Shadow Play: The Witch's Betrayal Read online

  Shadow Play: The Witches Betrayal Book 1 Copyright 2019 by Lizzie Vega 5 Series Publishing

  This is a work of fiction.

  Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  No part of this eBook may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the author.

  Chapter 1

  For Shannon, the next step was a sadly familiar one. This time it would be on purpose.

  “Hit me again,” she slurred loudly, waving her hand over her fourth empty shot glass.

  The bartender’s playful banter had quickly faded as she began to loudly berate him for service. “You’re gonna need to tone it down a bit,” he asked looking at the row of empty glasses in front of his customer, “Probably slow down, quite a bit. It’s early in the day, what’s your hurry?”

  Shannon’s strategically alluring smile drew him closer. Glancing at his name tag, “Ryan, I’m so sorry,” she cooed, “you’re absolutely right. If I get too carried away, then sometimes I do bad things.”

  She ran her hand slowly through her long hair, leaning forward giving him a better view. “Do you like to get carried away? Once I get to a certain point, I can just go and go,” she winked at him, “and go.”

  When another patron signaled him from the other end of the bar, the bartender politely excused himself. “Hurry back,” she beckoned as he walked away, “I’ll slow down…a little.”

  Her seat at the front of the bar allowed for an unobstructed view out the windows. She sat there quietly, watching the early afternoon traffic. In her beaded denim jacket and provocatively ripped jeans, she looked out of place in the contemporary downtown establishment. As a few downtown shoppers walked by the front windows, she looked down at her phone to check the time.

  The bartender worked his way back to her, “How ya doing? Can I get you something to eat? Maybe soak up some of that tequila?”

  “Oh, I’m fine,” she assured him, “Watch this.” She jumped off the bar stool and turned in an undulating pirouette. Raising her arms seductively over her head, her jacket and short vintage rock t-shirt rode up to reveal her toned stomach. As she rotated her hips slowly, the businessmen sitting at the neighboring tables stopped their conversation to enjoy the spontaneous floor show.

  Shannon adjusted her bar stool and climbed back on, “Tell you what, Ryan,” she tapped her finger on the empty glass, “I have a special meeting to get to, just one more and I’ll be on my way.” She winked at him, “You’ve been great. I’ll apologize now for my behavior.” She hiccupped, “Yeah, one more and I’m gonna get this show on the road.”

  He pursed his lips, “No problem really, you just got a little loud there for a minute, It’s okay. A big meeting? Sounds important.” He gestured again, to the row of empty glasses, “And you’re a little nervous?”

  Taking a length of her hair, she began to unconsciously twirl it around her fingers. Looking down at the soft curls, a winding premonition of both dream and fantasy began as a deep breath pulled her back to reality. “My world sorta fell apart awhile back. I think I’ve found someone to help me put it back together. I’m not nervous, I’m absolutely terrified.”

  She chuckled to herself and pointed down the back wall to the top row of elegantly displayed bottles, “Let’s make the last one something special. You pick, I’m gonna call my ride.”

  “Make it a tall one,” She hollered after him as she punched numbers into her phone and spoke quietly as he made his selection. After waiting on another customer, he set the double-shot in front of her.

  “A new whiskey, hot off the truck. We’re trying it out.” He raised an eyebrow, “It’s your last one by the way. Not sure how it will mix with all of your tequila.”

  She held the shot up to the light, “It’s really dark, what’s it called?”

  “Witch’s Heart. It’s brand new.”

  Shannon blinked in surprise at him, one of her eyelids now unable to keep up with the other, “You are adorable.” Slamming the drink, she glanced out the window as the front end of a police cruiser lurched to a halt just back from the full view of the bar. The front sidewalk was currently devoid of people.

  “Perfect.” Shannon picked up her bar stool, briefly testing its weight, then effortlessly hurled it through the front windows, shattering the glass into thousands of glittering pieces.

