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

by Belinda White

  He nodded but didn’t even look up.

  Orville and I saw our own way out.

  For once in his life, Jack was innocent.

  Chapter 19

  “We got time for one more stop before heading back to your house?”

  “Depends. You do know my sister is cooking, right? I’m getting hungry just thinking about that.” And that was even after stuffing myself with pizza just a couple of hours earlier.

  “Think she’ll keep it warm for us?”

  It was Sapphire. Of course she would. “Yes. So where are we heading?”

  “I was thinking we should pay a visit to the Goldmans. Something isn’t quite right there. I think this whole thing started with Mark Goldman’s murder. The time of death agrees with that too.”

  “You think this is all about trying to pin the murder on Archie? That didn’t work too well for them. That mark is fake.”

  “I know. But I still have the feeling that there is something there. Why Goldman? Who is tied to him and to Archie? Maybe Fran and Shyla will have some answers.”

  “Okay, then, but we have to stop by the market first.”

  “We do?”

  I spared him one of my signature looks. He was, after all, a man. He might not know these things. “We do. You don’t go to a grieving mother’s house without food. Regardless of your reason for going.” I looked at his uniform. “I do wish you’d changed first, though.”

  He glanced down at his brown uniform. “You have a point. I have a change of clothes in the trunk. While you go in to do your shopping, I’ll run over to the gas station and change.”

  A half an hour later, we were standing on Fran’s front porch with the largest roasted chicken the deli had, plus a large tub of mashed potatoes, and another of green beans.

  Fran opened the door. Her eyes were puffy and red, and when she looked down at the food, a few more tears leaked out. “Thank you. This is very kind of you. Please come in.”

  She took the food and placed it on the dining room table. “The food is much appreciated. I’m afraid I haven’t felt much like cooking since...”

  I patted her shoulder and led her over to the sofa. “We understand. This had to come as quite a shock.”

  Fran nodded. “It has. But then, I knew something was wrong when Mark went missing like he did. He just wouldn’t do that.” She looked away. “At least not without telling me.”

  Orville sat on a chair facing the sofa. “Mark got involved in that robbery, didn’t he?”

  The tears started gaining speed, and she shook her head. “I don’t know anymore. At first, I’d have said he didn’t have a thing to do with it, but now?”

  “Mom doesn’t want to think anything bad about Mark.” That was Shyla, coming in from the kitchen with an armful of bottled waters. “But the truth is, yes, I think he had something to do with it.” She sat down next to her mother and sat the drinks on the coffee table.

  “Was he friends with Flynn Tomlin?” Orville asked.

  Shyla considered that for a moment as she opened a water for her mom and handed it to her. “Drink, Mom. You need to stay hydrated.” Then she turned back to Orville. “I wouldn’t say they were friends, exactly, but they went to high school together. And when Mark’s wife left him, he lost pretty much everything in the divorce.” She grimaced. “That happens when you can’t keep it in your pants.”

  “Shyla!”

  “Sorry, Mom. But you know it’s true. Mark had a good thing going with Carol, and he screwed it up.” She looked up at me, the only one left standing. “My brother wasn’t known for making the best of decisions. I’d hoped that the promotion at the bank would change that.”

  “I wish he’d never left the accounting firm. People don’t kill accountants.”

  “Was Mark acting any differently before he went missing? Did Flynn ever visit him here?” Orville asked.

  Shyla covered her mom’s legs with an afghan from the back of the sofa, and Fran’s fingers started worrying at the yarn. “He seemed nervous and a little distracted, yes. But with the investigation, he would be, wouldn’t he?”

  “That would be enough to make any man nervous, I think,” Orville agreed. “And Flynn?”

  Fran shook her head. “I haven’t seen Flynn in the past couple of years. I had thought Mark was through with him.”

  “Was there something in their past that caused them to fall out?”

  Fran’s lips thinned out. “You know, I’m kind of tired right now.” She stood up. “But I thank you for the food.”

