Natural Born Witch: Witches of Palmetto Point Book 8

by Wendy Wang

  “I don’t know. I think it’s too early to tell. To be honest, I’m still not certain that a demon wasn’t involved somehow.”

  “Agreed,” Ben said. “There’s too much evidence otherwise.”

  “Maybe the parents summoned a demon, and he possessed one of them, then did the killing,” Athena said. “Wouldn’t be the first time.”

  “No, it wouldn’t,” Ben agreed.

  “Is there anything in the book that indicates who it belongs to? Or how the Cochrans obtained it?” Charlie asked.

  “We’re about to find out,” Ben said. “Are you two feeling steady on your feet?”

  Charlie knew his question was directed more at her than Athena, and her cheeks warmed. She forced a smile.

  “Ready as I’ll ever be,” Charlie said.

  “Ready,” Athena said.

  “Good. Let’s begin,” Ben said, and opened the first page of the book.

  Chapter 7

  Charlie sat at the kitchen table in her uncle’s house, breathing in the delicious smells of the pot roast cooking in the oven, and trying to forget the details of her day. How could going through an ancient book take so much out of her? Even with all the protections in place, that book seemed to bombard her at every turn.

  “So, you’ve been awfully quiet since you got here,” Jen said. She opened the pot of green beans on the stove, gave them a quick taste, and then turned off the burner. “Everything okay?”

  “Yeah, just a hard day, that’s all.” Charlie massaged the back of her head and closed her eyes. “Stressful.”

  “So, is it too much?“ Her cousin’s tone sounded cautious and curious at the same time. “Do you wish you’d just gotten another call center job?”

  “I don’t know,” Charlie said, opening her eyes and meeting her cousin’s gaze. “Too early to say yet. I mean, I really like the people, for the most part. And it’s exciting to be working on cases again, especially going in knowing it’s supernatural and not having to convince someone otherwise.”

  “But…“

  “It’s harder than I thought it’d be. I don’t know nearly enough.”

  “Well then, you’ll learn, right?”

  “Right,” Charlie said. Her stomach growled, and Jen laughed.

  “Good goddess, we better get you fed.”

  "Something smells good," Jack Holloway said as he entered the kitchen. "Well, hey, Charlie, it's good to see you."

  "Good to see you too, Uncle Jack," Charlie said.

  "Where's your fella?" Jack asked.

  "He had a death to attend to. And Jen was kind enough to invite me to dinner, so here I am."

  "So, it sounds like you like your new job," he said.

  "So far, I do. It's definitely going to be a challenge."

  "Well, a challenge is a good thing. Keeps you on your toes. And it will keep you young. Or so I'm told."

  "Daddy, will you get three plates and set the table for me, please?"

  "I can do that for you, Jen," Charlie said.

  "Now, that's all right, Charlie," Jack said. He put his hands on her shoulders and gave them a rough squeeze. "You're the guest."

  "You know, I don't think I've ever seen you do anything very domestic, Uncle Jack," Charlie said.

  "Now that's not true," Jen said. "You stand outside with us anytime he's making barbecue in the smoker."

  Charlie laughed. "I hadn't thought of that. I guess I think of cooking outside as more the domain of –".

  "Don't you dare say it.," Jen gave Charlie a warning glance.

  "I never see you cooking on the grill, Jen," Charlie said.

  "And you never will," Jack Holloway said, a glint in his eyes. "Too much work."

  "I don't think I've ever seen Jen be afraid of work," Charlie said.

  "I'm not afraid of work. But I don't like mess. And dealing with charcoal and lighter and all that is just messy. Now, if I had a wood burning oven, that might be different." She gave her father a pointed look.

  Jack rolled his eyes. "I'm just gonna shut my mouth right now and set the table. Before I get roped into building something."

  Charlie and Jen laughed. Charlie hopped up from her chair and retrieved napkins and cutlery from the drawer behind her.

  "Did Ruby already eat?" Charlie asked, referring to Jen's nearly seven-year-old daughter.

  "She did," Jen said. "I put her to bed early this time of year."

