by Chloe Mayson
“Then I guess it’s gator meat again,” Gator said as he lifted a large section of gator tail off a nearby shelf and tossed it into the boiling cauldron. “That’s the pot I was brewed in. Your aunt gave it to me. When I’m not using it to cook my meals, I fill it with water and curl up inside.”
“Do you keep kindling wood under it?” Tom Cat asked.
“That sounds relaxing to me, Gator. How long do you think the fog will last?” Cortney asked as she shot Tom Cat a dirty look.
“As long as you are in the swamp. Your presence triggered the spell,” Gator said as he used a long Bowie knife to stir the pot. “It’s a clever trap.”
“It must have been conjured up by the same warlock that poisoned Aunt Morticia. Can you tell which of the councilmen cast the spell?” Cortney asked Gator.
“No. Spells don’t carry a name tag like a t-shirt,” Gator replied.
“Right,” Cortney said and suddenly felt dumb.
“She still has her training wheels on,” Tom Cat said.
“Hmm, Gator, on second thought maybe a two-meat stew would taste better,” Cortney said.
“Too late, the stew is almost done, but I’ll remember that next time,” Gator said as he brought forward three bowls and two spoons. He glanced down at Tom Cat. “Sorry I’m out of chopsticks,” Gator added and laughed.
“Hmm, he can’t tell the difference between an alley cat and a Siamese cat,” Tom Cat mumbled.
“If this is a trap, then how do I get out? Hildegard is confused. She doesn’t know which direction to fly,” Cortney said.
“I’ll take you to the landing at Vick’s Trading Post on my airboat after we eat,” Gator said.
“Oh, that’s sweet of you, Gator. My Aunt Morticia would be so pleased to know that you are helping me,” Cortney said between spoons of stew.
“Yeah, how did a serial killer turn so sugary?” Tom Cat said. “Did Miss Morticia make you wear a charm bracelet?”
Gator dropped his spoon into his bowl and reached for his Bowie knife.
“He’s joking. Tom Cat’s joking,” Cortney said. “Aren’t you Tom Cat?”
“Ha! Ha! Yes, I tell inappropriate jokes when I’m nervous. Sorry, Gator! No harm, no foul,” Tom Cat said as stew dropped off his whiskers. “And I just loved your joke about chopsticks. It seems that we both have a sense of humor,” Tom Cat added when he noticed that Gator’s hand still rested on the handle of his Bowie Knife.
“Yeah, I have a sense of humor,” Gator said as he let go of the handle of his knife and picked up his spoon.
“Wow, this alligator stew it so good; isn’t it, Tom Cat?” Cortney said.
“Yeah, it’s to die for,” Tom Cat replied.
Gator reached for his Bowie Knife.
“Gator, it’s a figure of speech. Tom Cat didn't mean it,” Cortney said as she noted the cat’s eyes bulge in fear.
“Ha! Ha! Yeah, I know,” Gator said as he removed his hand from the handle of his knife.
“Meow,” Tom Cat said.
“Yeah, I think meowing for a while might be a good thing,” Cortney said as she snickered.
When everyone finished eating, Gator tossed the dirty bowls in a five-gallon bucket of water. “The tadpoles in the water will clean the plates,” he said.
Tom Cat spit as though he had a bad taste in his mouth.
Cortney swallowed, but controlled her gag reflex.
“Are you two ready for an airboat ride?” Gator asked.
The airboat looked like a little barge with an airplane propeller at the rear. Gator sat on a high chair with a stick to direct the flaps on the back of the propeller. Cortney and Tom Cat sat in lower passenger chairs in front of Gator.
The noise the propeller made surprised Cortney. For some reason, she had thought an airboat would be quieter. As Gator pulled away from his shack, Cortney could barely see five feet in front of the airboat as it skimmed across the swamp. The fog clawed at her as though it sought to pull her from her perch in the front of the airboat.
“How can you see where we’re going?” Cortney asked as she clung to Hildegard as though the broomstick offered some protection from the thick fog.
“I can see through the fog a little,” Gator said. “Anyway, I’ve made this run so often that I could almost do it blindfolded.”
“Snake eyes,” Tom Cat whispered to Cortney.
Bump!