  Shyla walked us to the door. Glancing back at her mom, she lowered her voice. “Flynn got Mark in trouble several years ago. A senior prank gone wrong. But they were both underage, and nothing really ever came from it.” She hesitated. “And I want to thank you for the food too. Things are tight right now, what with a funeral coming up and everything.”

  “Check with the bank. I’m fairly certain they’d have life insurance on their president,” Orville said.

  She nodded. “They would. But if it comes out that Mark had anything to do with that robbery? Well, I really don’t think we’ll see a dime of it.”

  WE WERE WELL ON THE way to the farmhouse before Orville turned to me. “What do you think?”

  My gaze was still out the window. My heart had gone out to Shyla and her mother more than I wanted to let on. Still, the man asked me a question. “I think there will be a big box of food delivered to the Goldmans very soon.”

  He grunted. “Let me know when you go shopping. I’ll either contribute money or add a big box of my own. No problem.” He paused. “But what I meant was, what do you think about Mark being involved in those robberies?”

  I shrugged. “I’m not sure I see him as involved with all of them, but the one at his bank? Yeah, I kind of think that’s a given at this point. Doesn’t exactly help Archie’s client though, does it?”

  “Nope. Not at all. Archie doesn’t really think he can get Flynn off, does he? I mean, provided we get him back in the office, of course.”

  “Oh, we’ll get him back all right.” I hesitated. Had Archie asked us to keep the whole going on the run thing a secret? I couldn’t remember. But then again, at this point, did it really matter? “If it ever really goes to court.”

  He shot me a glance. “You saying what I think you’re saying? Flynn is going to jump bail?”

  Another shrug. “The court had to know the boy was a flight risk, right? But they gave him the option to bond out, anyway. That’s on them, in my opinion.”

  “And you don’t know for a fact that’s what he’s planning?”

  “I do not.” That much was true. Archie had said he had a feeling. Witches’ feelings were usually right, but they weren’t facts until, well, after the fact.

  “This whole thing is getting complicated, isn’t it?”

  “Agreed. But I think you’re right about the Goldman murder figuring into it. I just can’t see how. Or why someone would want to pin it on Archie. The man is practically a saint from what I can tell.”

  He grinned at me. “That drives you just a little nuts, doesn’t it? Him not having a huge fault that you can rub in Sapphire’s face?”

  I took a deep breath and released it. “I didn’t say he was completely without fault. The man is an Earth witch, you know.”

  Orville’s grin stayed in place. “I heard Earth witches were great at healing and protection spells. That sounds pretty awesome to me.”

  It would. But I knew he was baiting me, and I wasn’t going to go for it. Not tonight. It had been far too long of a day. “Not as awesome as Air.”

  He chuckled but dropped it. My man knew how far to push me. Or not.

  “We calling it a day, then? Gonna eat dinner and then early to bed and back at it fresh in the morning?”

  I looked at him. “I’m willing if you are. But I think as partners, we should keep each other informed of what we’re doing. Professional courtesy and all.”

  His face fell just the tiniest o
f bits. Yeah, don’t ever think I don’t know how my man thinks. Right now, I was betting he was really wanting a few words with Flynn Tomlin. And he was planning to ditch me before he got them too. Not happening if I had anything to say about it.

  Partners were partners, dang it all.

  Chapter 20

  By the time we ate supper, which Sapphire had indeed kept warm for us, and saw Orville off home, I was beat. The very last thing I wanted to do was to make another drive into Oak Hill to take Sapphire home.

  Followed by another restless night in a strange bed. It wasn’t my idea of a good time.

  She must have sensed that too. But I think baby Pearl helped seal the deal.

  “I guess it wouldn’t look too bad if I spent one night here,” Sapphire said. “Would it?”

  “Don’t think it would look bad at all. Even if you moved back in here until this entire thing was over and done.”

  She shook her head. “I’m not doing that, Opal.” Then she looked down at baby Pearl in her arms. She had insisted on giving her the last bottle of the day. “But one night, I think I can handle.”