  "You know, I never could get Evan to go to bed before eight o'clock, even when he was Ruby's age," Charlie said.

  "And I bet now you can't get him to wake up." Jack chuckled.

  "That's the truth of it," Charlie said, laying the silver and napkin across each plate after Jack put it on the kitchen table.

  "I'm surprised he hasn't called you," Jen said.

  "He texted me this afternoon when he got out of school."

  "He's a good boy," Jen said. She placed two hot pads on the table and lifted the cast-iron pan from the stove and placed it on top of them. She took another pot from the back burner and put it on the table as well. Jen retrieved a serving fork and spoon from a nearby drawer and placed them on the table in front of the respective pots.

  "Most of the time," Charlie said, taking her seat. Jack and Jen took seats across from her. "He texted me earlier today asking me about spells."

  "Sounds like you're going to have to keep an eye on him," Jack said. He pulled the pot lid and scooped some mashed potatoes onto his plate.

  "Yes, I am," Charlie said, peeking over the edge of the Dutch oven. A succulent beef roast surrounded by caramelized onions and roasted carrots in a slightly thickened gravy made her mouth water. Jen pulled it apart with a serving fork. She made a motion with her free hand. Charlie passed her cousin her plate, and watched her scoop a generous portion of meat, onions, and carrots. Then she helped herself to some potatoes. Charlie dug into her meal, aware of her cousin’s eyes staring at the top of her head.

  Jen pushed a carrot around on her plate and cleared her throat.

  “So, Charlie, I could really use your help with decorating and setting up the bonfire for the Solstice. You have Evan next week, right? He could definitely be a help and I’m sure he’ll love decorating and—”

  “I’m sorry Jen, I really haven’t given it much thought.” Charlie stabbed a potato and put it in her mouth.

  “Why am I getting the feeling that you’re trying to avoid helping me?” Jen laid her fork down next to her plate. “I understand you’re busy with your new job but—”

  “I am busy. Can’t Lisa or Daphne help?” Charlie asked. She sat back in her chair and met her cousin’s glare with her own.

  “Of course they’re going to help,” Jen said.

  “Then I don’t understand why you need me so much.”

  Jack cleared his throat. “I think what Jen is saying…” His raised eyebrows and stared at his daughter, as if he was trying to will her to finish his sentence.

  “I know what Jen is saying,” Charlie snapped. “I just don’t know what my schedule is going to look like next week.”

  “You don’t have to get all snappish with Daddy,” Jen said, her voice full of warning.

  Charlie put her fork down and closed her eyes. “You’re right. I’m sorry, Uncle Jack. I didn’t mean to snap. I’m just feeling a lot of pressure right now. That’s all.”

  “Understandable. Apology accepted.” Jack nodded. “Maybe we just don’t want to see you disappear into this job is all.”

  “I’m not disappearing into anything. I have Evan next week, so I won’t be traveling as much,” Charlie said. “But I have no idea what I’ll be doing for the DOL, so I just can’t commit to anything.”

  “You mean you won’t commit to anything,” Jen said.

  Charlie frowned. “Can we just not talk about this right now? Please.”

  “Fine.” Jen pushed her half-full plate away and stood up. “I’m going to check on Ruby.” Jen disappeared into the living room without giving Charlie a chance to respond.<
br />
  “Jen. Don’t be like that,” Charlie called after her cousin.

  “Just give her some time to simmer down,” Jack said. “I get it. New job. New responsibilities. New boss to impress. I’ve been there.”

  “I know the holidays are important to Jen. I’ll call her tomorrow and make up with her.” Charlie folded her napkin and put it over her plate. “I still don’t know how much I’ll be able to help. Although Evan will be here, and what are teenagers for if you can’t put them to work?”

  “Exactly,” Jack said.

  "So, what's old Jason going to do without you, Charlie?"

  "Oh, I'm still going to help Jason," Charlie said.

  "How's that going to work?" Jack asked.

  "If he has a case where he needs my help, I can consult. It's not really any different than what I was doing before. I'm just not going to be at his beck and call every minute of the day."

