The Curse Breakers

by Denise Grover Swank

  “Something attacked the neighbor’s dog.”

  “Chip?” My chest tightened, and I knew what had happened before she said anything else. It stood to reason the spirits would taunt me this way. I pushed past her and through the dining room, ignoring the startled looks of the guests who were eating breakfast. “Where is he?”

  Myra followed me. “Outside, on the west side of the house.” She grabbed my arm as I reached the front door. “You don’t want to go out there, Ellie.”

  “Yes, I do.”

  When I reached the side yard, Tom had his back to me. He was standing next to his partner, and their bodies were blocking my view of the dog. Hearing my approach, Tom swiveled around at the waist. “Ellie, this is a mess. Go back inside.”

  Ignoring him, I made myself stand next to him. The gods and spirits wanted me to see this. That’s why the badger creature had chosen this dog and left him next to my house.

  I took one glance and had my worst fear confirmed. His abdomen had been ripped open.

  Spinning around to face the street, I sucked in huge gulps of air.

  “Ellie, why don’t you go sit on the porch,” Tom said. “I’ll join you in a second.”

  This time I didn’t argue. I sat in one of the rocking chairs, staring at the giant oak tree in the front yard. When I was younger, I had spent one whole summer climbing that tree whenever I could. My mother would yell at me to be careful, but Daddy would tell her to let me be a kid and have fun. But they hadn’t been fighting, not really. They never fought . . . not unless they were discussing the curse, anyway.

  That goddamned curse had ruined everything in my life.

  Several minutes later, Tom sat down in the rocking chair next to me. “Tell me what I’m not seeing, Ellie.”

  I turned my gaze to his police car parked by the curb. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

  “Yes, you do.”

  I stopped rocking. “What is it you want me to say, Tom?”

  “Tell me what you know about the mutilated dogs.”

  I glared at him. “Do you know how ridiculous and paranoid you sound right now?” I stood and moved toward the front door.

  “Whatever’s attacking these dogs isn’t normal. The claw marks tell me it has to be some sort of animal, but whatever it is rips them apart and only eats one thing.”

  My curiosity got the better of me. “What?”

  Tom shot me a meaningful look. “Their hearts. What animal in nature does that?”

  I rubbed my forehead. “I don’t know, Tom. Isn’t there some department you can call about that? Like Animal Control?”

  “We’ve already called the Department of Fish and Wildlife.”

  “Well, there you go. Why do you need my opinion? I’m just a waitress.”

  “I’m not letting this go, Ellie.”

  Of course he wasn’t. “Fine. You do whatever you want.” I opened the door to the house. “Now if you’ll excuse me, some of us have real work to do.”

  To my surprise, he didn’t follow me. I looked for Myra and found her in her office.

  She frowned when she looked up at me. “I hope you didn’t see him too closely. It was quite upsetting.”

  “I’m sorry, Myra.”

  She shook her head and turned to look out the back window. It was odd to think we’d never see Chip running around the yard again. He’d been part of my life for ten years.

  I sighed. The world was in danger, but I had mundane things to worry about at the moment. “I hate to ask, but my car broke down as I was driving through the Alligator River Wildlife Refuge. Can I use your car today? I can take you to work and pick you up.”

  “Do I want to know why you were driving through the wildlife refuge?”

  “No.”

  A ghost of a smile twitched at her lips. “Of course you can use my car. And I’m sure I can find a ride home. You don’t have to worry about that.”

  “Thanks, Myra. I’m going to do some work upstairs. Let me know when you’re ready to leave.”

  After I put the linens in the industrial washing machine in the main house, I went into Daddy’s office and stood in the doorway. It looked exactly as it did two years ago, before his mind started getting worse.

  I went inside and trailed my fingertips across the old wooden desk, my eyes scanning the floor-to-ceiling bookcases on both sides of the room. I thought about searching the room again for the notes Daddy had told me about—the ones about the curse—but I knew it was a lost cause. Especially when my time would be better spent figuring out which antique I could pawn next.

