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    “Stop it.” Jessie tried to grab at his arm again, but she had nothing against his strength.
    Her panties filled the second drawer. He hesitated then.
    Jessie covered her face and cried.
    “Craig?”
    He spun toward the voice.
    Kate stood in the bedroom doorway. Her lips parted. Her eyes danced behind a teary glaze.
    “I have to do this,” he said, though Kate had never questioned him. Yet he felt he must explain himself. Why? He never would have thought twice about tossing this room a year ago. A year ago everything was clear. He saw a threat. He fought the threat. Thoughts, emotions, shame? If you wanted to stay safe, you couldn’t let those things rule you.
    A year ago.
    Not anymore.
    He slammed the drawer shut. Stalked to the bed and scooped up the items he’d left there. He faced Jessie. “You’re to stay in your room while your mother and I discuss this.”
    She sniffled, wiped at the corner of an eye with the heel of her palm. Then she jutted her chin, mouth a straight line.
    “I’m trusting you not to mess with this stuff anymore,” he said.
    She stared at him, her eyes wet and cheeks red.
    Lockman took the deepest breath of his life and left her room, closing the door behind him.
    Kate looked at the things in his arms. “What was that?”
    He hung his head, eyes closed. “Fucking mojo.”

Chapter Nine
    “She’s a sensitive?”
    Lockman didn’t like the sound of Teresa’s voice. A whiff of greed under the awe.
    He had managed to get the power back on through the circuit breaker. So after replacing some bulbs they had light now that evening had begun to darken the sky. The three of them, Lockman, Kate, and Teresa, sat around the kitchen table as if a meeting were called to order. The chalk, candle, and book on witchcraft sat in the middle of the table. State’s evidence.
    Teresa drew the book to her, examined the cover, flipped it over and read the back. She laughed. “This is bogus.”
    “She doesn’t know that,” Lockman said.
    She tossed the book back to the table’s center. “You haven’t been very forthcoming with her, have you?”
    Lockman sensed Kate bristle beside him.
    “She’s our daughter,” Kate said.
    Teresa gave her a serious look. “Yeah, well, she’s a magical sensitive and a damn powerful one from what I can tell. She totally fried my phone. It’s useless now.”
    Kate pinched the bridge of her nose and squeezed her eyes shut. “I’m sorry about your phone.”
    “It’s not about the phone. You’re lucky you’re out here in the boonies. If that had happened in a city? Shit, I don’t know what your neighbors would do. The ones that didn’t get electrocuted or burnt anyway.”
    “You think this is funny?”
    “I think you’re aren’t taking this seriously enough.” Teresa looked at Lockman. “And you should fucking know better.”
    He scraped a nail across a chip in the table. “We’re trying to protect her.”
    “From herself? Or from you?”
    “What’s that supposed to mean?”
    “Do you have any idea what your daughter might accomplish if you harnessed that power? You can’t tell me you aren’t tempted.”
    Kate said, “She isn’t some tool to be used.”
    “It’s mojo,” Lockman added. “Now you should know better.”
    Teresa sucked a deep breath through her nose as if savoring a smell. “Man, Craig. You’re still a hard-liner.”
    “When have you ever seen mojo do something positive?” He held up a hand before she could answer. “Without horrible consequence.”
    Teresa pointed in the direction of Jessie’s bedroom. “If she can blow circuits and fry electronics, she could easily help us find Mandy.”
    Lockman felt like he’d swallowed a tornado. He shot to his feet. “Never. You get that idea out of your head right now.”
    “I’m just saying—”
    “Well, don’t.”
    “Fine. You’ve made it painfully clear you don’t want to help me.”
    Kate stood and took Lockman by the arm. “I think it’s time for you to go,