Murder at Barnaby House

by Chloe Mayson

  “What’s going on?” Cortney asked surprised to find the table empty. “Are we eating dinner?”

  “No,” Frank said as he touched the palm of his hand to the wall. “It’s time for you to write your name in the Ancient Book of Witchcraft and drink the witch’s brew,” he added as a hidden panel slid open revealing a staircase descending into the basement.

  “What book? What brew?” Cortney said as she stood in the doorway and glared at Frank.

  “Miss Cortney,” Mildred said. “If you want to become a full-fledged witch, you have to sign your name in the Ancient Book of Witchcraft and drink the witch’s brew.”

  “I’m not sure I want to become a witch,” Cortney said. “Maybe I’ll just forget about the inheritance and return to Malvern.”

  “You have no choice,” Mildred said as she quickly stepped forward and touched Cortney on the shoulder with one of her long skinny fingers.

  The moment Mildred touched Cortney she became suddenly lightheaded. The room spun around as she struggled to stand. She felt herself falling as she plunged into darkness.

  Chanting woke Cortney. She opened her eyes to find Frank and Mildred standing over her along with Tom Cat. “What’s going on?” Cortney asked as she lifted her head to find herself surrounded by candles.

  Frank and Mildred continue to chant.

  “I don’t want to be a witch. You can keep the darn money. Give it to Bayou George,” Cortney declared as Mildred continued to chant, walking over to a table against the wall and lifting a thick leather-bound book. “I’m not signing my name in that book,” she insisted as the old woman brought the book to where Cortney lay on the floor.

  “Lift your hand!” Frank ordered as he stopped chanting.

  Despite her desire to not sign her name in the book, Cortney found herself lifting her right hand as Mildred knelt beside her. Cortney tried to lower her hand, but it was as though she was a puppet controlled by Frank’s voice.

  “Tom Cat!” Frank said.

  Suddenly the black cat walked into the circle of candles and swatted Cortney’s index finger with his claws.

  “Ouch! That hurt!” Cortney called out as a drop of blood formed on the tip of her index finger. “Tom Cat you are buzzard bait for sure,” Cortney declared.

  “Touch your finger below the last name in the book,” Frank ordered.

  Cortney fought against the compulsion. However, she could not stop herself. She watched in horror as she touched her bloody finger to the black line below the last name in the book.

  “Oh my God,” Cortney said as she watched the drop of blood turn into her signature. “Why are you doing this to me?” Cortney pleaded.

  Instead of responding, Frank walked over to a bubbling cauldron and dipped out a cup of liquid. “Drink the witches brew!” he ordered as he bent over and held the cup to Cortney’s lips.

  Against her will, Cortney opened her mouth.

  “Drink!” Frank ordered.

  Cortney swallowed a mouthful of the liquid.

  Light exploded in Cortney’s mind as her head dropped to the floor.

  ***

  When Cortney opened her eyes, she found herself sitting at the end of the dining room table with Frank at the other end.

  “What? What happened?” Cortney asked.

  “You were ordained as a witch!” Frank said.

  “You made me!” Cortney said as she remembered the events in the basement.

  “It was your Aunt Morticia’s wishes. She put a guise on Mildred and me. We didn’t have a choice. Your Aunt wanted you to follow in her footsteps. Your mother and your mortal father wanted you to live a normal life,” Frank said. “I was prevented from revealing any of this information until after your awakening.”

  Cortney started to say she didn’t feel any different, but she realized that she did. It was as though a hidden compartment containing hundreds of spells had suddenly opened in her mind.

  “I know spells? How is that possible? Cortney asked.

  “It’s a gift from your Aunt Morticia that you received when you signed the Ancient Book of Witchcraft,” Frank said as he looked at the kitchen door.

  Cortney followed his glance and saw Mildred with a birthday cake in her hands.

  “Happy Birthday, Cortney,” Frank said.

  “Frank, how would you like me to turn you into a toad?” Cortney asked as she got up from the table and walked out of the dining room.

  Chapter Ten

  “I sense that you are now an apprentice witch! Did you sign your name in the Ancient Book of Witchcraft?” Chester said as Cortney entered his room.