  Myra knew I’d pawned a set of candlesticks from the dining room a few weeks ago, and she’d told me I didn’t need to hide it the next time I had to take something, but it still felt slimy and underhanded. Maybe I could find something in the attic that wouldn’t be missed. As I walked past the door to my old bedroom, the familiar ball of anxiety that had been born after we opened Popogusso tightened in my stomach.

  The attic was musty and full of cobwebs and a multitude of discarded items. I scanned the room, my eyes stopping on an engraved wooden box on top of an antique chest of drawers. I clambered over the cardboard and plastic containers in front of the dresser and picked up the box. I held my breath as I opened it. There it was, just as I’d expected—my grandfather’s pocket watch collection. Three antique watches nestled in a rich velvet lining.

  When I was a little girl, Daddy used to take turns wearing two of them. Each day I’d try to guess which one he had on his chain. A wave of melancholy washed over me as I picked up my favorite of the two, a dull gold, well-worn watch, and placed it in my palm. The face was hidden behind a hinged cover that was engraved with a large four-pointed star surrounded by smaller stars. The other watch he used to wear had a crystal face and a shiny silver back decorated with my great, great grandfather’s initials and elaborate scrollwork.

  The third was particularly old and ornate. The oval timepiece had a silver cover with a bas-relief of a Greek bathing scene, and the inside face was etched with cherubs. I figured it had to be worth a lot of money, but I also knew it had been in the family for centuries. Hopefully, the newer silver watch—a relative term when I considered the fact that the piece was well over a hundred and fifty years old—would bring enough money to cover my car expenses.

  I decided to bring all the watches to see what they were worth. I found an old duffel bag in the corner and wiped off as much dust as I could before stuffing the wooden box inside.

  I decided to just set the bag in the backseat of the car without telling Myra what was in it.

  As suspected, she didn’t say anything, at least not until we arrived at the Fort Raleigh National Historic Site Visitor Center. “Ellie, I know money’s tight right now, and I don’t judge you for anything you do.”

  I couldn’t answer.

  “Just be careful what you choose. Some of those heirlooms have been part of the Dare line since the beginning. I know the money’s attractive, but certain things can’t be replaced.”

  Her words were sobering. “Thanks.”

  “Be careful with whatever you’re doing today.”

  I paused. “I will.”

  After Myra got out of the car, I headed straight to the pawnshop in Kill Devil Hills. Oscar, the owner, was helping another customer. The first time I’d come here over a year ago, his hard rock band T-shirt and his scruffy beard and hair had almost sent me running back out the door. Thankfully, I’d given him a chance.

  He gave me a quick nod when he saw me wander into the store. When his customer left, I waited until he was entirely out the door before I started toward the counter.

  “What’s going on, Ellie?” Oscar sounded irritated with me. The last time I saw him was when I tried to buy back the four-hundred-year-old pewter cup I’d pawned multiple times. Oscar had already sold it. After doing some snooping in the back, Collin figured out who the buyer was, and we managed to buy it back from her. Had she told Oscar about the whole thing
?

  “What did I do?”

  “Why were there thugs coming in here looking for you?”

  I froze. “What are you talking about?”

  He leaned on the counter. “What kind of trouble have you gotten into?”

  “I . . . I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  He stood up. “Cut the bull crap, Ellie.”

  If he wasn’t so upset with me, I would have teased him about saying “bull crap.” His language was usually more colorful.

  “Let me guess: that guy who was here with you last time has gotten you into a mess.” Oscar shook his head in disgust. “I told you that he was trouble.”

  I shifted my weight, slinging my bag onto my other shoulder.

  His eyes narrowed. “He took you to Buxton, didn’t he?”

  My gaze lowered to the counter.

  “Please tell me you didn’t pawn something to that snake Marino.”

  I looked up with a grimace. “Would you rather I lie?”

  “Ellie.” He sounded more disappointed than angry, driving a knife of guilt into my gut.