  Baby Pearl was fighting sleep for all she was worth, but it was a losing battle. Of course, she’d wake up with the whole diapering and ready for bed process. But it wouldn’t last long.

  “Do you think Kimberly would mind if Pearl slept down here with us tonight?”

  I chuckled. “You can ask her, but if it means getting an entire night of uninterrupted sleep, I’m thinking she’d be okay with it. You know there’s still a midnight feeding involved, right?”

  Sapphire nodded. “I’ll take that one too. It’s been too long since I’ve held a baby in my arms, Opal. I’m getting rather impatient with Amie and Opie, you know. I’m ready for grandchildren.”

  Goddess help me. Grandchildren. That was all I needed to add to my plate right now.

  “Give them time, sister. They haven’t been a couple all that long, you know.”

  “Not officially, maybe, but you know as well as I do that those two were fated to be together right from the very start.”

  No argument from me on that one. It was true. For what it was worth, Opie had come to that same conclusion quite some time ago. It had taken Amie a lot longer to get past the whole friends only thing.

  I went upstairs to say goodnight to the others and tuck Nancy and Mason into bed. It was my nightly tradition. I’d missed that last night too. Didn’t feel right going to sleep without it. Not that last night involved all that much sleep.

  By the time I came back down, Sapphire and baby Pearl were in my little apartment. I’d rather expected baby Pearl to be pretty much zonked out by now. But no. She was wide-eyed when she saw me enter the room.

  “Oh, I almost forgot to tell you. I washed the kids' capes and that material for you to get out that mothball smell. You are doing one for Mason, Nancy, and Sassy, right?”

  I shivered at the mention of Sassy but nodded. “Thanks, and yes. Shouldn’t take long to sew them up tomorrow. Especially as I'm using the Halloween capes as a base for them. Well, the two bigger ones, anyway.” Sassy's would have to be made from scratch. I glanced over at the small heap of fabric with a sigh. “Although, I really should do it tonight. I’m running out of time. That contest is only a week away.”

  “I’ve seen you at that sewing machine of yours, you know. It won’t take you long. Tonight, you need your rest.”

  “We both do.”

  She nodded but seemed more than a little distracted.

  “Is something wrong?” Well, more than the wrong that I already knew about. Although now that I thought about it, that was probably enough to distract anyone. Let alone a loving wife.

  “You really don’t like having Sassy in the house, do you?”

  Oh, Goddess, not this again. Mom and Sapphire had always tried to convince me that my fear of the stupid dolls was unfounded. But dang it, they hadn’t been in the backyard that night, had they?

  “Time to fess up.” That didn’t come from any of the humans in the room. It came from Bridget, my Macaw. The blood running through my veins cooled a few degrees instantly. I threw Sapphire a quick glance to see if it had the same effect on her.

  It did. Not that she met my gaze. Her eyes were on baby Pearl. Rightly so too.

  When baby Pearl was born, I recognized her as having our mother’s soul. But I had thought, quite wrongly as it was turning out, that the soul had quickly forgotten who and what she had been.

  Apparently, that wasn’t the case.

  My mother had always had a very special way with familiars. All witches do, in their own way, but Mom? It was kind of like her super power. And she and Bridget had been close. Very close.

  Sapphire’s gaze was locked with baby Pearl’s. Bridget repeated, “Time to fess up, Butterfly.”

  I swallowed. Butterfly. If there had been any doubt as to who was behind Bridget’s words, that one word ended it. Mom had always called us Butterfly when she was trying to drive home a point.

  Sapphire looked from baby Pearl to Bridget and back again. As if she was unsure who to address. I could understand that. It was a complicated situation.

  “You told me never to tell.” In the end, she spoke directly to baby Pearl.

  “I wasn’t right,” Bridget said.

