by Joyce
“You shouldn’t bother doing extra protection spells on this place,” Brian said. “You could sell all this stuff on eBay and make a fortune. You don’t even need the building. Come into the twenty-first century.”
He didn’t realize how important the physical presence of Smuggler’s Arcane was to us. The shop wasn’t just about making money—good thing, because we’d never made much. It was important to us, and it was a hub for other witches in Wilmington. They came here for supplies and gossip, not to mention for a place to feel safe and welcome. We couldn’t do that on the Internet.
“I like you, Brian,” Elsie said. “But don’t ever say anything like that again or I’ll decapitate you with my sword.”
“I’m not worried about your sword,” he mocked. “I have a wand.”
“And good luck using it once I chop it to bits with my sword.” Elsie held her large sword in the air.
“Let’s just agree to strengthen our protection spells here, and at our houses,” I said. “Cassandra gave us a heads-up. Let’s use it appropriately.”
We agreed on that—Brian more reluctantly than the rest of us.
“I expect a large crowd here today, stocking up for the full moon festival,” Elsie said. “I wish it wasn’t such a bad time for Larry. He could come too.”
“A bad time?” Olivia sniped. “A werewolf during a full moon is more than a bad time.”
“You know he’s vegetarian and hasn’t killed or eaten anyone in over twenty years.” Elsie defended her new boyfriend. “That means something to most people.”
“I think you’re right about there being a big crowd today,” I intervened before the discussion got out of hand. “We have ninety minutes before we’re supposed to open. I suggest we visit each of our houses before then, do a thorough blessing and strengthen the protection spells already there. Then we can come back here and do the same between customers.”
“I like that idea,” Dorothy agreed. “Brian, do you have your new place set up yet?”
Brian had decided to quit Cape Fear Community College and move out of the apartment he’d shared with a few other students.
He wasn’t as forthcoming as the rest of us, so we didn’t always know what was going on in his life. It was awkward not having a real commitment from him to be a member of our coven, not to mention not knowing how he felt about us. We didn’t want to tell him to commit or leave—he might still decide to stay.
“My place is okay. I’m still working on it,” he said. “But I don’t need any blessings or extra protection spells. I’m good. I’ll be glad to help you ladies with yours, if you’d like.”
Dorothy’s brown eyes gazed admiringly at him. “That would be wonderful of you, Brian. My magic has a long way to go to be as powerful as yours.”
Elsie and Olivia both sighed. Heavily.
After raising a son, I was used to the young male ego. There was no point in antagonizing him. He wasn’t committed to us—but he obviously enjoyed something about being here with us—hopefully not only Dorothy. I still had hopes that the bond would strengthen among us and he would become our second new witch.
“That sounds great.” I glanced at my watch. “Let’s get going. We’ll start at Dorothy’s.”
As the words came out of my mouth, Joe texted me. Meet me at the house in ten?
My stomach was immediately in knots. That’s the way it had been since the night he’d called me his little witch. I knew eventually that I’d feel safe again, but it was going to be a while.
I returned his text. See you there.
“Change of plans.” I put away my cell phone. “Does anyone care if we start at my house?”
Dorothy had her own car but decided to ride with Brian in his Corvette. She asked me if Olivia could go with Elsie and me. Olivia went wherever her rune staff went. It didn’t matter to me, but I knew Olivia wouldn’t be pleased.
That was putting it mildly.
After Smuggler’s Arcane was locked with key and magic, we got into my car. Elsie didn’t drive. I put Olivia’s staff in the backseat.
“This is just not fair, girls,” our ghostly friend railed. “I’ve only had my daughter for a few months, and that man is trying to get between us.”
Elsie rolled her eyes as she tried to lock her seat belt in place. “Welcome to having a child. You barely make it out of diapers and soccer games before they want to move out on their own. Of course, if you’re lucky, you get grandchildren—but not always. In my case, you get a bitter child who lost her husband too young and had to move back in.”