  "I'm sure that'll make him happy," Jack said.

  "Maybe," Charlie said. She somehow doubted that Jason was going to like it when she said no the first time. "And there's more than just me that he can work with now. Darius is here, and he told Jason that he's happy to work with him if I'm unavailable."

  "Well, that's good," Jack said. "Lord knows, we don't want Jason to be without a psychic. How would he ever solve the case?"

  “So true,” Charlie said, and then burst into laughter.

  Evan closed his Algebra book and pushed his homework aside before he slid the book of spells out of his backpack and laid it on the bed in front of him. He took a bite of the ham and cheese sandwich he’d snuck up to his room and flipped through the book. If his mother wouldn't help him, he would just have to figure it out on his own. There had to be something in this book that applied to his situation. Maybe if he couldn't find a spell specifically for winning, he could find one for luck. The book had a lot of spells for luck. But which one should he use?

  A cloud of confusion filled his head. If his mom wouldn't help, maybe one of his cousins or even his Great Aunt Evangeline would. She was the teacher of their family. Evangeline had even taught his mom what she knew about magic. He closed the book, pulled his cell phone from the front pocket of his backpack, and thumbed through his contacts.

  When he first got his phone, he had entered every number he knew just to have some contacts. It was a dorky thing to do, and he knew it, but now he was glad he’d done it. When he got to Evangeline's name, his thumb hovered over the choice to call or text. He didn't think he'd ever seen Evangeline text anyone. He frowned and pressed the Call This Number option. Then he put the phone to his ear and held his breath while it rang. A moment later, his great aunt's gentle voice answered.

  "Hi, Evangeline, it's Evan, Charlie’s son." Might as well make sure she knew exactly who she was talking to.

  Evangeline chuckled on the other end. "Well, hey, Evan. I know who you are. I am a little surprised to hear from you, but happy that you called. Is everything all right?"

  "Oh, yes. Yes, ma'am. Everything's fine. I just have some questions, and I thought maybe you could answer them for me."

  "I'll do what I can," Evangeline said. "What sort of questions do you have, honey?"

  "Well.” Evan brought his free hand up and cupped it next to his mouth to act as a shield and he lowered his voice as he spoke. His stomach tightened. “I was wondering if there's a spell that can help my basketball team win their game? And if there's not, is there a spell that will help make me lucky during the game? You know, maybe to score?"

  "I see," Evangeline said. "Have you called your mama about this?"

  Evan hesitated. He could lie. Could say yes and be really confident about it, but he knew Evangeline would probably call his mom. That's just the way she was. Plus, lying was really hard when it came to witches. Every single one of them seemed to know if he was lying about something.

  "Yes," he said softly.

  "And what did she say?"

  "She said we would talk about it this weekend. But that's going to be too late. My game is Saturday morning," he said, trying to sound as sympathetic as possible, without being a total whiner.

  "I see," Evangeline said. "I can understand how that is definitely a conundrum for you."

  "Will you help me?" Evan asked.

  "Let me talk to your mama. And your daddy," Evangeline said. "And if they are both in alignment with you learning a little bit about your craft and your heritage, then maybe I can make some arrangements for you to spend a couple days with me this week, after school."

  "They're both going to say no. ‘Specially my dad. He hates this kind of stuff."

  "You leave that to me," Evangeline said. "And in the meantime, I can always cast a little spell for you."

  "You would do that?" Evan asked. Why hadn't he thought about that? He could've just asked his mom to cast a spell.

  "I would be happy to help. But you have to understand that it would be a good luck spell, not a winning spell. There's no such thing exactly as a winning spell. I might be able to increase your luck a little bit."

  "Sure, that would be great. Anything would help."

  "How good are y'all?" Evangeline asked.

  "We're good."

  "Then why do you think you need a spell to win?"

  "Because the team we’re going up against is as good as we are and sometimes, well, sometimes they play dirty."

  "What do you mean?"

  "They like to call unneeded time-outs, or they hold the ball until the clock runs out. Sometimes they’ll yank on jerseys to stop a player from getting the ball ."

