Witch Reborn Box Set: Books 1-3: Includes Gemstone Coven Holiday Shorts 1 & 2

by Belinda White

  “I wanted to call you, but I just kept picturing a ringing phone at the worst possible moment, so I didn’t,” Sapphire said. “Is everything okay?”

  “It will be... for me anyway. I can’t say the same for Vince Riley.”

  “You guys managed to catch him in the act? He’s in jail? Wow, the sheriff must have driven like a bat out of... well, you know where,” Archie said, with a glance towards the kids watching us with widened eyes.

  “That’s not exactly what happened.” I looked at the kids too. How much did I really want to go into this with them standing right there? But then again, with the rumor mill alive and active in Wind’s Crossing, they’d most likely hear all about it in school tomorrow. Might as well get the real truth from me tonight.

  “We found Vince Riley dead in the front of his pickup truck in the shop’s back parking lot. Looks like someone caught him during the break-in and killed him. Guess it’s a good thing I have an unbreakable alibi on this one, huh?”

  “I’ll admit with the recent crime spree on your shop and your reputation for getting even, it’s a very good thing that you happened to be with the sheriff tonight. No one could have a better alibi than that,” Archie said. “Otherwise, you’d be on the top of the suspect list for sure.”

  “And for good reason,” I said. “Three break-ins resulting in damage to my shop in less than a week? I thought I had a reputation of a woman not to be messed with. It seems that reputation is slipping a little.”

  It was little, but I saw Sapphire’s eyes when they widened. So I wasn’t one bit surprised when she pulled me to one side.

  “Opal, did you do another Karma spell?” she whispered.

  “Before I answer that, you should know that I’ve learned from past mistakes. My Karma spells are much more focused now.”

  Now her eyes narrowed. “Do tell.”

  I glanced at the others. They were far enough away to not hear our lowered voices, but they were watching us with great interest. “Go on, all of you. Nothing to see here.”

  They didn’t look happy about it, but they did spread out a little. Nancy, Goddess love her, took the hint and gathered Mason and baby Pearl and went upstairs with them. Kimberly followed. Reluctantly, but she followed.

  Archie stood firm. He wasn’t going anywhere. Fair enough. I’d just have to settle for an audience of one.

  “That whole thing with Valerie a few months back woke me up, Sapphire. Shoot, it would wake anybody up. Nowadays when I cast a Karma spell, I give the spell a few parameters.”

  “Like?” That was my sister to a tee. Not giving me an inch.

  “Like telling it to focus on a person’s nether regions for starters. Nothing life-threatening. Something that would be more than a little annoying and uncomfortable. Especially if they had to sit for long periods of time.”

  Sapphire burst out laughing. “You cast a Karma spell to give the man hemorrhoids?”

  “Seemed fitting to me. There isn’t anything funny about having hemorrhoids, and eventually, I kind of figured I’d check with the local pharmacist and see who’d been buying an extra supply of that cream. And well, I’d know who the man behind the break-ins was. Now wouldn’t I?”

  Sapphire nodded, still laughing. “Oh Opal, never change. I do miss you, you know.”

  She gathered me in a fierce hug which I was only too happy to return.

  Dang it all, I missed her too. More than she’d probably ever know.

  They left a few minutes later after going up to say goodbye to the kids. I saw them off down the driveway to the main road, then went up to help Kimberly get the kids in bed.

  I kind of figured with the events of the evening that could become a painful process. Unfortunately, I was right.

  There was one thing I could think of to do to help that. Get their minds back on happier ground. Besides, I’ll admit that my curiosity was a part of it too.

  “So,” I said, looking down at Mason’s wide-awake face staring up at me from his little twin bed. “What was in the attic that Sapphire wanted to show you guys?”

  His eyes lit up. “A whole room stuffed with old toys! It was awesome! And she told us that we could take our pick of anything up there.” He looked a little disappointed. “There was a really cool bouncing horse, but Aunt Sapphire said you guys couldn’t fit it in the trunk of the car. So I had to choose something else this time.”