Suddenly, Cortney found herself looking at the snout of an enormous alligator on the bow of the airboat. She screamed as Tom Cat hissed and arched his back.
“Hello, Gladys, I see you are in the mood for a ride,” Gator said.
“Do you know this creature?” Cortney yelled as she pressed back in her chair.
“Yes, she hitches a ride with me often. She recognizes the sound of my airboat and intercepts me,” Gator said.
“I thought you hunted alligators for their hides,” Cortney said.
“And eat them,” Tom Cat added.
“Gladys is my pet,” Gator said. “I would rather eat Tom Cat than Gladys,” the reptilian looking man said as he glanced down at Cortney’s familiar.
“I’m not very fresh. I’m former roadkill. I probably don’t taste very good,” Tom Cat said.
“Old hens make the best soup,” Gator said and laughed at his joke.
“Gator, do you have any ideas how I can discover which of the council members poisoned Aunt Morticia?” Cortney asked to direct the conversation away from who was going to eat whom.
“You have to get them all in the same place. Then you can compare them to each other. Maybe you will spot something in one of them that raises your suspicions,” Gator said.
“That’s a good idea, thanks,” Cortney said with a smile. It was a good idea that also changed the subject, she thought.
“Did you see much of the councilmen while you lived at Barnaby House?” Cortney asked.
“Yes, I helped Frank serve lunch during the magic council meetings. However, when official business was discussed, Frank and I had to leave the room,” Gator said.
“You mean to say that Aunt Morticia didn’t trust Frank?” Cortney asked.
“She trusted him, but the other council members didn’t. But I think she told him all the details afterward. I don’t think she kept any secrets from her pet monster,” Gator said.
“Frank might look like a freak, but he seems to have a kind heart,” Cortney said in his defense.
“All I know is the stories that I heard Mildred tell about how Frank killed some of the people in Walachia, and how Miss Morticia had to flee to America to save him,” Gator said.
“But Frank said that wasn’t true. That the novel that Mary wrote was lies,” Cortney said.
“He wasn’t himself when he first woke from the operation. He escaped and went on a rampage,” Gator explained.
“Why would Morticia flee Walachia to save Frank? That makes no sense,” Cortney said.
“Because they were once lovers,” Tom Cat spoke up.
“Lovers? With the way he looks? Like he was constructed from body parts?” Cortney said in an appalled tone.
“Before the accident,” Tom Cat stated. “Frank was a handsome man before the carriage accident with his brother,” her familiar continued. “Afterward, Miss Morticia couldn’t make love to him because she didn’t know what parts of his body were his own, and what belonged to his brother. Hmm, or maybe she did know, and that’s why she stopped being his lover.”
“Wow, that’s a bizarre story, if it’s true,” Cortney said as she glanced from Tom Cat to Gator.
“Gladys, it’s time to bail. We are approaching the landing,” Gator called out.
The huge alligator raised its snout as it glanced in Gator’s direction.
“Get!” Gator said.
Cortney watched the alligator crawl across the bow of the airboat and slip into the water as Gator slowed the boat.
“The way Gladys looked at me; I think she prefers a cat over chicken too,” Tom Cat said with a s
igh of relief.
Moments later, Gator slowed the airboat more. “We have arrived,” Gator said as the airboat broke out of the fog bank and into the clear moonlight.
Cortney could see the pylons of the landing just ahead. She breathed a sigh of relief when she didn’t spot anyone standing on the dock. It would have been a little awkward to explain carrying a witch’s Halloween broom in the middle of summer.
Gator sprung forward and tossed a rope through a mooring ring, then held the boat steady as Cortney and Tom Cat scrambled onto the landing.
“Wow, thanks for the stew and wild ride through the swamp,” Cortney said.
“Nothing is for free Miss Cortney,” Gator said.
“Ah, what do you mean? Do you want me to pay you?”
“For saving you from the fog and bringing you to Bayou George, I ask that you lift my ban and allow me to return to Barnaby House. I’m tired of living in the swamp all alone.”
“But you killed a lot of townspeople. The guise that Miss Morticia placed on you to control that urge must always remain,” Tom Cat said.
“Yes, we can’t allow you to harm anyone, Gator,” Cortney agreed.
