West Coast Witch

Thanks to Heather, my wonderful friend, who helped work with me on this book, and
who was my first real reader. This book wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for you.

I hate going to the beach. However, my buddy Matt had decided to abduct me for the
evening, and so I was going to go through a party on the beach now.

“I could be home right now.” I said.

I could see Matt roll his eyes in the evening light. “Yea, and what would you be doing?
You’d be sitting at home, reading and doing nothing. You can go be a social creature
for once. It’s healthy, you know.”

“Yea, yea.” I rolled my eyes as well. “I’ll take my books any day over whatever surfer
dudes you come up with.”

“There won’t be any surfing. Too dark for that.” He said. “But there’ll be some drinks,
some chicks. You’ll have fun. I promise, Eric.”

I wouldn’t deny it. I was a bit of a shut in. But I would give this to Matt, he didn’t
steer me wrong often. So, I sat and waited like a good boy as we drove out to Ocean
Beach. By the time we got there, the sun had set, and the moon was rising in the evening
sky.

“Full moon tonight.” I remarked.

“Yea, reason we picked tonight.” Matt said as he got into the back of the Jeep and
grabbed the beach towels. “Freaking perfect.”

We walked out to the beach, where the bonfire was already built and burning.
 
I shook hands with a few of the other party-goers and made the rounds . One of them,
a short, stocky guy named Brett, introduced himself. “I’m the one handling the booze
tonight.”

“Well, you just became who I’m sitting next to.” I said. “Got dragged here by Matt,
and well…”

“Yea, Matt is Matt.” Brett chuckled. “Got any particular poison?”

I grabbed a beer, and rolled out my towel near the fire. On one side was Brett, the
other a couple who were already making out. I sighed, and sat back. “So, Brett, what
do you do?”

“Police Academy.” He said. “Dad was a cop, grandpa was a cop. Irish tradition, you
know?” He flashed a grin. “How about you?”

“I tend bar at a college joint down by State.” I said. “Not exactly what I was planning
to do with a Master’s, but you never know where you end up, do you?”

“Amen to that.” He laughed a little. “I had every intention of going into Arcane Law.”

I blanched a little. Ever since the Four-Thirteen five years ago, the new supernatural
races out there had become a hot button issue. Plenty of people were willing to argue
about what the rights of vampires and weres were.

“Not a fan of the Arcanes, I take it?”

“Never really had too much experience with them, but I’m not one for politics and
all that stuff. I try to be a good person, and I support Arcane rights, but I’m not
going to pick up a sign over it.”

“Hey, it’s your beliefs, man.” Brett said. “Hey, bet you five Matt is going to end
up like those two next to you within the hour.”

“I don’t take sucker bets.”
 
I said, glancing over at the couple.

We had been talking for about fifteen minutes when a multitude of sounds back from
near the road filled the air. The sound of howls.

I heard Matt’s voice. “Aw, hell. Looks like we’ve got some weres to deal with.”
 
I saw him appear from the other side of the fire, and he gestured to me. “Eric, Brett,
Luke, come on, let’s see if we can get them to play nice.”

Brett and I stood up, and another guy dressed in an Army t-shirt and shorts got up.
Matt led us over to where the howls had come from. My mind started to race a little
when I saw what was there.

It was half a dozen weres. They were in their human forms, but they were all shirtless.
It was completely unfair that, as a species, they should just look better than your
average human. Each was tall, athletic. I supposed, however, that as a rule, weres
were a lot more physical than your average human, and their physique was a result
of it. They all had a pair of tattoos, done like bands around their arms. The leader,
a tall, dark-haired man, flat out glared at us.

“Hey, man,” Matt said. “We were trying to enjoy a bonfire.”

“Yea, well, we want to be able to shift and enjoy the moon.” He said. “It’s a big
beach, but we’re pretty…noisy.”

I took a look at the man. He had a hard stance, one that betrayed a bit. He was a
man who was used to getting what he wanted.

I spoke up. “Yea, well, we don’t need to get all grabby over it.” I held out my hands.
“Listen, we’re probably not going to be here all night, and it’s still early. You
can head over here, grab a few drinks, and we’ll leave you the beach once we’re all
partied out.”

The leader tensed, then grinned. “Well, I can deal with that.” He extended his hand,
and we shook hands. His grip was firm, his hands callused and well-used. “Name’s Tyler.”

“Hey, Tyler, I’m Eric. Let’s get you guys some beers.”

As we the weres put their shirts back on and headed to follow us back to the beach,
Brett said to me. “Weres in our booze? Jeez, I was hoping to have some stuff left
over.”

“Hey, Mister-Arcane-Rights activist,” I said. “We’re all going to be playing nice
here. I got dragged here, I don’t really want to fight over some sand.”

“And here I thought Matt was the one who worked with kids.”

I chuckled. “Well, yea, I’m used to drunks. There’s not too much of a difference.”

The weres settled in with us, and they blended in fast. Weres were, from what I knew,
pretty social, and liquored-up people did the rest. Matt gave me a playful slug on
the shoulder with a “good save on that one,” and I settled back in on my beach towel.
 

I pulled out my phone after a bit, and checked my messages. I had missed a call from
Pacific Books, my favorite local book store, telling me my orders had come in.

“What’s interesting?”

I turned to face the source. It was the guy who had been making out with the chick
next to me earlier, who was now missing. “Oh, hey.” I said. “Uh, nothing, just had
a voice mail.”

He was dressed in a Hawaiian shirt and slacks. He was tanned, with a sleek build to
him. His features were thin, but still seemed strong.
 
“Hey, I wanted to thank you for hashing it out with the weres.”

