua chiffon curtains whip and flutter across the room above bits of broken glass and blood and his daughter’s body crumpled on the floor.

“Oh, God! No!” He falls to his knees and touches a hand to her face. “Josie, honey.” He searches the room for an answer and takes up his daughter’s slim wrist in search of a pulse. If her heart’s still beating it is weak, because he feels nothing. And there’s blood on Josie’s forehead, dried blood.

He scrambles to his daughter’s desk and clutches her cell phone. He swipes the screen and the message, ‘Enter Passcode,’ flashes. “What the hell? A passcode? Since when?” He enters 1-1-1-1 in a lame attempt to access the phone but it remains locked. “Shit!”

He runs down the hall to the phone that hangs off the kitchen wall and dials 9-1-1. When the dispatcher asks for the address Grant’s mind goes blank. He’s never been good in critical situations. He crumples into a chair by the phone and runs a hand over his plaid pajama bottoms. The dispatcher recites the address to his house and he takes a breath, confirms the information her computer must’ve spit out at her and hangs up the phone. “Owen!”

“I can’t leave him here alone,” Grant runs a hand through his curly hair and tries to shake away the static blaring in his ears. “Jesus, think!” He opens the front door for the EMTs and the blast of cold air helps clear his head. “Grace. Oh my God, she’ll help.” He dials her cell and a sleepy voice greets him.

“Hey, baby. Couldn’t fall asleep without hearing my voice?” she giggles.

The lightness in Grace’s voice disappears as she listens to Grant’s desperate voice describe events. Yes, she’ll be at his house to sit with Owen. It’ll take ten minutes to get there.

Grant hears the distant cry of the ambulance outside and he decides to wake Owen, tell him what’s going on. Rubbing sleep from his eyes, Owen asks his dad to turn on the bedroom light. “Can I see her, Dad?”

And before Grant can answer, he hears the EMTs walking in the house. “Mr. Jameson!”

“Sorry, Owen. I’ve gotta go. Be brave. Grace will be here in just a couple minutes. I’ll text you guys from the hospital.” He kisses the boy’s head and races down the hall to bring help to Josie.