  I reached down and patted his shoulder. “Don’t you worry, son. I’m pretty sure you’ll have that horse right here in your room very soon.”

  “You think so?”

  “Absolutely.” Sapphire wouldn’t bait a kid like that. She’d see to it the thing got delivered in the next few days. If not, I’d remind her. A promise is a promise. “So what did you choose for tonight?”

  The smile was back in full force, but he didn’t even have a chance to answer. Nancy called in from her room through the open connecting door. “He got a magic kit. Can you believe it?”

  Mason stuck his tongue out in the direction of Nancy’s room, then grinned back at me. “It’s really cool. And as far as I can tell, all the pieces are still in it too. I can’t wait to learn some tricks.”

  Some witches have a problem with the so-called magicians of the world. Some of them had a trace of magic in their blood. Those could be seen as witches exploiting the gifts of the Goddess for personal gain. Other magicians didn’t have an ounce of magic in their entire body. I was thinking little Mason might be one of the latter.

  Actually, that was good news as far as I was concerned.

  “And I can’t wait to see them. If you practice and get good enough, maybe you can give the family a magic show.”

  He nodded, then yawned. “That would be awesome.”

  I ruffled his hair and bent down to kiss his forehead. “But even the great magicians need their sleep. Goodnight, Mason.”

  “Goodnight, Aunt Opal,” he returned the words almost unrecognizable around the giant yawn they were surrounded by.

  After tucking him in, I went through the door into Nancy’s room. She was in bed and all covered up too, just waiting for my nightly tuck in.

  “That was smart of you to get his mind off things like that,” she whispered. “I think he’ll sleep a lot better now.”

  There were nights when Mason had nightmares. None of us knew that more than Nancy, as she was the one that got him calmed down most times. Often before we ever managed to get to his room.

  I smiled at her. “So, what did you get from the attic?” Just because she knew what I’d done with Mason didn’t necessarily mean it wouldn’t work with her too. Did it?

  She grinned at me. She was a darn smart cookie, my little Nancy. “I got one of those old-time dolls that you hold on your lap and make talk.” She paused for a few seconds. “You know, now that I think about it, maybe me and Mason could work together on a show for everyone. Maybe even enter a talent show together or something.”

  “You got a ventriloquist’s doll?” I tried really hard to keep my voice level and even. But it was hard. Those things had always creeped me out. Thing is, Sapphire knew that too. I’d be having a few words with my sister over this.

  “Yup. Her name is Sassy, and she’s really cool.”

  I swallowed and tried to look casual as I glanced around her room. “And where is Sassy now?”

  Nancy giggled. “Sapphire said you’d be like this. She made sure I brought her over in her very own case.” She paused, then added with feeling, “Her very own case that locks.”

  Part of me hated it, but I had to ask. “And is the case locked now?”

  She giggled again and nodded. “Yup.” Then she pulled a tiny key on a chain out from under her pajama top. “She’s not going anywhere without me. I promise.”

  I bent down and kissed her, told her goodnight, and then left her room.

  Sue me, but I’d be back before I went to bed. And I’d be putting something very heavy on the top of that creepy as heck case.

  Chapter 11<
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  Well, we all survived the night. Little Sassy, who I had yet to be formally introduced to, didn’t end up getting out of her box and going Chucky on all of us. Not yet, anyway.

  I might be looking for a spell to ease my mind on the whole Sassy thing. But right now, there were more important things to take care of.

  The first was a call to the sheriff.

  “Hey, Opal, I was just about to ring you.” He sounded tired. I had to wonder if he’d managed to get any sleep last night at all.

  “I was wondering how the whole crime scene thing would work for opening the shop today.”

  “Yeah, about that. You’ve got a couple of options there. My preference is option number one. Take an extended weekend off and enjoy your family. Today is Friday, so it won’t mean all that much downtime for the shop, and it will give my people all the time they need to process the scene and gather evidence.”

