“Yeah, probably enough for every member in his group. He was going to cheat!”

“This is bad. I’m not sure we can fight this.”

“But he doesn’t have them right now. Nita kicked him out of the motel, and she wouldn’t let him get his stuff. He’ll be back tonight, I’m sure, but we may be able to get to them before then. Remember, I have a key to his room.” I turned to Teddy and said, “Go to the motel and grab every one of these that you see. The key to his room is in the drawer of my nightstand. Oh, and Nita may still be watching his room.”

“I’ll just tell her you dropped something when he attacked you and I came back to get it.” He ran off to the house.

“I suspect I know what’s on those towels, but it wouldn’t hurt to verify,” Owen said, walking around to the trunk of the car. I unlocked the trunk, and he opened the plastic bag and took a whiff. “Yeah, this was the potion that gave the amulets the power. We’ve got to make sure they don’t have them.”

Teddy came running out of the house, waving the motel key, and got into his truck. We watched him go, then Owen handed the necklace I’d given him to Dean. “You should have this, since you’ll be in the middle of them. This should make any protective spell you do more powerful than almost anything they could throw against you. He did teach you at least one protective spell, didn’t he?”

Dean nodded. “Lesson three.”

Owen shook his head in disgust. “I really need to take a look at his curriculum. It’s not what I’d recommend.” Then he looked up at Dean. “You’d better go. Be careful, and try to warn me if anything else odd comes up.”

As we watched Dean leave, Owen said, “I think he’ll be okay. Not just tonight, but in general. We scared him straight on the magic front, and I think having the magic might make him more motivated in other areas. It’ll force him to be more disciplined. Do you think you can distract your mother?”

The abrupt change in subject made me blink. “What?”

“We need to leave well before sunset, and I need to get some supplies out to the car, but I can’t hide anything from your mother magically.”

“I’ll see what I can do.”

Mom was busy in the kitchen when we went back inside the house. “Mmm, something smells good,”

I said. “What’s for dinner? I’m starving.”

“I’ve got a pot roast cooking. It’ll be another hour before we’re ready to eat, but don’t go snacking and spoiling your appetite.”

“Let me get cleaned up from working at the motel and I’ll give you a hand.” Owen followed me into the living room, where I headed for the front door. “We never use this door,” I whispered, “but it should be a good way of sneaking in and out rather than going through the kitchen.” I tugged at it without much luck, but he waved a hand and it opened easily for him. Then we went up to my room. I took off my baseball cap and went to the bathroom to wash my hands while he got busy with the magical case under my bed. I left him upstairs working as I went down to the kitchen.

“You can peel those carrots and potatoes,” Mom said, gesturing with a meat fork from the stove, where she tended the roast. I sat at the kitchen table and went to work. Mom immediately took advantage of the opportunity to have me as a captive audience. “I hope you two have plans for this evening. You should get out and have fun. I can’t believe you’ve spent so much of his visit working or hanging out at home.”

“We are going out tonight, right after dinner.”

“I’m glad to hear it. And I hope that’s not what you’re planning to wear. That boy came all the way from New York to see you, and you go around dressed like a farmhand.”

“I’ll change clothes before we go out. I just wore this to clean at the motel.”

“And put on some makeup, too. I’ve got a new lipstick shade that should look good on you.” She wiped her hands on a towel and turned as though to go get it, just as I looked up to see Owen coming down the stairs with his backpack and an armload of other supplies.

“You don’t have to get it now,” I hurried to say. “I’m going to take a shower before dinner. I’ll put on makeup then.” I held my breath, hoping she wouldn’t insist on getting the lipstick now while she had a free moment. Owen had just reached the bottom of the stairs. Apparently, he’d used Granny’s stair-silencing trick because I hadn’t heard the telltale squeak.