  Another nail in the coffin of ‘this can’t be real’. To my knowledge, our mother had never said she was wrong in her entire adult life. At least she hadn’t since the two of us had been old enough to remember. The closest she would come to it was ‘I wasn’t right’.

  Slowly, Sapphire’s eyes turned to me. She swallowed. “Please don’t hate me. I just couldn’t bear that. And I really wanted to tell you, you know. But Mom said you’d never forgive me. And I didn’t want to risk that. It’s hounded my conscious for years.”

  “This has to do with Dolly, doesn’t it?”

  She nodded, her eyes moist. “Yes. I know you remember that night in the backyard, but do you remember earlier that day?”

  I thought back but had to shake my head. “Sorry, that night kind of wiped whatever else happened that day clean out of my mind.”

  “I kind of thought that was the case. But just to refresh your memory, that was the day you did your first Karma spell. On Jimmy Vincent. He had asked me to the school dance, and you thought he had something nasty in mind, so you threw a spell at him.”

  “I was right too, you know. That big zit on the end of his nose kind of proved it, didn’t it? Karma only hits when there’s a reason.”

  Sapphire gave me a look. “You have no way of knowing whether or not that spell had anything to do with his intentions toward me. But after that, he canceled the date. And it was a full year before any other boy got up the courage to ask me out too.”

  It was all I could do not to squirm. She’d never told me how she felt about any of this before. “I’m sorry. I was only trying to look out for you.”

  “I know that now, but then? Then I was angry. Really, really angry. I wanted to take you down a peg or two. And I knew you didn’t like Dolly to begin with.”

  By now, I’d kind of figured out the confession part of things. “You spelled Dolly to come out to visit me that night, didn’t you?”

  That night had been the most terrifying night of my life. And that was saying a lot.

  I’d been trying to get closer to the Goddess, so I had decided to spend the night in the backyard hammock. Nothing between me and my Goddess but a thick blanket and the light of the moon.

  The light of the moon came back to bite me, though. You’ve never experienced terror until you’ve seen a ventriloquist doll stalking you in the shadows of moonlight.

  It’s the first time I ever remember screaming. I’m not proud of it, but I screamed to beat the band. It took Mom longer than I would have thought to get to me too.

  No way was I going past that doll to get into the house. I had run around to the front door and was whamming on it for them to let me in, when Mom finally got to me.


  She took me by the hand and dragged me back to the hammock. The doll was gone. Mom had tried to convince me that it had all been a bad dream. But I knew better. It had been real.

  I’d been wide awake. And I’d seen that doll walk with my very own two eyes.

  Sapphire took a deep breath. “I did. And I’m sorry. You were always so unshakeable. When I saw how totally freaked out you were, I wanted to tell you.” She glanced down at baby Pearl, who was softly snoring. She must have thought her part of this was done. The rest was for us two sisters to figure out.

  “But Mom stopped you.” As much as I hated to admit it, that might have been pretty darn smart of Mom. I was young and a whole lot more reckless with my magic back then. I could very well have done something stupid that would have damaged our sisterhood forever.

  Besides, thinking back on that zit and the lack of dates, I probably did have it coming. I mean, how would Sapphire have known I would take the prank that hard?

  Sapphire nodded. “Can you forgive me?”

  I swallowed. “I’ll forgive you if you’ll forgive me.”

  She looked at me and smiled. “That is so a deal.” Then she hesitated. “So, do you feel better about Sassy now?”

  The shiver was still an instant thing.

  “Guess not, huh?”

  I shook my head. “If you remember, I didn’t like the darn dolls before that night. I don’t think that’s about to change anytime soon.” I smiled at her. “But I’ll work on it. Nancy really does like that darn thing.”

  “She’s good with it too. Much better than I ever was.”

  I felt a twinge of pride. “She is. You know she and Mason have an actual chance to win that talent contest. Their act is coming together nicely.”

  “So, we’re okay?” She seemed to need confirmation. With my reputation for Karma spells, I can’t say I blamed her. Not that I’d ever send one to family.