“I know I didn’t get to be there for Dorothy as she was growing up, but you know I had no choice. If Drago had found her when she was young, he would have completely corrupted her and made her as evil as he is. At least that didn’t happen.”
I could see Olivia’s pouting features in my rearview mirror. “We know you had to protect her. And I’m sorry you might not have had much time alone with her, Olivia. You’ll have to make the best of what you have.”
I started the car and drove toward my house. It was drizzling. I hoped the weather would be better for the full moon festival. If not, we had a few witches with strong weather-magic abilities who lived in town. They might be able to help out.
“You know I love Brian,” Olivia said. “But he hasn’t committed to us. Why are we letting him hang around and complicate our lives?”
“Because he’s the best shot we have at a second witch right now,” Elsie answered. “He hasn’t committed, but he’s there all the time. He participates even though he has a snarky attitude. I like him. I hope he stays around.’
“I agree with Elsie,” I said with a look at Olivia’s face. “Brian is unstable, but we could train him. And I think he likes us too.”
“I just can’t believe it.” Olivia was outraged. “Are you choosing him over me?”
“He’s a lot better looking.” Elsie laughed. “Don’t forget, you brought him into our lives. You’re just upset because you had relations with him, and now he wants to do it with your daughter.”
“Molly!” Olivia appealed to me. “Are you going to let her talk to me that way?”
“We both know she’s right about how you feel.” I tried to take the high road. “I know it’s more than you possibly having a son-in-law that you had sex with, but it’s the heart of the matter.”
I pulled the car into my driveway. Joe’s SUV was already there. I kept reminding myself that, if the council had heard him call me a witch, they would already have acted. I had to stop worrying about it all the time.
“You might as well take my staff and drop it in the Atlantic,” Olivia moaned pitifully. “No one cares about me anymore now that I’m dead.”
I was happy to get out of the car.
Joe walked out of the garage. He had a look on his handsome face that I knew so well. It said, Something’s wrong.
I hugged him right away in case he was about to say anything that involved witchcraft before I could protect him. “Not here,” I whispered close to his ear. “Not now.”
He moved his head back to look into my face. His thick black hair was threaded with silver and his dark brown eyes were concerned. “Is something wrong?” he whispered back.
“Maybe. Is everything okay with you?”
“Something weird has happened. I wanted you to know about it right away.”
I squared my shoulders, ready for the worst. “We’ll handle it. I won’t let them take you.”
His brows knit together. “Molly, I think we’re talking about different things. I brought my new partner home to meet you.”
I saw the older woman approaching from behind him and felt a huge sense of relief. “Why didn’t you say so?” I moved away from him and held out my hand to the other woman. “I’m Molly Renard. It’s very nice to meet you.”
The other woman grasped my
hand in a firm grip. “Hi Molly. I’m Suzanne Renard. It’s a pleasure to meet you too.”
CHAPTER 3
Smoke of air and earth,
Cleanse and bless,
Chase away harm and fear.
May only good be here.
I admitted to being at a complete loss for words.
I recognized the name—Suzanne was Joe’s first wife.
They had divorced thirty-one years ago, give or take. He’d only been married to her a short time. We’d never met, because she’d been out of his life before he and I were a couple.
How was this possible?
Joe laughed nervously. I could feel Elsie, Olivia, Brian and Dorothy at my back. I knew they were all wondering what was going on. I couldn’t remember if I’d shared Suzanne’s name with Olivia and Elsie. She’d only been a small blip on my radar, and it had been so long ago.
“Hi.” Joe smiled at my friends. “Would you mind if I take Molly into the house for a minute so we can talk?”
“Not at all,” Elsie said. “We’ll just talk to your new partner. What did you say your name was? You know how older people don’t always remember things.”
Joe’s new partner raised her voice. “Suzanne. I’m Suzanne Renard.”