  Wobbling slightly, she looked at the stunned bartender, her eyes glassy, “I’ll be going now.”

  Chapter 2

  Terra made her way through the twists and turns of the city jail and handed the file folder to the night guard.

  “Ha,” he smirked, “Looks like you drew the short straw.” He pointed his finger at the thick folder to add emphasis, “Again.”

  “Lucky me, right? Where is she?”

  “Interview room six. Just follow your nose. She’s kind of a mess.”

  Terra shuddered, looking down at her feet, “Well, isn’t that special. Drunk or high?”

  The guard looked up from his paperwork with a grin, “Yes.”

  Terra shrank at his enthusiasm. He pointed toward the storage closet, “There are a couple of extra shirts in the closet, in case, well, like last time.”

  “Don’t remind me. I had to throw those shoes away.”

  “I’d guess she’s past that stage tonight. Psych’s already been called, and the staff doc will see her in the morning. It should be a quick meeting for you.” He pushed the button to unlock the door to the cellblock, “Don’t worry, counselor, someday you’ll be working in a tall shiny building defending rich guys in suits. Funny thing, she asked for you this time.”

  The young attorney rolled her eyes, “Like I said, lucky me.”

  Terra walked quietly down the short hallway, a series of doors marked each of the holding cells and interview rooms. She edged her way up the window and saw her client slumped on the floor in the corner of the room. At least she would be as far away from her client as possible. She swung the door open, swallowing hard to get past the vomit smell in the room, “Ms. Conrad, it seems we meet again.”

  A bare arm rose up briefly from the polished concrete floor with a raised thumb. Terra mumbled a response under her breath, “At least it’s not the middle one. Off to a good start.” She sat down at the table and began reviewing the file. Glancing at her client, she saw two heavily lidded eyes trying to focus on her. “Quite a day you’ve had.”

  Shannon Conrad rolled over on the floor trying to raise herself up on her hands, “Rude” she bellowed loudly as she crawled toward the table, “I’m bein’ so rude. Hang on a sec.” The woman’s stomach contracted suddenly, she drew her hand up to cover her mouth but only served to slap herself and then belch loudly, “Oh sorry, Gov-na.”

  Terra moved her feet back under her chair instinctively, “Good. You’re good right there, thanks. And you can spare me the lame accent, the file says you were born in Montana.”

  That was met with a slack mouthed frown. “Ah, fuck, you’re no fun. I’m a cowgirl ya know.” She tried to prop herself back up on her elbow, “I’m a lotta fun.” She pulled at a matted section of her long hair, then wiped her hand on her jeans. “Sorry, I wasn’t supposed…” she laughed loudly, “Continue, please.”

  Terra ignored the comment, now wanting to get through the first interview as quickly as possible.

  “You blew a .18, Shannon. That’s dangerous. Combined with whatever else you’ve got in
your system, you could have gotten into real trouble.”

  “Ah, pah-oint 18. Damn, I’m a such a slacker. I was shootin’ for at least a 2. It’s good to have goals, right?” She flailed briefly, trying to get her other arm out her jacket and ended up just absently picking at the sleeve with her fingers.

  Terra looked up over the file folder, “Sure, what’s your drug of choice these days?”

  “I only get one?” Shannon answered so quickly, Terra just stared at her. “Sorry,” Shannon continued, “it’s just that you’re so way up there and I’m way down here. Tonight, it was MMA.”

  Terra just sighed, clicking her phone to check the time, “You’re high on mixed martial arts…lovely.”

  “Who isn’t really? MMA, MVP, maybe B.B. King, whatever. Worked like a charm though.” She hiccupped loudly causing Terra to move her chair back from the desk.

  “Says here you told the arresting officer that you were going to hurt someone.”

  “Yep. Kick some ass. Cowgirl style.” She struggled to sit up, then pointed her finger at Terra, “I will, someday, explain to you just how funny that is to me.”

  “Sure. It also says you wanted to hurt yourself. Those are two serious things to say to the cops, Shannon.”