“Oh, it’s no problem.” I shrugged. “It wasn’t anything big. I just made a suggestion
and offered beer.”

“Hey, I’ve got a shot with a werewolf girl now. I’m not complaining. I’m Nick.” He
flashed a smirk.

“But weren’t you and…” I shook my head. “Never mind. I’m Eric.”

“Hey, let me say thanks, in my own way, all right?”

I took a look at him, appraising. He seemed harmless enough in the offer. “Sure.”
I remarked. “What did you have in mind?”

“Can I have your palm?” He asked.

“My palm?”

“Yea,” He nodded. “I’ll read it, tell you what I see.”

Sure, there were werewolves, vampires, and all that running around the world, but
was I still a skeptic? A bit, sure. However, I figured there was no harm in it, so
I extended my hand, palm up. “Right hand, right?”

“That’ll work.” Nick
 
moved one hand under mine. “All right, let’s see.” He sat up, folding his legs on
his towel. He spent a minute tracing lines on my hand, small noises coming from him,
murmurs of interest.

I sat patiently, until he remarked. “Well, I have something.”

“Go for it.”

Nick nodded. “All right, first, I’m seeing that you’re an intelligent person.”

“Yea, well, I don’t have a Master’s for collecting stamps.”

“I bet.” He traced a line down. “But you’re not really doing much with it. You want
to do something more, but the opportunity hasn’t popped up yet.”

“You were listening in on my conversation with Brett, weren’t you?”

“A bit.” A mischievous grin crossed his face. “But there is one thing I’ll say.
 
This will all change, Eric. I promise. You’ve got something coming, something you’d
never have expected.”

“Really?” I arched an eyebrow. “Well, I’ll believe it when I see it.”

“Hey, don’t knock it. I know that much. You’re going to get a whole new look on life
soon.”

I had to laugh. “Man, I don’t even know who you are, and you’re telling me my life’s
going to change?”

“Like I said, the name is Nick. And yea, you’re going to get a real kicker.”

I pulled my hand back. “Yea, sure, whatever.” I muttered. Something about this guy
set me on edge now. I didn’t like it. I wasn’t usually one to let myself be ruled
by instinct, but I had a decent sense about people. He was hiding something, something
more to him than I could tell at first glance.

I spent the rest of the night avoiding the crazy man Nick. I hung out with a few of
Matt’s friends and making small talk.

By the time we left, I was almost ready to pass out.
 
“That was a weird night.” I said as I climbed into the passenger seat. The night
was already coming up with the sounds of the werewolves, shifting and doing whatever
weres do on a beach in the full moon. No, I didn’t particularly want to think about
that.

“Yea, no kidding. Werewolves, and all that. I’d never met one before, honestly.”

“They were pretty chill, once we offered them beer.”I sunk into the seat, way too
eager to be heading back to my futon and sleep.

“Booze, the great peacemaker. What do you say, we mediate the Life League and the
Arcanes First movement?” Matt turned the car on and started back towards the city
proper.

“You’re a braver man than I.” I muttered. “Hey, there was a guy named Nick there tonight.
Dark hair, maybe early thirties, was wearing a Hawaiian shirt. Do you know him?”

“Nick?” He thought about it for a moment.”No, doesn’t ring any bells. Why do you ask?”

“No big. He just said some things. It was a bit creepy.”

Matt shrugged. “Well, maybe someone brought him along. Did you catch a last name?”

“Uh, no, no I didn’t.”

“Well, it’s probably nothing. After all, what are the chances of you seeing him again?”

I had a sinking feeling. I made a mental note, that the next time I saw Nick, if I
ever did, I would try to figure out what his deal was.

I tended bar at McLellan’s, a haunt for current and former San Francisco State students.
I had worked there for a few years, and had ended up as the only truly full-time bartender
there.

My Tuesday night had been pretty quiet, apart from a few complains of the Giants’
lack-luster autumn. That all changed, however, around nine o’clock and the investigator.

He was a plain looking man, of an average height and stocky build. His brown hair
was thinning, and his eyes were little brown beads. He wore a cheap suit, and he was
sweating underneath the collar. I pitied him a little. It was an Indian summer, for
San Francisco, and the usually cool weather was vacant. I’d hate to be working on
a hot night like this one. That thought was only sullied by the fact that I was working.

“What can I get you?” I asked him.

He reached inside his jacket, pulling a picture from a pocket. “Just a few questions.
Do you recognize her?”

I studied the picture for a moment. The girl in the picture was a collegiate, most
likely. She was maybe in her early twenties. She had pinkish short blond hair, and
a playful smile.

“Yea,” I said. “Sam Coolidge.” I answered, a rush of memories suddenly rushing back.
It had been a while, but I definitely knew her. “We dated for a few months.”

“She the type to get into trouble?” The man asked.

“No, not really.” I said. “We used to date, and we were friends afterward, but we
haven't really been the closest recently. What's happened to her?”

“I beg your pardon?” He arched a thick eyebrow.

“You ask for information about Samantha, and you're being rather vague about it. What’s
she gotten into? Are you some kind of cop, or private eye?”

“Private eye?” The man laughed. “That’s an old one for a kid like you.”

“I grew up on film noir, and you are dodging my question, Mister.”

“The name’s Raymond Francis, and yea, I am a private investigator. I'm a friend of
the family, and she went missing last week. I was asked to look into the disappearance.”

“Well, I really wish I could help you, but like I said, it's been a while since I've
seen her.”

He reached inside his pocket again. “Well, thanks for your time anyways, Eric.” He
said, after glancing at my name tag. “Here, take my card.” He said.