I guess I’d told Olivia and Elsie about Joe’s ex-wife. I could tell from Elsie’s voice that she knew who Suzanne was. That only left Brian and Dorothy in confusion.
Joe grabbed my hand and we went inside. As soon as the door was closed, I didn’t hold back. “Why is she here?”
“See, that’s the weird thing,” he explained. “Suzanne was with the Wilmington police when we met. You knew that. She got a new job in Charleston for a while, and finally ended up in Savannah.”
“You’re right. This is weird.” That’s putting it mildly. “And now?”
“We’re working on a possible serial homicide case. The killer seems to be slowly moving up the coast, killing young men. We had a possible death from this killer two days ago, right here. Because the murders started in Savannah, the police commissioner there loaned us someone familiar with the case—Suzanne. I don’t have a partner right now. I was the obvious choice to work with her while we solve this. Weird, huh?”
“‘Weird’ isn’t the word I’d use.” Ridiculous. Stupid. Impossible. “Doesn’t the department have a policy against relatives working together?”
“Suzanne and I aren’t technically relatives, since we’ve been divorced a long time. Captain Phillips doesn’t think there’ll be a problem, because I assured him there wouldn’t be.” He put his arms around me. “Come on, Molly. I don’t even know her anymore. I’ve spent most of my life with you.”
Sometimes it still rankled that I’d known he was the one for me the moment I’d met him, but he’d married Suzanne first. I had to remind myself that I was a witch, and Joe wasn’t. He wasn’t as attuned to nature as I was.
“I’ll be fine,” I said in my old schoolteacher’s voice. I used the tone sometimes when my emotions were in turmoil.
“Hey.” He put his hand under my chin. “Don’t use ‘the voice’ on me. This is only for a short time. I know you’re not worried about anything happening between Suzanne and me, right?”
I smiled, pleased that he knew me well enough to hear how I sounded. “Really, Joe. I’ll be fine. Just be careful out there with a serial killer on the loose. Wilmington doesn’t see much of that.”
“Lucky for me this serial killer only seems interested in young men in their twenties. It’s a very specific group of people who are being targeted. I’ll be fine as long as you are.” He kissed me lightly. “Was there something you needed to tell me?”
“Not here. Later. We’ll have to talk tonight.”
“Okay. Suzanne and I have to go to a joint task force meeting about the killings. There’s more than one law enforcement group involved. It’s kind of stupid really, because we don’t know for sure that it’s the same person committing these murders.”
“What makes them think it’s a serial killer?” I thought about what Cassandra had told us at the shop. I hoped the two problems weren’t the same. People like Joe and Suzanne, who didn’t possess magic, didn’t do well against people who did.
“It’s complicated. I don’t want to keep your friends waiting while I explain. I’ll see you later, and we’ll talk about all of it, okay?”
“Sure. Will you be home for dinner?” I was in the habit of asking, even though I knew he wouldn’t know until right before he headed home.
“Maybe.” He shrugged. “I’ll let you know. I love you, Molly.”
I hugged him hard. “I love you too.”
He started out the door, looking at the people waiting for us in the driveway before going out. “Molly, don’t I know that young man from somewhere? My Spidey senses are tingling looking at him.”
“You’ve met him. He dated Olivia for a while.” He was a murder suspect for a short time too. “He’s spending some time with us at the shop.”
“Just be careful who you get involved with right now. A good con man can take advantage of a situation like this.”
“Thanks.” I smiled at his concern. “I’ll be careful.”
We went back outside together.
Suzanne grasped my hand again. “Molly, I know how strange this must be for you. It’s strange for me too. I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t really important. And I’ll be a good partner for Joe. I’ll make sure nothing happens to him.”
Olivia, Elsie, Dorothy, Brian and I watched as Joe and Suzanne climbed into the SUV and left. It was so quiet for a moment that I could hear birds chirping in the backyard plum tree.