  “Not of my own free will. Frank and Mildred forced me to sign the book with my blood,” Cortney said as she paused and glanced at Tom Cat. “Tom Cat scratched my finger to draw blood for the signature.”

  “Meow, meow, meow.”

  “Yes, yes, everyone keeps telling me that they didn’t have a choice,” Cortney said.

  “Did you drink the witch’s brew?” Chester asked.

  “Yes, and it tasted like week-old road kill,” Cortney replied.

  “But what did you mean when you said that I’m an apprentice? I thought when I went through the ritual, I would be a full witch.”

  Chester shook his head. “You have to spend a year studying the proper use of spells. Mildred will tutor you in the basement. Hasn’t Frank told you about your apprenticeship?”

  “I didn’t give him a chance. When I recovered, I walked out of the dining room before Mildred cut my birthday cake. I threatened to turn Frank into a toad,” Cortney admitted.

  “I see. Well, Frank and Mildred only want what is best for you, but they must follow your Aunt Morticia’s instructions,” Chester said as he floated across the room. “Do you feel any different since the ritual?” he added.

  “I have spells swirling around in my head,” Cortney said. “But I can’t sort them out,” she added.

  “I’m sure you will remember a spell when you need one,” Chester said. “It takes time to process the knowledge you received when you signed the Ancient Book of Witchcraft. If you were in the old country, your aunt would send you to the Academy of the Unseen Arts. Unfortunately, you are going to have to learn the art of casting spells pretty much alone,” Chester said.

  “Maybe I should get in my car and leave Bayou George,” Cortney said.

  “If you leave, the councilman that poisoned your aunt will not be brought to justice. The killer is a warlock. The police are no match for him. He will use witchcraft to distract the chief of police. Only a witch or another warlock can bring the killer to justice,” Chester said.

  “Meow,” Tom Cat agreed.

  “But I don’t know how to use the spells that I received during the ritual!” Cortney protested.

  “Tom Cat will assist you,” Chester said.

  “How? He can’t talk. Well except for saying yes and no, and it’s complicated! That’s three meows,” Cortney complained.

  “He can talk,” Chester said. “You drank the witch’s brew. It opens a block in the demon’s mind that allows him to talk.”

  “But how is that possible? I drank the witch’s brew, not Tom Cat,” Cortney asked as she glanced down at the cat.

  “Your mind is connected to your familiar. Tom Cat can talk,” Chester said.

  “Tom Cat!” Cortney shouted.

  “Spooky old ghost. I’m glad you can’t leave the room,” Tom Cat called out in a thin, sinister voice.

  “See, I told you the demon could talk,” Chester said as he floated to the ceiling as though to get out of reach of Tom Cat.

  “So, Road Kill, tell me why you didn’t let me know that you could talk?” Cortney asked as she shook her finger at the cat.

  “Don’t be a drama queen. I was waiting for the right time,” Tom Cat said as he licked his paw.

  “If you call me a drama queen one more time, you are definitely going to be roadkill!” Cortney said.

  “Oh my, a lover’s quarrel, how quaint,” Chest
er called down from the ceiling.

  Without warning, Tom Cat leaped high in the air and swatted the ghost’s leg.

  Chester screamed as the familiar’s claws passed through his transparent flesh.

  “Tom Cat! Stop that!” Cortney ordered. She glanced up at Chester. “Are you hurt?”

  “No, but he frightened me,” Chester said.

  “I just wanted to show you what a scaredy-cat the ghost is,” Tom Cat said. “He’s a liar too. I heard him tell you that he can’t leave his bedroom because he died in bed, but the real reason he doesn’t leave is he’s afraid to leave the room.”

  “It’s a phobia! I can’t help it,” Chester said.

  “Wow, you really fooled me, Chester. I felt sorry for you,” Cortney said shaking her head. “I’m very disappointed in you.”

  “I used to be brave when I was alive. Morticia’s spell changed me. Now, not only am I a ghost but a cowardly ghost,” Chester said. “Morticia tried to help me, but her charms and spells wouldn’t work on a ghost. But she was kind to me and visited me often,” Chester added.

  “Wow, a cowardly ghost. Who would ever have thought such a thing existed,” Cortney said.