  "How can they get away with that?"

  "I don't know. They just do. The refs never call them on it."

  "Well, that gets my dander up. If they’re going to play, they should at least play fair," Evangeline said. "I'll give your mama a call tonight. You said your game is Saturday?"

  "Yes, ma'am." Evan’s stomach buzzed. Evangeline was powerful. Maybe even more powerful than his mom. Having her on his side could mean his mom might let him have more magic lessons, especially if Evangeline agreed to be his teacher.

  "All right then. Don't you do anything until I tell you, okay?"

  "Yes, ma'am," Evan said. "Thank you, Evangeline. I really appreciate it."

  "Oh, you're welcome, sugar. I'll call you back later, okay?"

  "Yes, ma'am," he said. He ended the call.

  A giggle escaped him, and he flopped back on his bed. "We're gonna win," he said aloud. They'd come close to beating their rivals, Saint Peters Catholic Academy, last year. Both teams had gone to the semi-finals and they lost to Saint Peters by two points because one of the players ran the clock out. There was no way he was going to let that happen this year.

  Chapter 8

  The sound of breaking glass startled Camille awake. She sat up in her bed and looked around, hugging her bear tightly to her chest.

  "Mommy?" she called to the darkness. She heard something shuffling around downstairs. Her heart sped up, beating so hard she could feel it in the back of her throat.

  Heavy footsteps pounded on the staircase. Camille didn't waste any time. She scrambled off the bed and dove underneath it, holding her yellow teddy bear, Banana, close. Her gaze never left the bedroom door. Mommy and Daddy had been fighting earlier. They thought that she and her brothers couldn't hear, but they could. Something was wrong with Daddy. They all knew it. Could feel it. He'd been angrier than usual. Quick to yell. Quick to use his hands in a rough way.

  Somewhere deep inside she knew he wasn't really her daddy. It was something else. But she didn't quite have the words for it. She had tried to bring it up with her mommy, but she wouldn't listen. The door creaked open, and her daddy lumbered in. From under the bed, she could see his shoes and something on the bottom of his pant legs. It looked black. Her stomach flip-flopped. It didn't look like mud or anything like that. It looked like . . .

  Blood?

  Where had that thought come from?

  "I know you're in here,
Camille. It's time to come out now."

  Her father's voice sounded strange. Far away, as if he wasn't even in the room with her. She pressed Banana against her mouth so Daddy couldn't hear her breathing and so she wouldn't scream and give herself away.

  He walked over to the closet, quickly opened the door, and flipped on the light.

  "Come on now. You need to come out and help daddy." He rummaged through the closet and growled a little.

  The growl didn't sound like her daddy at all. It sounded deep in his chest and called to mind the lions and tigers she’d seen at the zoo. Mommy had said the lions growled like that to show they were still king of the jungle. Still fearsome. Even through the thick bars overlooking the lion’s enclosures, she could feel their power in those low throaty roars. The noises her father made resonated through her little body and all the hair on her arms and the back of her neck stood up.

  He flipped off the light and didn't bother to close the closet door. She used to be scared of the closet. Scared of that black open mouth where monsters slipped into her room at night. But now the only thing that scared her was her father.

  "I know you're in here, you little shit." He stopped halfway between the closet and the bed. She could see his feet, and they looked like they were bleeding on top. She bit her lips together, fighting the scream building in her chest.

  When he got down on all fours and peered under the bed, she let that scream out. His features, all gnarled and angry, terrified her. The growl in his throat grew louder as he reached for her. He grabbed her by the arm and dragged her from beneath the bed.

  By the time Charlie arrived in Charlotte, she was the last of the team in the conference room. Athena, Marigold, and Ben gave her a smile and a wave.

  "I'm so sorry I'm late," she said. "There was a bad accident on 85."

  "Geez, Charlie, it's only your third day," Will teased. Charlie threw a frustrated glance his way.

  "I know, I heard," Ben said. “Don’t worry about it.”

  Charlie ignored Will and took a seat at the table next to Tomeka.