by Chloe Mayson
“Oh, God, Pop is going to be on the warpath when we return,” Cortney said. “Gator, you run ahead. I’m going to stop by the clinic and tell Doctor Wigdahl that he’s off the hook and doesn’t have to take the truth oath,” Cortney said.
“Are you sure you want to visit the doctor alone? He’s a warlock first and foremost,” Gator said. “And I don’t trust warlocks.”
Cortney chuckled. “I’ll be fine. Anyway, I have Tom Cat to protect me,” Cortney added.
“Yes, Snake Eyes, she has me and doesn’t need you,” Tom Cat said. When Gator glanced down, the familiar ran behind Cortney.
“One of these days you are in the stew pot for sure, cat,” Gator mumbled under his breath as he walked out of the jewelry store.
Chapter Twenty-One
“Why do we have to stop by the clinic? We know who poisoned Morticia,” Tom Cat complained as he walked alongside of Cortney.
“I know. Still, I should at least tell Councilman Wigdahl that I’m not stopping by his house tonight,” Cortney said. “But why do you think Councilman Kessel would confess to attempting to murder me, but swear that he didn’t poison Aunt Morticia?” Cortney added.
“Please, Cortney. One is attempted murder and the other is murder,” Tom Cat replied.
“Yes, but the penalty for both appears to be the same with the magic council. So, what is to be gained from denying killing Morticia?” Cortney repeated the question.
“Stop; you’re giving me a headache,” Tom Cat replied as they reached the storefront of the clinic.
“Hmm, it’s almost closing time,” Cortney said as she reached for the door. She expected it to be locked, but the door opened when she pulled on it. “I guess the doctor is still in,” Cortney said as she held the door open for her familiar.
The lobby was empty and so was the receptionist’s booth.
“What now?” Tom Cat asked.
“I think I hear voices in his office,” Cortney said as she walked over to the security door. She tugged on the doorknob expecting the door to be locked. It opened. “Come on,” Cortney said.
“Ah, shouldn’t we announce ourselves? Don’t forget he’s a warlock. He could turn me into a frog before you could stop him,” Tom Cat complained.
“That would be a shame. Gator loves frog legs better than cat meat,” Cortney said and snickered.
“That’s not a bit funny. Have I ever told you that you have a warped sense of humor?” Tom Cat said, as they walked down the hall to the doctor’s office.
“Quiet,” Cortney whispered.
“You told me you would make me immortal, Wiggy, once you killed the old witch. What are you waiting for? I get older each day. I found a wrinkle this morning on my forehead,” a woman’s voice said.
“After tonight, dearest. I’ll trick that newbie half-witch by reciting a fake truth oath. She’ll never know the difference. I seriously doubt that she has memorized the pentagram. The one I draw will look almost identical but will be missing a single rune. When I recite the spell words it won’t burn like the real pentagram,” the voice of Doctor Wigdahl said in a smug tone.
“And then can I become immortal?” Dianna asked.
“Yes; of course, it will come to a vote before the council. Warlock Kessel will side with me. He loves his assistant also and she grows old and he must give her immortality soon or she might pass. Blackman will also side with me. He wants to allow his pet to shift into human form,” Doctor Wigdahl said in a soothing voice.
“But what about the death of the old witch? Won’t the half-witch still suspect one of you warlocks killed her aunt?” Dianna asked, still not wholly convinced that Doctor Wigdahl would be out of danger.
“When I fool the half-witch into thinking that I have taken the truth oath, then suspicion about who poisoned Morticia will be diverted to someone outside the council. The truth oath is infallible and even the persistent half-witch will have to turn her suspicions elsewhere,” Doctor Wigdahl said.
“I’ve heard enough,” Cortney whispered. “Let’s go,” she added as she took a step backward only to step on Tom Cat’s tail.
The screech Tom Cat let out challenged a train’s whistle in volume.
“Rats,” Cortney said as she turned and prepared to flee the office.
“Going somewhere?” Doctor Wigdahl called from in front of the security door. Before Cortney had a chance to respond, he pointed a wand at Tom Cat. “Stay dead this time,” the warlock said as a bolt of energy shot from the tip of the wand. The burst of energy struck Tom Cat in the chest.
“No!” Cortney shouted as she watched her familiar crumple to the floor with the fur on his chest smoking. “You killed Tom Cat!”
“Yeah, for the second time. I poisoned him along with your aunt Morticia. She had the good sense to stay dead but not that darn cat,” Doctor Wigdahl said.
Cortney hardly recognized the man that stood in front of the security door. Gone was the friendly smile. A nasty sneer had pushed it aside and seemed more at home. The blue eyes that Cortney had once thought kind had turned stone cold.
“Too bad you didn’t call out my name instead of barging into my office. Things would have ended better for you and your familiar. I would have pulled the wool over your eyes with the fake truth oath and all would have been well. Now, you must die,” the warlock said in a voice devoid of feelings.
“Why? Why did you poison my aunt?”
“Morticia did not bend the rules. She wouldn’t allow any marriages to mortals. Haven’t you wondered why your mother fled? Morticia wouldn’t allow your mother to give your father immortality. She couldn’t stand that thought of him growing old and her staying ageless. Your mother forsook the hidden arts and cast aside her powers to live and grow old with your father,” the warlock explained.
“And you are in love with your assistant and want to give her immortality,” Cortney said. “So, you poisoned my aunt and her familiar, hoping that the council would then approve your marriage to Dianna.”