  He stopped there, obviously hoping that I’d just say yes to that and be done with it. He knew me better than that.

  “And the second option?” Sorry, but I like to know all my options up front. Even if I most likely would take the first one as it would probably make things easier for Orville and his people.

  “Technically, only the back part of the shop is the crime scene. I’m afraid that part of the shop will be off-limits. Even to you and Kimberly. You two could open the front shop, if you feel it is absolutely necessary to conduct business today. But you’ll need to bring that power-lifter diaper bag with you packed with everything you need for Pearl to last the full day.”

  Didn’t sound like all that much fun to me. We’d set the back room up that way for a reason. With it closed off, it would make our lives quite a bit harder. And, as the stairs to the upstairs were in the back, we couldn’t even use the extra room up there for the larger kids either.

  “Looks like we’ll be having some time off, then, doesn’t it?”

  “I was kind of hoping you’d see it that way. I’ll do my best to have it all opened back up to you by Monday.” He paused. “I can try to get someone in to clean up for you if you like.”

  “Let me think on that first. Right now, I'm thinking that’s something I need to do myself.” Now it was my turn to pause. “I can trust those people of yours, right?”

  He grunted. “They wouldn’t be my people if you couldn’t. Anything else you need before I get to bed for a few hours?”

  As I’d suspected, the poor man must be dead on his feet. “Nothing at all, sheriff. And if there’s anything you need, like say any questions you and yours might have when going through that back room, you just let me know.”

  “You’ll be my first call, I promise.”

  “Goodnight, Orville.”

  “Good Day, Opal.”

  I stood there for a minute looking at the disconnected call message on the phone. Well, now how could I spend my time today?

  Ha. Like I was wondering about that. I knew exactly how I’d be spending my time. And it would all start with finishing those journals. Then I’d see where that took me.

  Because here’s the thing: Vince Riley wasn’t the kind to take the initiative to work for himself. No. Someone had hired him to break into my shop and make my life a living wreck. Although, to be honest, that last part most likely hadn’t been on their list of intentions. Not that it mattered one whit to me.

  The fact was, they needed to pay. And I couldn’t really make them pay without knowing who they were.

  Yes, I’d finagled a way to do a Karma spell on poor Vince. But he’d actually been in contact with the desk. Using the desk as a focal item for the spell most likely worked. Right now, I was only guessing, though, as I had no proof.

  And as he hadn’t been successful in actually stealing anything from me, I couldn’t cast a spell linking to that item or use it as a focal point. I was dead in the water there.

  “Opal, have you heard from the sheriff yet?” Kimberly was standing behind me in the kitchen doorway.

  “Just got off the phone with him. It looks like we’ve got us a three-day weekend. Well, you and me and baby Pearl. Mason and Nancy will still have school.”

  Kimberly raised an eyebrow, then glanced behind her. No sign of kids. “Do you need me for anything here today? There are a couple of things I’ve been needing to look into, and it would be easier to do that without a five-year-old.” She hesitated but stopped there. No worries, I could read between the lines.

  “If you’re willing to see the older kids off to school, I’d be happy to take baby Pearl today. Give us a chance to bond a little, just the two of us.”

  She looked relieved but unsure. “Are you sure you’d be okay with her today? I could probably take her with me.”

  “I’m positive. In fact, the company would be kind of nice. And I think she and Bridget have a kind of love thing going on between them, they seem to fascinate each other.”

  Kimberly smiled. “Pearl likes the bright feathers. And she loves it when Bridget goes into one of her birdy dances.”

  I laughed. “And don’t think Bridget doesn’t know that, either. She dances a lot more when baby Pearl is around.” Of course, I couldn’t very well say that Bridget and the original Pearl had gotten along like gangbusters, too, now could I? Even if it was true. It was pretty obvious to me that my familiar could see the soul inside baby Pearl, and recognize it for what it was. Or rather, who it was.

  “Well, if you’re sure...” she trailed off.

