Free The Suicide Forest (The River Book 5) by Michael Richan Page B

Roy
grumbled. He had been reading his book in the car since they left, and
something was bothering him.
    “What’s wrong?” Steven asked.
    “Goddamn thing,” Roy said, slapping the page he was reading.
“I think this will work with Evie. It creates a sense of calm around people. It
suggests here that it makes people more likely to trust you. But I can’t figure
out the description.”
    “Here, let me try,” Steven said, holding his arms out for the
book. Roy passed the hand-bound book over to Steven, and he positioned it in
his lap. The book was large and unwieldy, and Steven propped it against the
steering wheel to read it. He read the section Roy pointed to.
    “Seems plain enough,” Steven said. “Rosemary, glass jar, binding
intent.”
    “You can read that?” Roy asked.
    “Yes,” Steven said, handing the book back.
    “Well,” Roy said, “I’ll be.”
    Steven’s cup arrived, and they started back down Highway 8
towards Olympia and Seattle.
    “I couldn’t read the part about the ‘binding intent,’” Roy
said.
    “Must be something I’ve learned that you haven’t,” Steven
said, knowing this would get under Roy’s skin.
    “What would that be?” Roy asked. “We’ve worked together on
everything. Maybe it’s your magical markings,” Roy said.
    “You’re jealous,” Steven said. “Admit it.”
    “I wouldn’t want those black widow spider marks all over me,”
Roy said.
    That’s what they remind me of, Steven thought. The red hourglass
on the black widow. A warning to everyone that the spider can kill.
    “Do you know what a binding intent is?” Steven asked Roy.
    “No, I don’t,” he answered, “which is probably why I couldn’t
read it. The question is, how do you know what it is?”
    “I don’t know what it is exactly,” Steven said. “See if you
can find something about it in there.”
    Roy returned to searching through the book. “If we can figure
this out on the drive back,” Roy said, “we can deal with Evie this morning.
It’ll only be 9 or so when we get back to Seattle.”
     “Keep reading,” Steven said, taking another sip of his
coffee and pressing a little harder on the accelerator. He reached into his
jacket pocket to make sure the planchette was still there.

Chapter Six
     
     
     
    Steven called June as they were on their way to her house to
warn her to have the token ready, and to find out if Evie was still there. He
pulled his car into the driveway at June’s house, parking behind Evie’s car to
make it difficult for her to back out in case she decided to run away from them
again.
    Roy had, in his jacket pocket, a small jar that contained a
single sprig of rosemary. Steven had sealed the jar with the binding intent Roy
found in the book. They hadn’t talked any more about how Steven had been able
to read the instructions that Ray couldn’t. Steven knew this was irritating
Roy.
    They walked to the kitchen door and knocked. Steven could see
June and Evie sitting at chairs in the kitchen, both watching a small television.
Evie looked up and scowled. June hurried to the door to let them in.
    “Hello!” she said. “Come in! Would you like some coffee?” Her
palms were pressed together tightly.
    “Love some,” Steven said, walking inside.
    “Back to harass me some more?” Evie said, still sitting at
the kitchen table.
    “We just want to talk,” Roy said.
    “Why don’t you help yourself to the coffee,” June said,
nodding to the pot on the counter.
    “Thanks,” Steven said, turning to pour himself a mug.
    “How about a warmer?” Evie said, holding up her mug. Steven
brought the pot over to Evie and refilled her cup, and poured a mug for Roy. Then
Steven and Roy sat at the table with Evie and June.
    “What’s my mother holding so strangely?” Evie asked.
    “Something we gave her,” Steven said, “to protect her.”
    “From something in the house?” Evie asked.
    “Yes,” Steven said. “Whatever it is, it doesn’t like me