More police arrived, Trey’s father’s BMW pulled in just behind a fire truck, the firefighters immediately inspecting the smoking van.
The rest was a blur of voices, people in my face, strobing emergency vehicle lights and questions—lots and lots of questions. Trey’s father was right there with us, his voice getting hard at times as the police questioned us. Who was the man? Where had we been? And most important… What had happened?
The air suddenly swirled around the parking lot, blowing smoke and dust in multiple directions. A familiar Toyota came rushing into the lot, braking to a fast halt. My aunt jumped out and headed straight for me. A Burlington cop moved forward to stop her but a stray gust of wind blew a cloud of smoke from the van into his face, causing him to turn away and cough.
Then Aunt Ash was upon me, her eyes frantic as she looked me up and down, her arms wrapping me into a tight hug.
“He’s okay, Ashling,” I heard Darci say from outside my warm cocoon that smelled of roses and fresh baked bread.
“What happened?” my aunt asked, letting me loose enough to breath.
“That’s what we’d like to know,” another voice said. Detective Montrose, who seemed to be asking Trey and myself the most questions.
“And ye’ve been here this long,” Aunt Ash said, waving a hand at all the fire trucks and cop cars, “and ye don’t know any more than me?”
“We know a man, whose identification says he is Ernest Snell, apparently abducted the boys and drove them here,” Darci said, earning herself a sharp glare from the detective.
“You’re the boy’s mother?” Montrose asked.
“Guardian,” Ash said, her eyes locking in on the detective. “He’s me nephew.” A fresh breeze swirled up around us.
“Well, Ms…”
“O’Carroll,” Darci offered, which got her a second hard glance.
“Well, Ms. O’ Carroll, the suspect somehow became electrocuted before he could further assault the boys,” Montrose said, eyeing me closely.
“What are ye saying, Officer? He got hit by a bolt of lightning from the blue?” Ashling asked in disbelief.
“No, there were some car batteries in the van and cables,” Montrose said. “And it’s Detective.”
For a split second, a look of relief flashed across my aunt’s face, then she hardened her gaze on Montrose.
“So, a man took my boy and his friend Trey, drove them here, and electrocuted himself with his own batteries and you’re confused?” she asked.
“There is the matter of the van’s own battery discharging, as well as the lamppost here,” Montrose said. “Not to mention the condition of the van’s doors.”
“So this man attacks two young boys and somehow you’re blaming the boys for him killing himself and blowing up his van? What kind of detecting is that ye do? Is this your first case, is it?”
“It may be his last if he doesn’t back away from our boys, Ashling,” Mr. Johnson said, suddenly coming up behind my aunt. “I’ve had enough of this, Montrose. These boys have been victimized and I won’t stand for you interrogating them like they’re the ones to blame here. You should be looking into this man Snell, not two fifth-grade boys. And it turns out that both the mayor and Chief Daniels agree with me, as you’re about to find out.”
“Montrose! Get over here!” a new voice yelled, a tall man with lots of decorations on his police uniform who was just getting out of a Lexus sedan. The detective grimaced and then headed across the lot.
“You’re free to take Declan home,” Mr. Johnson said to my aunt. “Trey and I are leaving right now. And don’t take any calls from reporters; I’m working on getting this whole event quieted down.”
“Thank ye, Ted,” my aunt said. Trey’s father nodded and then went to gather his son, who still wasn’t meeting my eyes whenever I looked his way.
“This guy Snell is from out of state,” Darci said. “He’s been a person of interest in at least one missing person case, and we’re checking his recent whereabouts.”
“You’ll find he’s done this before and got away with it,” my aunt said, her voice sure.
“You sound certain?” Darci asked in a careful tone.
“I’m as certain of this as I was of finding that lost child,” Ash said.
“I see. Ashling, the circumstances that Montrose was mentioning are…” Darci trailed off.
“Uncanny?” Ash suggested.
“I was going to say odd, but sure, uncanny works. Some of the guys are wondering.”
“And jest what do they be wondering, Darci dear.”
“Is Declan… Does he have any of what you have?”
“Your Mr. Snell was a bad man, an evil man. There is a balance to things, Darci. Evil is balanced by good. I’d say this is a case where good did just that,” Ash said. “Now, I’m taking me boy home.”
“Sure. Listen, if it’s okay, I’d like to swing by later and check in on you both?”
“That would be fine then, Darci dear.”
I don’t remember the car ride home or much about that evening other than my aunt feeding me and then snuggling me beside her on the couch in the family room. When I woke up later, I was in my bed and I could hear Darci and my aunt speaking softly in another room.
The next day, my aunt took me out to the garden straight after breakfast.
“A bit of weeding will do us both good,” she said, immediately attacking the invading plants like enemy soldiers, yanking and pulling.
“Aunt Ash, you and Mom always taught me to be gentler with the weeds,” I said, shocked at her violence.
“That we did, Declan. We wanted you to be mindful of living things. You’re a powerful witch, boy, and we dinnae want ye to ever use your Craft improperly. But there can come a time when a witch must act to protect themselves and others, and that is both right and natural. The wild things of this world fight every day to survive. We have to survive too.” Her thickened brogue told me she was upset.
“You’re talking about
