Witchy Warning

by Kate Allenton

  “Are you going to talk?” I asked him.

  “Who?” Theo asked.

  I gestured to what Theo only saw as thin air. “Him.”

  Theo stared at me. “There’s a ghost in here?”

  He waved his hands in front of himself and came nowhere near close enough to where the ghost stood.

  “He’s freshly deceased. The new ones have to find their voice,” Damien Gold whispered, appearing in his ghostly form next to Theo. Damien Gold was the only ghost that had ever figured out how to possess me, and even he couldn’t last long before I’d kicked him out. Not too long ago he’d done it after an art thief and a warlock’s mother had tried to kill my sisters and me. Damien was harmless, and sometimes helpful, but one thing was certain; he had no plans of crossing over and leaving me in peace.

  “He can’t talk,” I told Theo and squatted next to the box. Instead of breaking the antique lock, I carefully wedged the nails out that were holding the locking mechanism in place until I had them all unhinged. I pulled the entire mechanism away from the box and lifted the lid.

  My hand flew to cover my mouth and nose from the stench. It should have been my first clue. I peeked inside and stared down at a mutilated human head so badly beaten I wasn’t even sure if it belonged to the ghost that had appeared. I rested my balled fists on my hips. This wasn’t happening.

  “Oh, come on,” I whined from behind my hand. “This stuff happens to Tess, not me.”

  “Where’s the rest of the body?” Theo asked.

  I slowly rose from my spot and dialed Tess’s number holding in my gag reflexes. When she answered, I asked for King.

  “I’m not bringing her back, Georgia.” King’s stern voice was firm.

  “I’m not asking you to bring her back. That’s not why I called.”

  “Then what do you need?”

  “You know how you’re Tess’s go-to guy when dead bodies show up. Who’s her backup for when you’re out of town? Or maybe I just need my own. Yeah...I need my own go-to guy. You got any spares?”

  “Georgia, is there seriously a dead body?” he asked.

  The sound of a scuffle filled the speaker before Tess’s voice filled the line. “This better not be a ploy to get me back to the inn.”

  “No, no ploy. And it’s not a body, well not the whole body. It’s a severed head and he was beaten to a pulp. He…it arrived in a shipment.”

  “A what?” she squealed.

  “I just need to know which friend of King’s I can call. You guys don’t have to come home.” Not yet. “I just need the name of a detective that won’t think I’m a killer and selling off bones hidden in antiques.”

  Tess’s voice sounded muffled before King spoke into the receiver. “Sit tight, Georgia. I’m calling Detective Carson Anderson, and I’ll have him come to you. Don’t leave that head until he shows up.”

  “Unless you’re in danger,” Tess yelled from somewhere close by.

  “That goes without saying,” King said. “You aren’t in danger, are you?”

  “I’m not stupid, King. I wouldn’t be on the phone with you if I were in danger.” Georgia ignored the prickling sensation of a forming headache.

  “Fine. Don’t let anyone near that box unless it’s Anderson.”

  “Whatever you say, 5-0. Just make the call.”

  3

  I locked the back door, and we left the mess before venturing out into the front of the store to wait.

  “Mildred couldn’t have known a severed head was in the shipment, right?” I asked, scanning the manifest one more time. Maybe Mildred had a receipt or some list I could check this against. I dug through everything around the register, hoping to find the answer.

  “Why are you stressing? The cops will come in here and do their thing and then leave. It’s not like you killed the guy, right?” he asked.

  I sighed and abandoned my search. “We Hexford girls attract death. I get it, and I’m okay with that, but seeing a ghost is one thing and… To be honest, I shouldn’t have been surprised to find the head.”

  “Find a lot of them, do you?” he asked with a smirk.

  “Death is part of our life. That’s not the point.”

  “What’s the point, Georgia?”

  “This is bad for business. Why in the world would some freak pack up a severed head and send it from the estate? If word gets out that some nut job is sending me this stuff, then I’ll never be able to sell off her knickknacks so I can leave.”

