All the lights were out in the small bungalow across the street.

Nothing to do now but wait.

Fifteen agonizing minutes passed.

With every second that ticked by, my fears grew. Maybe I had chosen the wrong Graves family member to watch. Maybe I should have gone to the orchard. Maybe my spell hadn’t worked at all. Or maybe it was wreaking havoc in another part of town while I waited here wringing my hands.

Suddenly a light clicked on in Liz’s house.

My breath caught in my throat.

The spell was taking effect! It had to be. My magic had taken pity on me after all.

And yes, it had taken some time, but, really, that’s how the spell was supposed to work. Slowly. Insidiously. It’s like those times when you’re lying snug in bed, and suddenly you think, Did I turn off the stove? or Did I lock the front door? The thought is easily dismissed at first, but then it niggles at you until you can’t fight it any longer. It’s easier just to get up and check. I could only imagine how much worse the compulsion would be for someone who had done something truly awful and believed they were on the brink of being caught.

I stared at the house like a cat watching a mouse hole. Seconds later another light came on. This one lighting up the big bay window at the front of the bungalow.

The view was obscured by gauzy curtains, but I could see the silhouette of a person behind it, pacing from one side of the room to the other.

After four or five passes, the figure stopped, then walked up to the window, pulled back the curtain ever so slightly, and peered outside.

Liz.

I couldn’t see her face clearly, but the rigidity of her posture and the quickness of her movements had me convinced she was feeling the effects of the spell. But feeling the effects was one thing, acting on them was another entirely. I needed her to show me evidence of her wrongdoing, to lead me to a clue that would unravel this mess. I needed something concrete.

Suddenly, Liz let the curtain drop back in place. A moment later the lights clicked off.

No! She couldn’t be going back to bed. The spell should be too powerful for her to resist it that easily. All my earlier doubts came roaring back, but then the lights mounted on either side of the front door flickered to life.

I let go of a shaky breath and steeled my nerves.

Now wasn’t the time for doubts. I had to be ready. This next part could be tricky. Liz might take her car, and if she did, I’d have to grab my bike. As long as she stayed in town, I should be able to keep sight of her. But I didn’t think that would happen. If Liz was smart, she would choose to walk to wherever it was she was going. It was easier to stay hidden that way.