  “I know, right?” she exclaimed with more than a hint of pride. “And, for good measure…” she then went ahead to list several more reasons she should be arrested. Terra stopped writing them down after the fourth one and just listened. While apparently no stranger to the jail system, her client’s priority list was purely psychiatric.

  “Interesting, Ms. Conrad. Sounds like you’re looking to return to a psych facility. Maybe for an extended stay? Do you have a preference?” She intended it as a joke, but her client was ready with an answer.

  “You’re funny. Tell psych” she slurred, “That there’s a bed available…um, at Cottonwood. North unit.”

  “Right. And you know this how?”

  Shannon hiccupped again, then burped loudly, “Oh, God..I’m really so sorry. Booked it last week. Been there before.” She pointed at Terra again with a crooked smile, “You meet all the best people there.” Shannon put her hand to her forehead, shading her eyes from the harsh overhead lights, “Damn bright in here. I’ll see you again, right? You’re really pretty.”

  Terra dismissed her babbling, “At your hearing. Depends on what your drug test comes up with and if there are any secondary charges filed.”

  “I didn’t hit anybody this time.”

  “I see that. It’s clear you need help, Shannon. You got lucky this time.”

  The woman on the floor nodded and brushed her hand through her hair and closed her eyes, “How old are you, Counselor?”

  Terra was hesitant, “I don’t see why that important. Whatever, I’m 29.”

  Shannon smiled at her with eyes clearly focused on Terra, “Me too. Yes, it’s time for our luck to change. A favor, please?”

  “Maybe.”

  “Will you come visit me at Cottonwood? I mean, after I get cleaned up?”

  “And discuss your case, sure. That’s how it works, Shannon. But I’m guessing you might already know that.”

  “I do, but I might…might have a job for you after I get out. We can talk about it, if you’re interested.” She looked up at her attorney from the floor, wiping her hand across her face, “I don’t look like much right now, but I clean up fairly well. I think you’ll find it interesting.” She looked around the shabby interview room, “Might get your career off the ground floor.”

  Terra huffed as she closed the file folder and stood up from the table, “I’ll, uh, give it some thought.”

  Shannon pushed herself up and leaned against the wall with a dejected sigh. She half-smiled at Terra, but her voice had lost its earlier swagger, “Please do. Sorry about your shoes last time.” As their brief conversation had continued, her client’s inebriated speech issues had all but disappeared.

  As the door to the interview room closed behind her, Terra held back for a moment, then cautiously peered back through the window. Her client had moved from the floor to the chair opposite from where Terra had been sitting. It appeared she was fully in control of her faculties, her hands were clasped in front of her, tears streaming down her cheeks.

  Terra stopped back at the guard’s desk to jot a few notes from the brief meeting.

  “How’d that go?” he asked with a grin.

  “Weird,” she responded absently as she signed off on the visitation form, “Not bad, just weird.”

  “How so? Your shoes seemed to have survived.”

  “Well, yeah, that’s a win. She was laying in the corner of the room when I went in. Made her stay there. She looks like hell, but the conversation was sorta…can you do me a favor?”

  “Sure.”

  “Check on her when they move her back to the tank. Try not to be obvious if you can.”

  The request piqued the guard’s curiosity, “Interesting. Spy on her?”

  The young public defender shrugged, “The breathalyzer doesn’t lie, but part of her was two steps ahead of me in the interview. She knew she was going to be here. She knows where she’s going to be tomorrow.” Terra handed the guard her business card.

  “And,” he added, “she asked for you.”

  “Yeah, that. Call me if anything seems out of place to you.”

  Chapter 3

  10 days later

  Terra met briefly with the ward supervisor to introduce herself and catch up with her client’s well-being. When the supervisor walked her out to the courtyard where Shannon was sitting, Terra was startled when she saw her client sitting on a bench with a young man. It was as if she was looking at a completely different person.

