Spell Booked (Retired Witches Mysteries Series Book 1) (11 page)

Whispers hidden here forever,

Hide what I demand.

Invisible until I tell thee,

Found by no human hand.

“I’m sure Olivia had her secrets that even I wasn’t privy to.” I got into bed and hugged the blanket tightly to me. “I didn’t tell her everything either.”

Joe pulled on a pair of shorts and got into bed. “I’ve known you most of my life, Molly. I know something’s up with you. I wish you’d tell me so I don’t have to go around worrying about it all the time.”

“I’m completely blown away by Olivia’s death.” No truer words were ever spoken. “I can’t shake the feeling that I could’ve done something to prevent it.”

He put his strong arms around me. “I’m sorry, sweetie. I wish I could change all that for you, but her death had nothing to do with you. Olivia was always . . . a free spirit. You have to make peace with that.”

“I’m trying.” Tears spilled down my cheeks.

“You’d tell me if there was anything else I should know, right? You’re not holding back on me, are you?”

“No.” I sniffed and wiped away the tears.

He kissed me and turned off the bedside lamp. “Good night, Molly. Don’t worry. Lisbet and I will find whoever did this to Olivia. Try to get some sleep.” I turned off my light too and lay in bed for a long time, staring at the dark ceiling.

I hated that Joe and I were butting heads, especially now. He’d never come so close to learning about magic. Nothing we’d been through had prepared me to deal with this problem.

I thought I must be naïve not to have ever confronted this situation that so many families had faced with magic and nonmagic members of their family. Somehow, I’d always managed to lead a quiet life as a witch. The Grand Council mostly left me alone, and I had led my life in a peaceful bubble.

Suddenly, I was thrust into the political deep waters of being a witch. I didn’t like it, but what choice did I have but to fight back?

The next morning Joe grabbed a cup of coffee in a travel mug and headed out the door.

Mike was sullen and angry. He grabbed an energy drink and said he was going to play basketball with some friends.

I was left alone at the house with Isabelle, who cuddled and purred on my lap. She loved my mother’s amulet and couldn’t believe I hadn’t worn it before. I had to admit that it made me feel stronger in this turbulent time.

It didn’t help me decide what I should do about the problems that faced me—finding Olivia’s killer, dealing with Brian Fuller—not to mention my waning abilities. But there wasn’t an amulet capable of that kind of power. I was going to have to struggle through what was happening and hope the answers were going to come to me.

Elsie called to ask if I was going to the shop that morning. I realized it would be good to talk this over with her. I agreed to meet her there and got dressed.

It was good to be at the shop an hour later. Elsie was already there. Her daughter had dropped her off on the way to work.

She met me at the door with a deep frown between her green eyes. She was holding Barnabas, her large orange tabby, in her arms. Harper was meowing at her feet.

“What’s wrong with the cats?” I closed the door behind me.

“I’m not sure. Barnabas acted strange all night. I got here, and Harper is just as crazy. I keep asking them what’s wrong. They say they don’t know.”

I was surprised that Isabelle hadn’t mentioned anything to me before I’d left. The cats were usually in sync, as were Elsie, Olivia and I.

We sat at the table together, and Elsie was able to put Barnabas on the floor.

“What do you think it is?” she asked. “I’ve never known him to act this way.”

I told her about meeting Brian at the restaurant and his veiled threat against Mike and Joe. “But Isabelle wasn’t acting odd at all. I don’t know what to think.”

Elsie pursed her lips. Her lipstick was slightly smeared—it was hard for her to find her lips sometimes. “What are you going to do about it?”

“I don’t know yet. He said he didn’t kill Olivia or steal the spell book. I tried to call Cassandra, but she didn’t answer. The key has got to be getting this to the council. Brian can answer
their
questions. I don’t think he’ll answer ours.”

“Maybe we should bolster our protection spells here, Molly. Then we could go to each of our houses together and do the same. These are dangerous times.”

I agreed. At least it was something we could do to feel safer. I was tired of doing nothing—or the wrong thing—as we had on the tourist boat yesterday and in the restaurant last night. Maybe we weren’t powerful witches, but we still had
some
magic.

We opened the trapdoor to the cave, and both cats ran down the stairs. Harper was obviously starting to get over Olivia’s loss. He would never be another witch’s familiar, but he could enjoy his life here, surrounded by magic.