“That spell is like a headache that never goes away,” Gator complained.
“Even so, it will remain in force. I will talk to Frank, and if he agrees, I’ll end the ban preventing you from entering Barnaby House,” Cortney said. “Now, Tom Cat and I must return home. It’s late and I have to work at the diner tomorrow,” Cortney said as she made Hildegard hover in midair.
“Let me watch you take off. It has been a very long time since I have seen a witch flying on her broomstick,” Gator said.
“As you wish,” Cortney said. She glanced down at Tom Cat standing on the pier. “Hop on, unless you would rather go back to the shack with Gator?”
Tom Cat moved with a quickness that Cortney didn’t realize he possessed, leaping onto the broomstick’s straw brush.
“I’ll take that as a no,” Cortney said with a chuckle as she directed the broomstick to become airborne.
In a matter of seconds Vick’s Trading Post vanished into the night, and Hildegard carried them over the rooftops of Bayou George. Cortney was happy to see Barnaby House, and even more so when they flew through the window.
“Remind me to decline the next time you want me to go on a broom ride with you,” Tom Cat said. “I nearly landed in Gator’s stew pot.”
“No, I think Gator likes you,” Cortney said as she put Hildegard in the closet. “I’m too tired to change into my pajamas.”
“What? I don’t get to cuddle against a bunny?” Tom Cat asked.
Chapter Eleven
Cortney yawned while she stretched and glanced out the window, remembering the late-night ride on Hildegard. Who had conjured up the fog? If I knew that, I would know who murdered Aunt Morticia. However, the truth was that she didn’t have a clue which of the five warlock members of the magic council was guilty.
Catching movement out of the corner of her eye, Cortney glanced at the cemetery just as a large ferret stepped out from behind a crumbling gravestone carrying a rabbit in its mouth.
Hmm, I wonder who has the pet ferret, she thought as she turned from the window. She glanced at the bed. Tom Cat lay in a tight black ball at the foot of the bed where he had slept all night. Asleep, he looked like an ordinary cat.
Stop lingering and get dressed, Cortney told herself as she walked over to the closet.
“What’s that smell?” Cortney called out. “It smells like cat poop!” she added as she glanced at the bed. “Tom Cat, did you poop in the closet? Cortney shouted.
Tom Cat raised his head and yawned.
“Did you?” Cortney demanded.
“Litterbox,” Tom Cat replied.
As the cat spoke, Cortney noticed the box of cat litter for the first time. “Who put the litter box in the closet?”
Annoyed, Tom lifted his head again. “Mildred.”
“But why does it smell so awful?” Cortney asked.
“It needs changing,” Tom Cat replied.
“I’m not changing your litter box!” Cortney said shaking her head. “God, it smells horrible. Change it yourself.”
Tom cat lifted his paw.
“Well, I’m not changing it, and that’s final,” Cortney said as she pulled a black blouse and a pair of black slacks off the clothes racks.
“Then I suggest a clothespin over your nose,” Tom Cat said.
Cortney was still annoyed about finding the litter box as she and Tom Cat descended the stairs. She saw Frank already seated at the head of the long table when she entered the dining room.
“Did you enjoy your broomstick ride last night?” Frank asked.
“Not particularly. One of the members of the magic council, more than likely the one that poisoned Aunt Morticia, trapped me in a fog over the swamp,” Cortney said.
“Oh my, that sounds dangerous,” Mildred called out as she entered the dining room carrying a huge tray with their breakfast.
“It was. Hildegard didn’t know the direction home. We were trapped circling over the swamp,” Cortney replied.
“You are here, so you must have solved the problem,” Frank said as he glared at Cortney with his brown eye.
“Sort of. Actually, it was Gator that rescued us. Tom Cat spotted his porch light, and I landed on his back porch,” Cortney said.
“So how is the bloodthirsty tadpole these days?” Frank asked.
“He’s fine. He fed us and then brought Tom Cat and me to Vick’s Trading Post on his airboat,” Cortney said as Mildred placed a plate of scrambled eggs and bacon in front of her.
“The tadpole doing something nice? Wow, that’s a change from his serial killer days,” Frank said.
“About that, Frank. Because he practically saved our lives, Tadpole… I mean, Gator asked me for a favor,” Cortney said in a soft tone.