“Yes. I know Gerhart Kessel wanted to marry that old woman in his jewelry store for heaven knows what reason. And I suspect Hawk Blackman would love to unchain his pet and fly through the night air on her back. So, yes, the new council would have changed the rules,” Doctor Wigdahl replied.
“Well, Gerhart Kessel will not be a part of the new council. He tried to kill me several times in the past few days. He is bound in silver chains and will be stripped of his powers and banished, and that is the fate that lies ahead for you too, Warlock!” Cortney said with more confidence than she felt.
What do I do? Tom Cat is dead. Gator isn’t going to come to my aid. Heck, no one is going to help me, Cortney thought. “Ah, I’m curious as to how you managed to poison my aunt without raising the suspicions of the other warlocks, or Mildred and Frank,” Cortney asked to buy some time as she tried to think what to do to stop the warlock from killing her.
“I was her doctor. Although witches and warlocks are immortal, we do have malaises that cause us discomfort from time to time. It’s mostly the eyes. I was examining Morticia’s eyes as everyone sat and waited for Mildred to serve the meal. I exchanged Morticia’s spoon for one coated with poison. Everyone of course thought the poison was in the caper sauce. No one suspected the silverware as the delivery method. Of course, the moment she dipped her spoon into the caper sauce, it in turn became poisonous. Quite clever if I say so myself,” Doctor Wigdahl said.
“Are you going to talk her to death?” Dianna, who had stood patiently listening to their conversation until then, said. “Get on with it. Stop playing the good doctor.”
“Hildegard, Hildegard, Hildegard,” Cortney repeated the name of her broomstick, while the warlock had his attention focused on Dianna.
Instantly Cortney felt the smooth wooden handle of Hildegard in her hand. She pointed the end of the broomstick at the warlock even as he turned his head back in her direction.
“What?!” the warlock barely got the word out before the fireball struck him
in the face. Suddenly the doctor dropped his wand and began to beat at the flames that engulfed his head.
“Fran!” Dianna screamed as she ran toward the warlock. She beat the palm of her hand savagely against the doctor’s face until she extinguished the flames. “Darling, are you all right?”
“No, I’m not all right. I can’t see!” the warlock shouted.
God, I wish I knew more spells. What am I going to do with him until I can get help? Cortney thought as she watched Doctor Wigdahl use his hands to feel his way closer to Dianna.
As Cortney looked around the hall for something to use to bind the warlock, her eyes fell upon Tom Cat’s black unmoving from on the floor. “Tom Cat!” Cortney cried out in anguish as she knelt beside her dead familiar. “God, I’m so sorry. I never got to tell you how much you meant to me,” Cortney added as tears rolled down her cheeks. She reached down to touch her fingers to the unmoving head of the cat.
“Ouch!” Cortney shouted as she felt a sharp electric shock when she touched Tom Cat.
“Ah, what happened?” Tom Cat said as he raised his head.
“The warlock zapped you with his wand. He killed you! You were dead, Tom Cat!” Cortney said shaking her head.
“God, there went another life. Gee, that only leaves me with six more,” Tom Cat said as he got to his feet.
“But you were dead!”
“Oh, goodness me. I’m too dead to die,” Tom Cat said.
“Darn, the cat lives!” Doctor Wigdahl mumbled.
“Tom Cat, what do I do with him?” Cortney asked.
“I’ll pop back to Barnaby House and get Frank. He’ll keep the good doctor company, while we go and get Councilman Innman to come over and bind him in silver chains. He can put him on ice with Councilman Kessel until you call a council meeting. It looks like there are going to be two empty seats on the council after today,” Tom Cat said.
“I guess you’re right,” Cortney agreed.
“Is there any chance of me taking one of the spots?” Tom Cat asked.
“Not on your other six lives!” Cortney replied quickly.
“Okay, think about it. I would make a great council member. Hmm, maybe I could even get a familiar of my own. Maybe a mouse. Yeah, a little mouse to wait on me hand and foot,” Tom Cat said.
“I think all of your gray matter didn’t transfer from life seven to life six,” Cortney said.
“Well, I do feel a little lightheaded now that you mention it,” Tom Cat said.
“Pop over to Barnaby House and get Frank while you still remember how,” Cortney said as she suppressed a need to laugh.
“I underestimated you,” Doctor Wigdahl admitted as Dianna hugged him.
“That’s all right. I underestimated myself. Until now, I didn’t think I had it in me to be a witch. Now I find I’m looking forward to taking over as head of the Magic Council, aka the Bayou George City Council,” Cortney said.
*The End*
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Constance Aberfield has it all. Not only does she own and operate a successful hotel that she loves to bits, but she’s married to a wonderful husband and they have a son together. Oh, and just to make things even more perfect, the town she lives in, Modest Peak, is about as close to being a missing piece of paradise that exists. All in all, things are going pretty well for Constance.
This reality very quickly spirals out of control when her husband—Randall—is fired from his job at a local construction site. This firing sees Randall announce his desire to leave Modest Peak for good, regardless of what Constance wants. And then, just to make things even worse, the construction site that Randall was fired from burns to the ground in suspicious circumstances, trapping and killing someone inside.
A quick investigation concludes that the fire was set on purpose, the death is a case of murder, and Randall is the lead suspect. With her world coming down around her, Constance will have to prove her husband’s innocence if she has any hope of rebuilding her marriage and restoring order to a life she thought she loved.
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