  “You don’t want to leave this place. Your sisters are here. They’re your family.”

  “You’re right. I wouldn’t leave them to deal with this mess.” I sighed and heaved my butt onto the countertop to sit and wait. This wasn’t my first dead body. Hell, this wasn’t even my second. Death seemed to follow me like a lovesick puppy that liked to lift his leg and pee on the fire hydrant I called my life.

  “Is King turning around?”

  “Nope, he’s sending me my very own go-to 5-0 for when he’s not available.”

  “Go-to 5-0? Well, aren’t you special?” He chuckled.

  “Everyone needs at least one cop friend to call. People like my sisters and me, we need an army in every town we visit.”

  “Is that why the fed showed up?”

  “The fed needs my help with something, but I told him no. I’ve got my own problems here to deal with,” I said as an SUV pulled up outside the front door.

  A man stepped out. He looked more official than King, more Men in Black and no-nonsense. When Tess had met King, he was wearing a tutu and carrying a gun. I had a feeling, with this guy, it would take some potent fairy dust before he ever even cracked a smile.

  His dark hair was cut high and tight. The lines of his face were hard and clean-shaven, and I was about to introduce him to my world of crazy.

  “You’re going to make him cry,” Theo whispered as we headed for the door.

  My lips twitched. He was probably right, but I could live in denial at least until he got the head out of my shop. “Don’t be ridiculous. I’m not running off the pretty boy. He’s my very own personal officer.”

  He rapped his knuckles on the door, and I opened, pasting a pretty smile on my face.

  The man flashed his badge. “I’m Detective Carson Anderson. Are you Georgia?”

  “What gave it away?” I asked, batting my eyes.

  There was no humor in his gaze, not even a glimpse of a smile. It was all about the job with this guy. “King said you have a head?”

  “Yeah, it came in a shipment today,” I said, heading for the storeroom. I didn’t even bother to glance back to see if he was following me. Detective Carson Anderson was probably the type to get in and get it done.

  He stepped into the room behind me and pulled latex gloves out of his suit pocket. He squatted next to the trunk just as the ghostly man re-appeared.

  “The dead guy is a man in his sixties, and he likes to wear business suits. Hard no-nonsense face, similar to yours.”

  I glanced down to find Carson staring up at me. He rose from the spot. “King told me you were a witch, but not that you can see the dead.”

  Carson’s gaze searched mine, for what I hadn’t a clue. “Not all the dead, just the ones that linger, and this one is lingering with a scowl on his face.”

  “Ask his name,” Carson said.

  “The newly departed don’t talk much. I learned that today, not that I go around trying to communicate with these people… ghosts… things.”

  “But you can see him?”

  “Have you not been listening to her?” Theo asked, leaning against the doorframe.

  “Can the boyfriend see him too?” Carson asked.

  “He’s just a friend.” I shrugged and pointed down to the head. “Let me get you the manifest on where this stuff came from. It should point you back to someone who knows your deceased.”

  “Older male, likes to wear business suits?” he asked again, returning his gaze to the trunk as he pulled out his phone. He
punched in some numbers before pressing the phone to his ear. “I need a forensic team sent out to Hexford Antiques.”

  He nodded a few more times with some grunting and then hung up. “This may take awhile. They’re working a string of car burglaries from last night.”

  “If you pull up your missing person reports, I should be able to pick out my ghost from a picture. I’m sure this town doesn’t have many unaccounted missing people.”

  “There’s no need,” he said, crossing his arms over his chest. “I already know who it is. Forensics just has to confirm my suspicion and see if there was any additional evidence left behind. You got your store keys on you?”

  “What do you want with them?” I slipped a jangling ring out of my pocket and waved them in front of the guy.

  He took them from my hands and tossed them to Theo. “Friday, lock the doors behind us and let no one but my forensic team inside.”