Then the dam burst. “What in the world was that all about, Molly?” Olivia started first.
“Molly, isn’t that woman Joe’s ex-wife?” Elsie demanded.
“Wait!” Dorothy blinked. “Joe was married before Molly? But they’ve been married forever.”
“Could we go ahead and get the spells done?” Brian asked. “I have an appointment this afternoon. I want to look my best for the full moon ceremony tomorrow.”
“Let’s go inside and talk about it.” I glanced nervously around the yard. I never felt safe anymore.
Once we were in the house, Elsie insisted on making more tea, and that meant dragging out some orange cookies I’d made. I explained everything that Joe had told me. They absorbed it like the orange cookie absorbed the tea.
“You aren’t going to let this happen, are you?” Olivia asked. “Those orange cookies smell so good. It’s not fair that ghosts can’t eat.”
“You could pretend.” Dorothy held up a cookie. “Just lean over like you’re taking a bite. Mmm. Good, huh?”
“I’m sorry, honey. But it’s just not the same. Thank you for thinking of me.” Olivia managed a small air hug for her daughter.
“It sounds to me like Joe is talking about the same thing Cassandra warned us about today,” Elsie said. “I hope someone else finds this killer before him. I suppose it would be all right if Suzanne finds him first. If she were dead, she couldn’t come back and work with Joe again.”
I patted Elsie on the shoulder. I knew she was only thinking of my happiness. Her late husband, Bill, had been a salesman and a cheat. He’d used every opportunity to sleep around. Elsie had known but had stayed with him for the sake of her daughter. Before she could divorce him, he’d died.
Joe wasn’t like Bill. I knew that. Bill had even flirted with Olivia and me. Joe was steady and serious. I wasn’t sure he had any idea what flirting was. I’d practically had to hit him over the head to get him to notice me thirty years ago. I believed him when he said that I didn’t have to worry about Suzanne and him.
At least as far as he was concerned. I wasn’t sure about Suzanne, not to mention a possible witch serial killer in town. What else could happen?
CHAPTER 4
I am the moon and stars,
I am the richness of the earth,
I am all that was and ever shall be,
I am mistress of the night.
We did a quick blessing and protection spell on my house. My familiar, Isabelle, wasn’t comfortable with so many people being there. She knew everyone, but she never liked a crowd. Maybe it was because her spirit inside the large, long-haired gray cat was that of a witch from the 1600s who’d been burned at the stake. That seemed reason enough to be uncomfortable in a crowd to me.
Elsie had asked to borrow a purple velvet hat that I rarely wore. She wanted to wear it to the full moon celebration. Dorothy and Brian went on to meet us at her house—this time with Olivia in the car—despite Dorothy’s pleas to leave her mother there with us.
A person could only handle so much in one day. I felt as though I were reaching my limits too.
I grabbed the purple hat off the shelf in the closet as Elsie drank the last of the tea and ate the last orange cookie in the kitchen. I turned to leave the bedroom, and the Bone Man of Oak Island was standing right in front of me.
I took a step back. I’d never seen him anywhere but on the island. Why was he here in my bedroom?
He didn’t say anything—he didn’t have to. His visage spoke for him. He was at least seven feet tall and as thin as a young tree. His joints stuck out all over. His head was too small for the rest of his body, and his empty black eyes stared right through me.
He wore dried bones around his neck and an old black suit of a fashion that had been popular two hundred years ago. I’d often wondered if he’d stolen it from one of the graves on the island.
Or was it his? No one was sure if the Bone Man was alive or dead.
His mouth was stained red. No one I’d ever spoken to knew why, and we were all afraid to ask. Witches frequently went to him to make trades or ask his advice. His secrets were those of a man caught between our world and the next.
There was disagreement about his status in the magic community. A witch knew when she was conversing with another witch or magical creature. The Bone Man was neither. While we all believed he had magic, none of us knew what kind of magic it was. He was respected and feared by all of us.