As I closed my eyes, Elsie and I did what we could to bolster the spells we’d put on the cave for secrecy and protection. I could still feel Olivia’s magic. It was fading but still wrapped up with ours.

We would have been much stronger if Dorothy had been there too, but there was no point in going there. When all of this was settled, we’d have to look for another witch.

We went back upstairs. Elsie was quickly ready to go, a green fascinator with a big pink flower on her head.

“Should we bring Olivia’s staff?” she asked. “I have my sword with me. I think it has more magic now than I do. I went to whip up a little breakfast this morning and started my dishwasher instead. It’s ridiculous, really.”

I smiled at her outraged tone. I put my hand on the tiny cauldron around my neck. I could feel the magic stored there from years of wearing it, but it wasn’t as strong as the magic in my mother’s amulet.

“We can’t use Olivia’s staff since we’re not air witches or blood relatives. The power was only there for her. Let’s get this over with. The sooner we update our protection, the better.”

We drove back to my house and got out, looking around carefully. Elsie drew her sword, and I smiled at the picture she made with it.

“What is it?” she hissed. “Do you see
someone
?”

“I hope I wouldn’t be smiling if I had. I was thinking how unique you look wearing that hat and carrying a sword.”

“Now is not the time for fantasy,” she informed me in sharp tones. “We must look to our safety. I wish you were a fire witch too. I’d feel a lot more secure if you had a sword in your hand instead of that tiny cauldron and an amulet around your neck.”

I agreed with her. I would’ve felt a lot safer with a sword too. Even Olivia’s staff would’ve been enough to hit someone if my magic failed.

We walked up to the house and stood outside the front door. Both of us shut our eyes to better experience the emanations coming from inside.

“I don’t feel anything different, do you?” Elsie asked.

“No. Let’s go in and work the protection spell so we can go to your house. All of this is making me nervous.”

I opened the door, and we crept inside.

The living room and kitchen were a complete mess. Pots and pans were thrown everywhere. Cushions on the sofa were ripped apart. Flour and sugar were spread all over both rooms.

“I guess the cats were right.” Elsie held her sword out before her. “I’m sorry, Molly.”

“I hope he didn’t hurt Isabelle.” I started calling for her, trying to feel her presence in the house. There was nothing.Elsie roamed the house, calling for Isabelle too. “Where would she be likely to hide?”

“I don’t know. I’ve never seen her hide from anything.” I wanted to drop to the floor and cry. “We’re out of our league. We have to agree to some kind of truce with Brian.”

Cassandra appeared in the middle of the mess. “Wow. Someone tore
this
place apart.”

“We can do without you stating the obvious,” I snapped at her.

“Sorry. Who did this?”

“We think it was Brian Fuller, the witch who may have killed Olivia and stolen our spell book.” Elsie put a hand up to cover her mouth, but it was too late.

Cassandra’s eyes narrowed on my face. “You told me you still
had
your spell book.”

“Well, I lied.” I was tired of playing whatever game this was. “I think this man killed Olivia and took our spell book. Now he’s threatening my family. If the council is
ever
going to help with
anything
, now would be the time!”

“I don’t think Brian Fuller did this, ladies,” Cassandra said. “I can’t tell you any more than that, not until we can completely assess the situation.”

“Great!” Elsie stared her down. “What are we supposed to do?”

“Don’t get involved. There is a rogue witch who could be a serious threat to the council. We can’t involve ourselves in petty feuds between witches.”

I laughed as I picked up a broken vase that Joe had given me for my birthday. I’d seen it at an antique show in Charleston while we were on vacation. He’d secretly gone back and contacted the owner to have it sent to me.

“A serious threat to the
council
?” I asked. “This is a serious threat to
us
right now. The council has a lot of power. We need you to determine who killed Olivia. We aren’t equipped to take care of this. Forgive me if I think our need is greater than yours.”

Cassandra apologized and smiled. “That was insensitive of me. Of course what you’re going through right now is very bad. But imagine if there were no council of witches. That would be far worse.”

Elsie used the tip of her sword to push her fascinator back on her head. “Really? Because I’ve never known the council to do anything worthwhile. Maybe I’m mistaken.”

“The Grand Council of Witches protects us all from threats we wouldn’t be able to handle individually.” Cassandra’s tone was icy.

“What is the council going to do to protect us from
this
threat?” I demanded.