  “Friday?” I asked, raising my brow.

  “Mildred’s cat.” He glanced over at Theo again. “You are still using the name now that you’re a man, right?”

  Only a handful of locals knew Mildred’s cat, Friday, was a man trapped in a feline body. No normal human would ever believe it.

  “His name is Theo, and how did you even make the connection that we changed Theo out of his cat form?” I crossed my arms over my chest.

  Carson guided me by the elbow to the door. “I’ll tell you all about it in the car.”

  I glanced back over my shoulder to find Theo waving the keys in his hand and a smile stretched on his lips as he followed us both to the door. “Make sure she gets home before curfew, Detective.”

  Carson grunted as he led me to the SUV and opened the passenger door.

  “You could have just asked if I’d go with you,” I said, shutting the door and waiting for him to get in on the other side.

  He turned on the ignition and smiled. “King warned me you don’t like locals,” Carson said seconds before flicking the lock.

  My mouth parted as I grabbed the handle and tried to open the door and then tried to pry the lock open. “This is kidnapping and holding me against my will.”

  He grinned. “Just sit back and enjoy the ride, Georgia. As for your question, word travels fast when magic is used in this town.”

  Sit back and enjoy the ride? This guy was way more unpredictable than I’d imagined when I first spotted him. Who told him we used magic and that he’d need to lock me in the car?

  4

  I pulled out my phone and fired off a text to Tess. Tell King that I want a new 5-0. This one has kidnapped me.

  I waited for an answer that never came. Tess and her party should have been close to the Island by now.

  “You aren’t going to get many texts to go through to your sister.”

  I narrowed my eyes, “How do you know I was texting her and not Theo?”

  His lips twitched into a playful smile that contradicted his sharp no-nonsense business suit. “You punched that screen like you meant business. I have that effect on people, and from what I hear, you do too.”

  I slid my phone back into my pocket and glanced around the road he was taking me down. We were headed toward the only ritzy neighborhood in Canapoly Falls. Mansions lined the streets and manicured lawns were hidden behind high fences and privacy walls. The expensive three-piece-suit-wearing ghost could have definitely come from one of these homes.

  My gaze flicked to the addresses, and sure enough, we were closing in on the address where my estate boxes had originated. “You can’t possibly think that bringing me here would be a good idea.”

  Carson turned into a driveway, pulled out his badge, and flashed it at the screen seconds before the iron gate rolled open. “There’s a family portrait in the library. Let me know if you recognize your ghost.”

  “What excuse are you going to give these people for bringing a witch to their house?”

  He parked behind a Town Car, disengaged the child lock, and got out of the car. He waited for me to do the same before he answered. “You assume the townspeople have a thing against witches. They don’t, but then again, you’d never know that since you don’t give anyone a chance.”

  “I gave a chance to an FBI agent once, and that road was filled with potholes and dangerous curves, so you’ll have to forgive me if I’m not as sweet and gullible as my sisters.”

  Carson didn’t reply as I followed him up the stairs and to the door. It opened before he could even knock.

  “Mrs. Fillmore is expecting you in the library as you’ve requested,” the butler said.

  I raised a brow at Carson as he rested his hand on my back, leading me through the house like he knew where he was going. He probably did. What did I know about this guy besides the fact that he worked with King and King trusted him? The butler showed us into the room and waited by the door.

  “Carson, right on time, and I see you brought one of the Hexford sisters with you. Excellent. That should speed up the process.”

  Every nerve in my body seized at the woman’s words. How did she know who I was, and what reason could he possibly have given her for bringing me here?

  “Georgia Fontaine, I’d like to introduce you to Elaine Fillmore. Elaine, this is Mildred’s granddaughter, who I mentioned.”

  “It’s a pleasure, dear. I can’t thank you enough for helping us search for my husband, Rockford. My children think I’m crazy to believe a witch can help us, but Carson promised me that you and your sisters were the best,” the woman said, holding out her hand to shake mine.