  “It wasn’t my fault, Oscar. I wanted to come to you, but Collin took me there before I realized what was happening.” Why were they looking for me at Oscar’s place? It didn’t make sense. Collin had told Marino’s guys I was from Greenville, which was over a hundred miles away. “Are you sure they were looking for me?”

  “They said they were looking for, and I quote, ‘a redheaded spitfire who goes by the name Ellie.’ What do you think?”

  Shit. “But why would they come here?”

  “You told Marino you usually sell to Mikey in Kill Devil Hills. Is that true? Do you sell to that weasel?”

  Shit. I scrunched up my nose and waved my hand. “No. That was a misunderstanding.”

  “A misunderstanding? With Marino?”

  I rolled my eyes. “Look, Oscar, it all happened so fast. I wanted more money than he was offering so I told him my guy in Kill Devil Hills would give me more. He asked if it was Mikey and I didn’t correct him.”

  “I still don’t get why he wants you.”

  This part was embarrassing. “Collin was sort of . . . protective of me, and apparently that’s not normal behavior for him. Collin does regular work for Marino, so he thought if I was important to Collin, there was a financial reason. He thinks I know something about some job.”

  “Do you realize what serious shit you’re in?”

  “Yeah.”

  He grabbed my arm, fear in his eyes. “No, Ellie, I’m not playing around. Do you realize what serious shit you’re in?”

  I swallowed. Marino seemed so tame next to the monsters waiting for me in the darkness, but the fact was that he would kill me in an instant if he didn’t like what I had to say. And he wouldn’t. I didn’t know anything about any job or any other business that would interest him. At least Okeus wanted me alive . . . for now. “Collin said it would blow over in a few weeks.”

  Oscar groaned. “No, Ellie. That’s not the way it works with guys like him. The longer it takes him to find you, the more pissed he becomes. This won’t end well.”

  I looked up at him, defeated. There were too many odds against me in both the physical and spiritual worlds. I glanced at the symbol on my palm, the square and the circle intersecting. Daddy said it represented the connection between the physical and spiritual worlds. I guess it stood to reason that if they were intersected, both would go to shit at the same time. “I don’t know what to do.”

  “Leave town?” He shook his head. “I don’t suppose that will work. You can’t leave your stepmother now, can you?”

  My eyes widened.

  “I heard about your dad, girl. I’m sorry.”

  My eyes burned, and I blinked to keep from crying. “Oh.”

  “Ellie, I’m here for you if there’s anything I can do to help. I’m serious.”

  I flashed him a cocky grin. “All part of the full pawnbroker service.”

  His mouth drooped into a frown. “You know you’re not just one of my regular clients.”

  He was right. Given the number of times I’d pawned the pewter cup, he’d heard my entire tale of woe about my father’s illness. I was certain he gave me more and more money each time because he felt sorry for me. But then I reminded myself that he’d sold the cup—after holding onto it a month longer than he had to—for a whole lot more than he’d given me.

  He lowered his voice. “Go to the police. They’re your best bet right now.”

  “Are you serious?”

  “Yes. I’m dead serious.”

  “That’s going to get . . . messy.”

  “Suck it up. It got messy the minute you walked through Marino’s door.”

  He was probably right, but I didn’t have time to deal with the whole situation. I set the bag on the counter. “I have something to pawn.”

  Oscar unzipped the bag and pulled out the wooden box, setting it on the glass counter. When he opened the lid, he released a soft whistle. “Where did you get . . . ?” His face softened. “Ellie, these belonged to your dad, didn’t they?”

  I swallowed the lump in my throat. “Well, Daddy doesn’t need them anymore, does he? And my stupid piece of shit car is dead on Highway 64 in the Alligator River Wildlife Refuge.” I shoved the box at him. “I don’t think I want to lose them all, but I wanted to see what they’re worth before deciding which ones to sell.”

  He picked up the silver watch and turned it over to examine the back. “I wish you could catch a break, girl.”

  “Yeah, so you say every freaking time I walk in that door, yet here I am again.” I squared my shoulders, refusing to let self-pity creep in. “What are they worth?”