  “Are you still going to be my friend?” Chester asked.

  “Has everything else you’ve told me been the truth?” Cortney asked.

  “Yes, cross my heart and hope to die,” Chester said.

  “Yeah, well I think it’s a little late for that,” Cortney said. “But I believe in giving people a second chance. So, I’ll continue to visit you. But I warn you that I am going to force you to leave this room,” Cortney said.

  The ghost looked scared but didn’t respond.

  “Okay, Road Kill, let’s go,” Cortney said as she walked to the door.

  “My name is Tom Cat.”

  “Oh, not anymore. Your name is now Road Kill as punishment for not telling me you could talk,” Cortney said. She heard Chester snicker as she closed his bedroom door.

  “That’s a horrible name!” Tom Cat said.

  “Yeah, well you’re a horrible familiar,” Cortney replied as she unlocked her bedroom door. “And you have a sinister voice.”

  “What do you expect? I’m a demon bound to serve you in the form of a mangy, black cat,” Tom Cat said.

  “Yeah, well you didn’t serve me very well by not telling me you could talk. A ghost had to tell me,” Cortney complained.

  “So, I’m going to be in the cat house forever,” Tom Cat said and chuckled.

  “That’s not a bit funny. And yes, you are going to be in the doghouse until I tell you otherwise,” Cortney replied as she walked over and opened the closet.

  “Changing into your bunny pajamas already?” Tom Cat asked.

  “No,” Cortney said as she reached into the corner of the closet and grabbed hold of Hildegard. “I’m taking a midnight ride.”

  “You got shot at the last time,” Tom Cat said.

  “I think I liked it better when you couldn’t talk,” Cortney said.

  “It is my duty to protect you.”

  “Yeah, a lot of good you are, staying in the bedroom while I’m riding Hildegard,” Cortney said.

  “I hate riding broomsticks,” Tom Cat confessed.

  “Ah, that means you can ride a broomstick,” Cortney said. “You weren’t going to tell me?”

  “Yeah, I was,” Tom Cat said in a whiny voice.

  “When? When I return from my ride?” Cortney asked.

  “Yeah, that would have been the perfect timing. Then, I could have taken the next ride with you,” Tom Cat said.

  “I thought all demons were supposed to be fearless?”

  “Don’t stereotype us. We each have our own personality,” Tom Cat said as he watched Cortney open the bedroom window.

  “Hop on and do your job protecting me,” Cortney said as she made Hildegard hover in midair.

  “Ah, actually my job is more like advising you than protecting you,” Tom Cat said. “I think I overemphasized the protection aspect of my job.”

  “That’s not how I heard familiar described in the witch novels I read,” Cortney said with raised eyebrows.

  “Hmm, having a hard time sorting out fiction from reality, are we?”

  “Get your mangy, black butt on Hildegard or you are roadkill!” Cortney demanded.

  “If you keep referring to me in the state you discovered me on the road, you are apt to traumatize me,” Tom Cat protested as he hopped onto the broomstick’s straw brush.

  “Hmm, maybe that would be an improvement,” Cortney said as she bent her head and ordered the broomstick to fly out the window.

  Immediately Cortney forgot her squabble with Tom Cat as her broomstick soared over the cemetery. In a matter of seconds, she found herself flying over rooftops.

  “Keep an eye out for the flash of a rifle shot,” Cortney called back to Tom Cat.

  “I’m afraid to look down,” Tom Cat replied. “I’m afraid of heights.”

  Just my luck to get a demon afraid of heights. Maybe I should have just driven over Tom Cat instead of stopping to see if he was alive? Cortney found herself thinking as they finally left the town behind. When she glanced below, she saw eerie fluorescent colors in the trees. She figured it was some form of fungus growing on the damp trunks of the cypress trees in the swamp.

  Lucky there’s almost a full moon tonight, Cortney thought as she glanced down at the cypress trees and stretches of open water in the swamp below. Here and there she spotted sinister forms swimming in the water, turned silvery by the moon.

  Cortney loved the feel of the wind through her hair as she rode Hildegard over the swamp. She glanced back at her familiar to see if he too was enjoying the ride. She giggled at the sight of Tom Cat’s arched back as he clung frantically to the straw brush of the broomstick. He looked terrified.