  “Not asking where you’re out and about to, but is your car up to the challenge, or do you need to borrow mine?”

  She shook her head. “Just a couple local runs, and the car’s been doing a lot better since Eddie did that tune-up.”

  There wasn’t much more to be said after that, so she retreated up the stairs to fetch the older kids, and I followed along behind her to get baby Pearl. As usual, Nancy was just finishing up giving Pearl her morning bottle and had her draped over her shoulder ready for the big burp.

  “I’ll take over with Pearl,” I said, reaching out for her. “You get ready for school. Kimberly will take you this morning.”

  Heaven help me, but my eyes traveled across the room to that darn case. What had Sapphire been thinking?

  Nancy saw my glance and giggled. “It really is just a doll, you know.” Then she hesitated. “Do you want to meet her?”

  If it was only a doll, then why would she need to be introduced to me? Hmm? But I didn’t say that. I was too busy trying to stifle the shudder that threatened to take over my body. I know it’s an irrational fear, but everyone had at least one of them in their skull’s closet. Mine just happened to be ventriloquist’s dolls.

  “Not at the moment, no. When you’ve showered and dressed, help yourself to some cereal. I don’t want you going off without eating something.”

  As soon as the bathroom door closed behind her, I let the shudder loose. Baby Pearl let out a giggle of her own, and I looked down into her beautiful, soulful eyes. “Don’t you start too. You know how I am.” And most likely she knew why too. I said it was an irrational fear. I didn’t say there wasn’t a reason behind it.

  ONCE THE TWO OLDER kids and Kimberly left, the house was a whole lot quieter. A person like me could think again. I smiled down at baby Pearl, all nestled into her harness on my chest. Happy as a lark with big, bright eyes shining back at me.

  I don’t know who came up with the whole idea of baby harnesses, but they were brilliant. It would have been nice if the invention had been around when I’d been raising Ruby. You could get things done and hold the baby at the same time. Who would have thought that would ever be possible?

  We settled into my little apartment, and I pulled out the journals. I knew within reason that the sheriff would ask for them soon. It kind of surprised me he hadn’t already. But then, the man knew me. He was probably counting on me reading them and saving him the time by just giving him the pertinent parts he needed to know.

  That was fine with me. As long as I got to
read them and not worry that they were sitting around just waiting to be read. For some reason, it seemed like there was a time crunch to all of this. I had no idea why it seemed that way. I mean, not to be disrespectful, but Malcolm could only die once. And poor Ashley too. So why did it seem to me that I needed to read these immediately?

  My subconscious was trying to tell me something that I just wasn’t getting. I trusted my subconscious. What some witches call their intuition. But that didn’t mean I didn’t wish it would be a little more direct in the telling.

  There were other things I could be doing right now. Even if nothing really came to mind. I was used to my routine. It wasn’t often an unexpected day off popped into my schedule.

  Once I sat down, the harness was less interesting to baby Pearl, and she started wiggling around, wanting to be back moving again.

  I pulled over her little bouncy chair and buckled her in. The swing was her favorite, but I didn’t want her in it all day, every day. Besides, she liked the bouncy chair well enough, with its little hanging toys and bright colors.

  There were two journals, and I will not lie and say that I read every single word of both of them. I didn’t.

  After a bit, they became more than a little boring. Malcolm was long-winded in his writing, to say the least.

  The bottom line was, if his death had been anything other than the natural causes stated on his death certificate, Malcolm had never suspected a thing. The only thing Maude had been guilty of, in his opinion, was keeping him from living his full life in the last year.

  According to his journals, Maude had feared for him to be in the public eye much with his failing health and had started basically keeping him a prisoner in his own home. Not that it wasn’t a very nice prison, with everything a man could ever ask for. But a kind of prison all the same.

  I jotted down a few dates. It would be interesting to see just what had been going on in the world when that confinement had started. My guess was that it had been right around the time Ashley hit town. Maude wouldn’t have wanted the two of them to meet. That was for certain.