  Her puffy, bloodshot eyes and the bags beneath them told me everything I needed to know. This woman wasn’t sleeping, and I already knew why.

  Dread filled my body. The butterflies in my stomach had turned to lead. Carson leaned in to whisper, “Make the ID, and we can leave.”

  I slowly nodded as he turned me to the painting and led me closer. I didn’t need to linger on any of the men’s faces. I knew instantly which one was my ghost. I pointed to the picture. “He’s the ghost who I think is tied to the head in my shop.”

  The sound of gasping had me spinning around in enough time to find the woman fainting in Carson’s arms.

  “What? Did she think he was still alive?”

  “Something like that,” he said, staring down at the woman with worry in his eyes.

  Carson scooped up the woman and carried her to one of the couches, laying her down. “Rockford was last seen going on a hunting trip and didn’t return home when he was supposed to. She called in the missing person report. She believed he was lost in the forest. When we scoured the area, his campsite was empty except for the ritualistic hexagram made of firewood.”

  “You think it was a witch?” I asked.

  He leaned in to whisper in my ear. “I know it wasn’t a real witch that set it up. It was all wrong. I do think that someone is trying to pin it on a witch since you received the head and we found a staged crime scene in the woods.”

  “How do you know the scene was staged?”

  “There was an unusual break in the hexagram” His lips twitched, when Elaine’s eyes fluttered open. She stared up into my eyes with a deeply hurt look. “Is he really dead?”

  I glanced up at Carson and waited for him to answer.

  “We haven’t confirmed it yet, but I believe so. I’ll know more after forensic testing.”

  Tears streamed down the woman’s face.

  “Elaine, I need to ask you some questions.”

  “Detective, can’t you see that she’s distraught. You just informed her that Master Fillmore is deceased without even a positive ID. Can these questions wait?” the butler said from the doorway. His look was as stoic as when he’d opened the front door.

  “It’s okay, Gentry. I’ll answer whatever they need,” Elaine said, sitting up. She swiped at the tears and stared up at us through watery eyes.

  “You shouldn’t do this alone. Let me get your sister. Melanie is just in the study.”

  “Fi
ne,” Elaine said as she sniffled and grabbed a nearby tissue. Gentry disappeared, only to return shortly with a woman that was the spitting image of Elaine. Twins.

  “Remind me not to drink the water. This town breeds twins,” I whispered to Carson as Melanie hurried to the couch to comfort her sister.

  Gentry stood just inside the doorway.

  “Is it true?” Melanie asked, squeezing her sister’s hand.

  “I believe Rockford is dead,” Carson said.

  “Why? Did you find his body?”

  “In a shipment from your grandfather’s estate to Hexford Antique Shop. Did any of those items originate from this address?

  “Our grandfather had items in his will from the estate that were to be delivered to Mildred upon his passing,” Melanie answered. “But nothing directly from Elaine and Rockford’s home. Not that I’m aware of.”

  “All of the antiques were put in crates and should have been delivered in the last two days,” Elaine said.

  “How many crates?” I asked, unable to refrain and unsure if another shipment would be coming with the rest of the human remains.

  “Ten and an antique box that has been in our attic for decades. He claimed he won it in a poker game and it contains a wedding dress.”

  “I opened the box.” I clasped my hands together. “There was no wedding dress.” I looked up at Carson to find him shaking his head.

  “You guys both know that Georgia is from the Hexford line. She’s one of the strongest witches in town, and I’d intended to have her scry for Rockford using a map of the forest, but before I could even ask for help, they called me to the antique store. Apparently, when your grandfather’s items were delivered, Rockford appeared in ghost form.” Carson ran his hand over his head.

  “I don’t understand. Rockford didn’t care about those items. Granddaddy asked him if he wanted to keep any of them, and he didn’t. If Rockford is dead, why did he show up at the antique shop?” Melanie rose to her feet and crossed her arms.