“They sent me. And I have a message. No way, no how, are you to try and stop this witch by yourselves. The council will deal with the problem, when the time is right.”

“And we’re talking about the rogue witch, not the man who killed our friend, right?” If I sounded snarky, it was because I was scared. I was more afraid of Brian than I was of the council.

“Is there anything you came to tell us that will actually
help
?” Elsie asked.

“Yes.” Cassandra smiled. “Keep your wits about you, and be patient. You’ll be able to persevere—with
our
help.”

“Is that it?” I was wondering when she’d run out of trite phrases.

Cassandra studied her cuticles. “I think so.”

Elsie and I exchanged angry glances across the room.

“We need something more.” I wasn’t sure what I was asking for, but my anger and fear demanded something else from the council.

“Oh. Isabelle is fine. She’s in the garage. She was a smart lady to hide there before the rogue witch came to look around.”

“What was he or she looking for here?” I asked Cassandra.

“The rogue witch is after objects of power—like your spell book. The objects don’t have to be
very
powerful, but enough of them will build up the witch’s strength.”

Elsie shook her head. “Would you please make sense, dear? What does this rogue witch want to do? Challenge the council?”

Cassandra’s smile faded. “She wants to live forever.” She started to say something else and glanced at the door. “I have to go. I’ll keep in touch.”

Before we could say anything else, Joe and Lisbet burst into the house.

“What happened here?” Joe took in the scene of our ransacked home with disbelief.

Elsie used her sword to spear an apple that had been thrown onto a chair from the fruit bowl on the counter. “It’s a long story.”

Heart of my heart,

I call to thee.

Come to me in the night,

And set me free.

Of course, Joe
had
to call the police. A special unit of investigators who were assigned to breaking-and-entering cases was brought in. They started going through the house as I went to get Isabelle out of the garage.

According to Isabelle, Cassandra had it all wrong. She’d woken up in the garage after I was gone. She felt sure she’d been drugged or spelled while the witch paid us a visit.

I sat and held her, stroking her soft fur as she complained about the state of the garage and how cats weren’t meant to live outside homes. She didn’t think her fur was ever going to be clean again.

I promised her a bath and all the salmon she could eat. I felt her pain since she was my familiar. We were sharing the anxiety and fear we both felt.

Elsie sat beside me, holding my hand. She’d put her sword away, though it was too late for it not to become a topic of conversation between me and Joe.

He didn’t say anything to me for at least half an hour. He stayed huddled with police officers in one corner as they’d waited for the investigators. After they arrived, he’d gone over the house with them. Lisbet had also stayed, leaning against a wall, talking on her cell phone.

Joe came over to me then and introduced an investigator. “This is Lieutenant Matt Smith. He’s the head of the Breaking and Entering squad. Matt, this is my wife, Molly, and her friend Elsie.”

Lieutenant Smith shook hands with both of us and sat down on the sofa.

“So you two were the first on the scene. Did you see anyone leaving?”

“No,” I answered, a little harshly. I was so tired of people asking me questions and not giving me answers. “We weren’t expecting to find the house this way so we probably didn’t pay enough attention.”

“I didn’t see anyone either,” Elsie said.

Lieutenant Smith smiled. “I’m sorry this happened to you, Mrs. Renard. I understand you had a friend who was murdered recently.”

“Yes.”

“Do you think this break-in could have anything to do with your friend’s house being broken into?” His inquisitive blue eyes watched me closely.

“I don’t know. I don’t see why it would.” I sneaked a peek at Joe. What was he thinking?

“It seems as though someone was looking for something here, just as they were at Olivia Dunst’s home. Any thoughts on what that was?”

“No. I don’t know what someone would be looking for here, or at my friend’s house.”

“You were attacked yesterday by a man on the riverboat that you thought had dated your deceased friend.” Lieutenant Smith read from his notes. “Do you think
those
events could be intertwined?”

“Not as far as I know.”
How much longer is this going to continue?

He closed his notebook and smiled again. “I’m sorry to have to ask you these questions, Mrs. Renard. We think there may be a pattern developing. We don’t want anyone else to get hurt, do we?”

He was talking to me like I was a simpleton. I couldn’t defend myself without giving something away.

I looked at Joe for help. He turned his head away. What did he think was going on? “No, of course not. If that’s all, I’d like to call our insurance agent.”