  Her long hair was brushed and intricately braided. Wearing a simple white sleeveless top and new pair of jeans, Shannon looked more like a visitor then a patient. The young man she was sitting with glanced nervously toward Terra and scurried away as she approached. Shannon seemed disappointed and called after him, “Ah, Marcus, c’mon. She’s my attorney. You’ll like her.” She waved her hand at him as he looked back once before ducking into one of the surrounding buildings, “Fine, later then.”

  She turned to Terra and flashed a brilliant smile, “Hi. Wow, Thanks for coming.” Startled by her client’s apparent transformation, Terra couldn’t help but smile back. After the brief behavior summary from the ward nurse, plus what she’d read in the woman’s file, what she was seeing completely contradicted what she had observed that night in lock-up.

  “Hi,” Terra offered brightly, “You’re looking much better.”

  “Thank you. I so want to apologize for our last meeting, I got a little carried away.” She looked down at the manicured lawn, then quickly glanced at Terra with an embarrassed grin. “Sorry,” she said as she rubbed her hands on her jeans, “I’m…a little nervous.”

  Terra just shook her head, “It’s okay. You’re getting the help you need.”

  Shannon nodded, “True enough. I’ll be on my best behavior for the hearing. You’ll be there, right?”

  “Of course.”

  “So, you won’t get stuck in traffic like the last guy did, like three times in a row. He wasn’t putting forth his best effort.”

  “That’s awful, Shannon. I won’t bail on you.” Her client snorted, “Good one.”

  “Not to pry,” Terra began, “but the front desk says you’ve only had one visitor. No family around here?”

  Her client’s response was suddenly cold and succinct, “Not in the conventional sense. They’re not big fans of mine,” she said softly, “What’s left of them anyway, they’re all out west.”

  Terra could feel a defensive wall going up and sought to diffuse it. “I’m not judging. We all screw up on occasion.”

  “I appreciate that, Terra.” Her eyes darted away, “That’s a different spelling, isn’t it?” She blushed, “I’m sorry. That’s kinda forward of me.”

  “It’s okay, Shannon,” the attorney r
esponded comfortably in kind, “It’s good to be open. My parents were both hippies and they thought it sounded earthy. I’ve spent my whole life respelling it for everyone.”

  There was a long silence broken only by a burst of laughter from a group of patients on the other side of the courtyard.

  “So,” Terra began, nodding toward the other group, “meeting your interesting people again?”

  “What?” Shannon sounded surprised.

  “In lock up, you told me that you meet the most interesting people here. At the time, I thought it was odd but,” she acknowledged a smiling man as he passed by them and then she pointed across the court, “It’s quiet here. People seem happy. It’s nice.”

  Shannon blinked, her sharp and clear hazel eyes growing wide at Terra, “You remembered,” she whispered, then sighed, “Perfect.”

  Terra was hesitant to interrupt the congenial mood, “Some business, okay? Your hearing is this Friday. Normally, I’d assume they would assess some jailtime but, given you’re here and doing well, I’m going to ask for time served or out-patient. That, plus what you did for the other girl in the tank that night, the judge may show some leniency.”

  “Ah, you heard about that, I see. I didn’t hurt anybody.”

  “I know, Shannon, but you didn’t let anyone else hurt her either. That’s what’s important. That act of kindness has a lot to do with why I’m here today.”

  “How so?”

  “You’re not the person that I interviewed on the floor the other night.” She faltered, “I mean you are, but it’s like you are two different people. Not in a bad way. You’re just such a pleasant surprise.” Terra’s eyes darted away as she felt the color rising in her cheeks.

  Shannon arched a perfect eyebrow toward her, “My shrink says I’m maybe three people.” She winked quickly, “Just kidding. One of me is quite enough for most folks.”

  Terra laughed nervously, “Not gonna lie, you had me for a second.” Shannon just smiled, “So, a week from Friday then? I’ll see you at the preliminary hearing?”