Frank directed the glare of both eyes at Cortney. “What did you promise that psychotic killer?” he demanded.
“Ah, only that I would lift the ban on him returning to Barnaby House,” Cortney said.
“Oh, my,” Mildred said as she poured orange juice.
“He saved my life. And he doesn’t seem that psychotic,” Cortney said lamely.
“Tom Cat what are your thoughts on the subject since you know how much he likes the taste of cat?” Frank asked.
“Can’t Cortney put a spell on him to keep him from killing anything?” Tom Cat asked. “He’s got a good sense of humor. I can work with that.”
Frank pulled on his big ear and twitched his small ear. “I suppose that would work. The guise Miss Morticia put on Gator to keep him from killing the townspeople worked. I guess one keeping him from killing anything but gators and possums might work,” Frank acknowledged with a nod. He glanced over at Mildred. “Are you all right with the arrangement?”
“I suppose so, but I don’t like him in the house,” Mildred replied as she turned and walked back to the kitchen.
“Aren’t you guys forgetting something?” Cortney asked.
Frank glanced at Cortney with both eyes.
“I haven’t cast a spell. I mean I have all these spells swirling around in my head, but I’ve never used one. I’m not sure how to cast a spell, or which one to use. Do I need to cast a spell to lift the ban on entering the house?” Cortney confessed.
“That’s what your familiar is for. Tom Cat knows all your aunt’s spells and how to invoke them. He’ll help you when the time comes. To lift the ban on Gator for entering the house, you simply need to revoke the ban through word and invite him in. Since he is spell-born, the ban of a witch is the power of her words. No spell is needed for that,” Frank said.
“How can I be sure he won’t feed me a spell that will turn Gator into a toad instead of forbidding him from harming creatures?” Cortney asked.
Frank shrugged his broad shoulders. “Tom Cat is your problem,” he said.
“I’m your familiar. I’m here to he
lp you,” Tom Cat said in a purring tone.
“Just remember you were roadkill when I found you, and I can return you to that state with a snap of my finger,” Cortney lied.
“Then another life bites the dust,” Tom Cat sang.
Cortney shook her head as she turned to face Frank. “Frank, may I ask you a personal question?”
The scarred face man didn’t answer immediately. He deliberately took a bite of bacon and chewed it slowly. “I know what you are going to ask me,” he said glaring at Tom Cat with both his brown and blue eyes. “You want to know if your aunt and I were lovers before my accident.”
“Well yes, that is the question I wanted to ask. How did you know?” Cortney asked.
“Once you give a familiar speech, they never shut up!” Frank said as he glared at Tom Cat, who didn’t glance up from his bowl of milk. “The answer to your question is a resounding yes. Your aunt and I were as deeply in love as any mortal and witch could be in love.”
“What happened?” Cortney asked.
Frank touched his face. “This happened! The accident happened!” he said in a loud voice. “How could anyone love this face?” he added.
“Hmm,” Mildred said as she walked back into the dining room. “It wasn’t the face if you ask me. It was all the mix of body parts from Frank’s younger brother that did him in with Miss Morticia. More like a discrepancy in the size of body parts if you ask me,” Mildred added.
“No one is asking you!” Frank roared.
“Ah, Frank. We must learn the identity of the councilmember that poisoned Aunt Morticia before they kill me. I’ve had two attempts on my life in as many days, and there will be more if we don’t nail the culprit soon. Do you have any suspicions as to which warlock would want to kill Aunt Morticia?” Cortney asked.
“They all envied your aunt. She settled in Bayou George after we fled Walachia because of Mary’s silly novel labeling me a monster,” Frank said with a hint of anger.
Hmm, I think he’s leaving out the part where he escaped the lab and killed some locals, Cortney thought. It’s probably best not to bring the episode up at this point in time.
“Later, the five warlocks arrived one at a time to ask for sanction in Bayou George after your aunt had already done the hard work of turning it into a witch’s enclave. They formed a governing magic council with your aunt as the head of it. Of course, the citizens of Bayou George know the magic council as the city council. Being men, they have always disliked taking orders from a woman. I suppose that in one of them the dislike festered into hate,” Frank said.