“That’s it. Thanks for your time.” He handed me his card. “If anything else comes to mind, please give me a call. I’d be happy to talk with you about
any
of it.”

The emphasis on the word
any
made me uncomfortable. What else did he think I had to say? Maybe I was just being paranoid.

Mike came home at that moment, and a whole other round of questions and answers ensued. It was all I could do to keep my equilibrium and not scream at all of them.

Perhaps Cassandra was right, and this was the rogue witch, looking for items of power to use against the council. Items had been disappearing in the community. The bulletin board at Smuggler’s Arcane was full of them.

Or this was another warning from Brian. Cassandra hadn’t seemed interested in Brian at all—only her problem.

Joe was getting ready to walk out the door. I stopped him, putting my hand on his arm. “I wish you’d stay.” Tears gathered in my eyes. “Maybe you could take a half day.”

“I wish I could.” He put his arms around me. “But I think we’re getting close to figuring out what happened to Olivia. If I drop the ball now, I might not be able to pick it back up.”

“I understand.”

“Go out for a while, Molly. You can’t do anything until the insurance agent sees this. Get out of the house. I’ll help clean up tonight.” He kissed me and left with Lisbet.

Elsie was standing beside me at the door as he walked out. She put her arm around me. “I’m so sorry. I’m sure he means well.”

“It’s the whole situation,” I said. “I think he knows I’m lying to him.”

“Ironic, isn’t it?”

“Yes.” I could appreciate her words. “I think the police are trying to tie Olivia’s break-in to mine now. I know that happens sometimes. Maybe they think we both had something valuable from the shop. Who knows? That could mean you and I are involved in her death, in a roundabout way.”

“It’s a good thing we don’t have to work with them,” she said. “They sound even daffier than the council!”

I wiped away my tears and straightened my shoulders. I had to pick a focus and stay there. “We should go to your house and make sure nothing is wrong there. There’s no point in putting up new protection spells here yet.”

She agreed. “Let’s do that. I think Joe is right about getting out of here. Besides, if the council is afraid of this rogue witch, so am I. Do you think the rogue witch could be Brian? He was very strong on the boat.”

“I don’t know. It’s possible, I suppose. I don’t think Cassandra really knows one way or the other.”

I called our insurance agent and told him the door would be open. Elsie and I were on our way out when Dorothy walked up.

“Sorry for showing up without calling. And for looking you up in the phone book to find your address. And for deciding I couldn’t be a witch. May I come in?”

Her plain face was appealing in its sincerity. I wondered what had happened that had changed her mind.

“Hi.” Mike smiled at her. “Do I know you?”

“No, you don’t.” I introduced them. “Dorothy works at the downtown library.”

“Wow. I love the library.” He grinned, his gaze pinned on her. “Maybe you could help me pick out a few good books. Now that I’m not going to college anymore, I might have some time to read on my own.”

“I’d be glad to do that, Mike.” She smiled back at him. “Why did you decide to drop out of college? Your mom told me you’re going to East Carolina. That’s where I went to school too.”

“Really?” He looked surprised and then frowned when he realized I was listening. “I’m just ready to move on now. Not everyone needs college.”

“I see.” Dorothy smiled at him before she looked at my living room. “What happened to your house?”

“Excuse us, Mike. Maybe you should go out for a while too. I’ll text and let you know when I think it’s safe for you to come home.”

He shrugged. “I’m out of money, Mom. Could you loan me some for lunch?”

I gave him a twenty. “I’ll see you later. Plan on helping with cleanup when you get back.”

“Yeah. Whatever.”

We went out into the garden to the same spot I’d brought the amulet last night. There were two benches and three chairs for our summer solstice events. I didn’t think it was surprising that Dorothy sat in the same chair Olivia had always claimed as her own.

“So what brings you by?” I asked after relating my story about the break-in.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “Maybe this isn’t a good time.”

“It’s not going to get any better today.” I pulled a few dead roses off the bush beside me.

“I’ve been having these really weird dreams. They’re about my mother. I used to have them all the time when I was a child. They stopped for years. Since I met the two of you, they’ve come back again. I was wondering what they mean.”

Elsie snorted. She was a little allergic in the fall. “Dreams can mean anything. You might be better off consulting a dream specialist. I saw this wonderful movie once—I believe Dennis Quaid was in it. It was all about going into people’s dreams.”