  Oscar studied each watch and after he did some research, he released another low whistle. “I’m not sure I’m the one you want to sell these to. I can give you eight hundred for the silver one and twelve hundred for the gold. But you’d be better off going to a bigger city to sell the other oval one. It’s centuries old. You’re looking at thousands for that piece.”

  “Thousands?”

  “As in it should have its own insurance policy.”

  “Wow.”

  “What do you want to do? Sell one or both?”

  I picked up the gold starry-sky watch. If I was going to sell one of them, it was the logical choice. Chances were my car repair and tow bill would be more than eight hundred dollars. But I just couldn’t part with it. I might have to sell it at some point, but I wanted to hold onto it a little longer. “The silver.”

  As I stuffed the money into my wallet a few minutes later, I glanced at the tattoo on his arm. “Do you have a tattoo artist you can recommend?”

  “Where’d you get the one on your palm? That had to hurt like a son of a bitch.”

  I stretched out my hand. Of course he’d seen it. I couldn’t go through life with my right hand in a fist.

  The mark had appeared the day Collin showed up in the restaurant and touched me, setting this whole disaster in motion. “He’s no longer an option.”

  “Considering the trouble you’re in with Marino, getting a tattoo seems like it should be low on your priority list.”

  I put a hand on my hip. “So you’re not going to recommend one?”

  He scowled. “Rusty, up toward Duck at Purgatory Ink.”

  Purgatory Ink seemed like an appropriate place to commit my soul for all of eternity. “Thanks.” I put the box back in the bag and headed for the exit.

  “Ellie.”

  My palm rested on the door, ready to push it open as I spun at the waist to look at him.

  “Be careful.”

  “I’m always careful.” Or at least the old me had been. Three weeks ago I was a full-time waitress and part-time bed and breakfast employee who dated boring guys. My idea of excitement was driving up to Norfolk, Virginia, to shop at the mall.

  How quickly my life had changed.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  I drove back to Manteo and st
opped at the car repair shop Daddy had always used. Unfortunately, they were used to seeing me walk in their door.

  When I parked and got out of Myra’s car, Bruce, the owner, caught sight of me from inside the garage. He picked up a rag and wiped his hands before approaching me. “Hey, Ellie. You here for your car or Myra’s?”

  I leaned against the side of the sedan. “Mine. It’s waiting for you on Highway 64 in the Alligator River Wildlife Refuge.”

  “So you need it towed?”

  I nodded.

  “What happened?”

  “I don’t know. I drove to Chapel Hill and back. It just lost power and died. I’ve got eight hundred dollars, so see what kind of magic you can work with that.”

  He stuffed his hands in his back pockets. “You should just put your money into a new car. Nickel and diming repairs on that clunker is costing you more in the long run.”

  I lifted my eyebrows with a smirk. “Somebody’s got to keep you in business. And I wouldn’t call five hundred dollars here and seven hundred dollars there ‘nickel and diming.’ You and I both know it would cost me thousands of dollars to get a decent car that’s not going to be in your shop every few weeks. And we also both know that I don’t have it.”

  He looked back at the garage. “I’ll do the best I can to help.” He paused, wiping his stained hands again. “I was sorry to hear about your dad.”

  I resisted the urge to sigh. “Thanks.”

  “He was a great man and one of the pillars of this town before he got sick. He helped me with a zoning permit when I first opened this garage. Did you know that?”

  “No.” It turned out there were all kinds of things about Daddy I’d never known about.

  “I’ll call you when I find something.”

  “Thanks.”

  When I got back in the car, I glanced at the clock. It was almost noon, and I had about eight hours before Claire started to hunt down Collin. I’d rather find him myself than have her go after him.

  Which was probably exactly what she’d planned.

  Before I consciously realized what I was doing, I was crossing the bridge back into Nags Head. It wasn’t the first time I’d done this since we’d opened the gate to Popogusso. This call to the sea was a part of me now.