The good thing about being on the outskirts of the city in the 20s was that the roads were still unpaved. Sure, it was a challenge to dig through the packed dirt, but it was a lot easier than digging through pavement.
“For the record, I really don’t like the idea of digging up the middle of the road,” Levi told Frankie for the fourth time since they had started digging.
The witch nodded. “I’m aware. Keep going.”
“What are we actually looking for?”
“A talisman or an amulet. Maybe even a hex bag. Something that would disrupt Evelyn’s power.”
“And you think it’s buried here?” Levi tossed another clump of dirt to the side. They had a small hole dug, although it wasn’t very deep. Maybe only a few inches.
“Positive,” Frankie said. “This is the source of the disruption. Evelyn and I both felt it last night.”
After they had left the corner of W 27th Street and Raspberry Street the night before, Frankie had told Levi that he wanted to get an early start the next morning. As in, before the sun came up. They couldn’t risk harming anyone who might drive by with the hole they were digging. Or risk the police being called on them. And Frankie didn’t want to wait any longer to see what was causing the psychic block for Evelyn.
She had decided to stay back at the speakeasy, where she felt most centered, and see if she could draw up a vision that would help clarify the mystery around her previous vision and who might be blocking it.
Levi drove his shovel into the ground again. “I really don’t like this. The sun is coming up. People are going to start noticing the two of us digging in the middle of the street.”
“Hush up. We’ll be fine.”
“Easy for you to say,” Levi grumbled under his breath. “You might not be around to serve out your prison sentence.”
Frankie focused his attention on digging so he didn’t have to meet Levi’s eyes. “It doesn’t look like I’ll be able to return to my time at all, so I have just as much at stake as you do.”
Levi didn’t respond. He, too, focused his attention on digging.
A tense silence fell between them. As the two of them continued to expand the hole, a car drove by and slammed on its horn as it passed.
Frankie ignored the car. They were now a few more inches into the ground. If they didn’t find something hidden soon, then he would have to concede to the fact that he might’ve been wrong about his assumption.
Levi drove his shovel into the ground again and they heard a hollow thud. Both of them looked at each other before dropping to their knees and pawing at the dirt with their hands.
“What do you think it could be?” Levi piled dirt against his legs.
“Doesn’t look like an amulet or a talisman. Those are typically like jewelry.”
“It looks like it’s a box. Do you think that has anything to do with it?”
“Possibly. It could have herbs, charms, anything. Maybe sacrifices, depending on the spell that was cast. It’s hard to say.”
“Are we going to uncover something bad?”
Frankie wedged the box out from the ground. “We’re about to find out.”
Before Levi could stop him, Frankie opened the top of the box and peered inside. There were trinkets—some of them had supernatural connections, likely talismans—as well as tributes—portraits of people, stained with water marks.
“What is it?” Levi asked.
“Nothing good.”
“What are you doing?” The voice behind them—a woman’s—made the two men jump.
Levi spun around to face her and nearly fell back on the ground when he met her eyes.
Frankie turned to the woman. She held a torch in one hand and skeleton keys on a chain with the other. “You’re a crossroads demon.”