“Thank you so much.” Dorothy smiled at her. “I don’t know anyone who specializes in dreams. Maybe you do?”

Elsie shrugged.

“What kind of dreams are you having?” I asked. “Witches frequently have prophetic dreams. It’s possible that bringing you to an awareness of your abilities could have triggered them.”

Dorothy sat forward, her brown hair swinging into her face. Her eyes were intense. “I think my mother may still be alive. I think she may be trying to reach out to me.”

“What makes you think so?” Elsie asked.

“It’s in the dreams. She’s doing things—like spells and potions. She doesn’t look anything like me. Of course, this would have been many years ago.”

“No witch would simply abandon her offspring, especially offspring with magic,” Elsie said. “She must have died.”

“Maybe so. No one could ever tell me anything about her when I looked up my adoption records. She could be anyone.”

“In time, if you don’t continue to awaken your abilities, the dreams will fade again.”

“No. You misunderstand me, Molly. I
want
to keep having those dreams. I’d like to find out who my mother was. Maybe the council of witches could help.”

“I doubt that,” Elsie said.

“So you’re saying that now you
want
to be a witch again?” I was a little confused by her off-again, on-again attitude.

“Yes. I have to know more. I hope you’ll take me back. I’d like to apprentice, or whatever you call it, with the two of you.”

I couldn’t say no. I knew Elsie felt the same. I believed Dorothy was sincere. We’d all liked her and wanted her to be the one we could leave our spell book with when the time came. That hadn’t changed.

She’d had some doubts, but that seemed natural for someone who had never realized there was magic in the world around her. I was willing to give her some leeway. I knew Elsie was too.

“Thank you so much.” She hugged both of us. “You won’t regret this. I’ll be the best witch in the world.”

Elsie chuckled. “Our standards are not that high, I’m afraid. We aren’t powerful witches who go around fending off evil or anything. Still, let’s celebrate our reunion. A little tea and sparklers, I think.”

Elsie muttered a spell, and we were immediately soaked by a tea rain that came down only where we were seated. Her wish for sparklers came out as dozens of fireflies that covered us from head to toe.

Naturally, we ran into the house.

Most of the fireflies were gone, but we were still saturated with sweet, warm tea.

Dorothy started laughing and danced around the room. “I
love
it.”

“I
used
to love it,” Elsie remarked. “I’ve ruined my fascinator.”

“Maybe I can fix it,” Dorothy volunteered.

“
No!
” Elsie and I both yelled at the same time. There was nothing worse than an untrained witch attempting magic without supervision—unless it was a witch whose magic was fading.

“Just a little tea storm.” Elsie giggled. “Nothing to worry about. Can you lend me something, Molly? I don’t want to get in your car this way.”

We all changed clothes—I barely had something large enough for Elsie and small enough for Dorothy. When we were dry and didn’t smell like tea, we went to the car.

“We’ll go to Elsie’s first to strengthen the protection spells there,” I told Dorothy. “And then we’ll go to the shop and try to figure out what to do about Brian.”

I gathered Isabelle in my arms. I wouldn’t take a chance on losing her again. The three cats would be fine at Smuggler’s Arcane. Our protection was strongest there.

Mike was still outside, talking on his cell phone. He asked if he could go with us, obviously attracted to Dorothy. I had to tell him no. He had an expression of pathetic rejection on his face as we pulled out of the drive.

“Oh, he looks so sad,” Dorothy mourned.

“Because your magic must remain a secret from those who don’t have magic, there will be many times you have to keep your loved ones away from what you have to do,” I explained as we drove away.

“Why doesn’t Mike have magic?” Dorothy waved to him. “How did I get magic from my mother, but he didn’t get it from you?”

“That’s a good question.” Elsie fussed with my old red beret that she’d insisted on wearing. “There’s no real answer for that, although the council has tried to figure it out many times. It makes them nervous that the number of witches being born continues to decline.”

I laughed. “Remember that time a few years back when the council was offering a bonus to every witch who married another witch? I don’t think anyone took them up on it.”

“And it doesn’t always work,” Elsie said. “You remember Reuben and Julie? They were both witches, but neither one of their children had magic.”

“That’s right. Magic is as elusive as any other force of nature,” I added. “It can come from two witches, or only one witch. There are even cases where neither of the parents have magic.”