  Poor creature. I think I’ve been too hard on Tom Cat, Cortney thought. She opened her mouth to convey her feelings to her familiar when suddenly Hildegard flew into a thick fog. In a matter of seconds, the mist engulphed them. Cortney found herself flying blind.

  “Which direction is home?” Cortney called back to Tom Cat.

  “Back the way we came?”

  “Yes, but which way is that, Smarty?” Cortney asked in an annoyed tone. Nope, I wasn’t too hard on him!

  “Order Hildegard to fly home,” Tom Cat said.

  Cortney gave the mental order, but immediately felt the broomstick’s confusion and sensed they were flying in tight circles.

  “It’s a spell!” Tom Cat proclaimed. “I can sense a spell at work. The warlock that is trying to kill you has conjured up the fog.”

  “And it’s confusing Hildegard. She doesn’t know the way home,” Cortney said. “What do we do? I’m not used to riding a broomstick. My legs are getting tired. If this goes on too long, I’ll fall.”

  “I see a light,” Tom Cat said.

  Cortney glanced down.

  “I don’t see anything,” Cortney called back to her familiar.

  “It’s a yellow light. Like a bug light one hangs on the porch. The fog makes it appear greenish,” Tom Cat said.

  “Well direct me to it,” Cortney ordered.

  “Down and to the right,” the familiar replied.

  “I don’t want to fly into a cypress tree, Tom Cat,” Cortney cautioned.

  With Tom Cat calling out adjustments to Hildegard during the descent, the broomstick finally flew close enough that Cortney could also make out the light. After she took over directing the flight path of Hildegard, the broomstick landed on a porch of an old shack built on stilts.

  “Crap! I bet I know where we are,” Cortney said as the broomstick hovered a few feet off the wooden planks of the porch.

  “Where?” Tom Cat asked in a reluctant tone.

  “Gator’s shack,” Cortney replied.

  As though to confirm Cortney’s suspicions, a tall serpentine figure materialized out of the fog.

  “Gator! It's your cousin Cortne
y!” Cortney said in as cheerful a voice as she could summon.

  “Broomstick and familiar?” Gator said.

  “Yeah, I wrote my name in the Ancient Book of Witchcraft and drank the witch’s brew. I’m a full-fledged witch now.”

  Gator stood unmoving for a long moment as though trying to decide whether to invite them in or slit their throats.

  “Come inside,” he finally said but didn’t seem very happy with his decision. “This fog isn’t natural. There is a spell at work.”

  “Thanks, we’ll just stay until the fog lifts, and then I’ll fly us back to Barnaby house,” Cortney said as she dismounted Hildegard.

  Tom Cat didn’t budge.

  “Tom Cat, get off,” Cortney ordered.

  “I heard him tell Pop once that he likes the taste of cat more than he does chicken. And he should know how cat tastes. He ate me once,” Tom Cat whispered.

  “You’re a demon aren’t you? Can’t you protect yourself?” Cortney asked.

  “As a cat I can only do so much. And, as long as I’m your familiar, I can’t revert to my demon form,” Tom Cat explained.

  “The more I know about familiars, the more worthless they seem,” Cortney said as they followed Gator along the porch to the back door.

  “Home sweet home,” Gator said as he opened the door.

  Alligator and snake hides covered the walls. The floor had rabbit, squirrel, and skunk furs sewn together with fishing line as a carpet. In one corner was a pile of pillows on the floor for a bed.

  “Nice,” Cortney lied.

  “Yeah, who’s your decorator, Daniel Boone?” Tom Cat asked.

  “Cat tastes better than chicken,” Gator said as he glanced down at Tom Cat.

  “Ah, you said a spell caused the fog. How did you know that?” Cortney asked to distract Gator, as he suddenly had the look of a predator.

  “I was born of magic. I can sense magic,” Gator said.

  “Oh, yeah, you were the tadpole in the brew,” Tom Cat said.

  “Is he of any use to you, Miss Cortney? I was just fixing to start a pot of stew. It would be nice to have something other than alligator to toss into the pot.” Gator asked.

  “Not much, but I have a use for him now and then,” Cortney replied.