Witches of Palmetto Point Series Boxset Books 1 - 3: Haunting Charlie, Wayward Spirits and Devil's Snare

by Wendy Wang

“It must have been terrifying and surreal.” Charlie’s mind filled with the image he saw of the victim suspended mid-air by the spikes of her fence. Her stomach churned and she blinked several times until her head cleared it away.

  “You know I hunt. I’ve killed more than my share of deer. Gutted and dressed them, but I’d never seen anything like that before. Made me puke.”

  One corner of his mouth tugged up, and his brown eyes became unfocused. “I always used to tease her that she lived in a fortress, but I guess even that fence and her security system couldn’t really protect her.”

  “What do you mean?” Charlie asked.

  Don shrugged. “When she moved in a year ago, there was a picket fence here. Like the other houses in the neighborhood. You know the type, white, idyllic. I was really surprised when the architectural committee approved that iron thing she put in.”

  “You said she has security cameras?” Jason asked.

  “Yep. She had a ton of cameras installed along with one of the best security systems in the city. I should know because my company sold it to her.”

  “Do you know if that data is recorded and stored somewhere?” Jason wrote something in the notebook on the table in front of him.

  “Yeah. There should be a server in the house.”

  “Um, we didn’t find a server. You wouldn't happen to know where in the house, would you?” Jason paused his pen mid-sentence and glanced up at Don.

  “I can call my company and find out where they installed it. It’s usually installed inside a closet or a panic room.”

  “That would be great.” Jason nodded appreciatively and glanced at Charlie. “Charlie? You have any other questions?”

  Charlie forced a smile. She didn't want to tell him that most of the time, in her experience, spirits often wreaked havoc with electronics. She didn't want him to be disappointed when he pulled the video and found nothing. “No. I think that’s all we need. It’s getting late. We should let Mr. Baker get back to his family now.”

  Jason nodded and tucked his notebook into his pocket.

  “You know I really appreciate you coming with me tonight.” Jason pulled his Dodge Charger into the driveway behind her uncle’s pickup truck and put it into park. He shifted his body and looked at her, resting his hand on the corner of her seat.

  “Any time.” She smiled and put her hand on the handle. She could see there were still lights on in the upstairs bedroom where her son was supposed to be sleeping.

  “That was a really good call. About the eyes. You know he didn't share any of that in his original statement.”

  Charlie tipped her head. “Would anybody have believed him other than me, and maybe you?”

  Jason chuckled. “Probably not.”

  “That’s why you pay me the big bucks. To find out this kind of stuff.” She smiled but it faded fast when something behind Jason's head caught her eye. Something terrifyingly familiar stared into the car window — eyes of amber fire, floating in the dark shadows of a hood. Her heart hammered against her breastbone, traveling its way to the back of her throat. The curve of the silvery blade glinted in the moonlight. The reaper leaned down and his bony fingers moved through the glass of the window and rested on the door. Charlie's breath caught in her throat.

  “I guess I should get out of here and let you get some sleep.”

  “Don’t move.” Charlie's hand drifted toward Jason, dangling, palm up.

  “Okay. What is it?” Jason's face shifted to concern. She closed her eyes, steadied her breath, and he took her hand.

  “Just do as I say, okay?” she said opening her eyes again.

  “Oh-kay.”

  The reaper’s fingers reached for Jason’s head and Charlie yanked him forward toward her.

  “You get out of here right now!”

  “What?” Jason recoiled a little at the force of her voice and his fingers loosened around her hand. Charlie grabbed on tighter, not allowing him to pull away.

  She fixed her gaze on his face and lowered her voice. “Don’t move.”

  “You just told me to get out of here.” Jason sounded irritated.

  “I wasn’t talking to you. Just stay here,” she whispered. The reaper's other hand appeared on the car door and he leaned in. His gaze bounced from her to Jason and then to their joined hands. Charlie bolted straight up and pulled Jason so far over he was almost in her lap.

  “You! Outside! Now!” Anger surged through her. The reaper’s gaze met hers. Charlie held her breath. Would he raise his scythe and cut them both down in one swift motion? A silky laugh echoed through her head, and the reaper nodded and pulled his head out of the car.

  Jason's mouth opened with shock. His brows tugged together forming a deep line between them. “Charlie, what is it?”

  “There’s someone behind you,” she said softly. Jason’s eyes shifted right. “Do I need a weapon?”

  “No,” Charlie shook her head “I need you to just stay here a minute, okay? If something happens to me . . . ”

  Jason still held her hand and he squeezed it hard. “Maybe I should come with you.”

  “No. Stay here. If something happens to me, just run to my uncle’s house and get my cousins.”

  “Charlie – ”

  She let go of his hand and scrambled out of the car, leaving him to gape after her. The reaper glided over the top of the car and loomed up in front of her. She stared up at him.

  “What part of get-out-of-here did you not understand?” She pointed toward the road. He leaned in close, and she almost lost her nerve. The stench of his breath felt cool on her face, and his eyes fixed her to the spot. He raised his hand, which was not the skeleton that was often portrayed in art and literature. It looked almost human. The skin was paler than anything she’d ever seen, a bloodless gray, and it covered long thin protruding bones. There was a faded gray tattoo she couldn’t quite make out stamped into the back of it. He brought his gnarled fingers toward her face and brushed them across her cheek. He nodded, gliding backward until he melted into the surrounding darkness of the woods.

  Charlie's legs almost gave out as soon as the reaper was gone. Suddenly the air in her lungs burned. She’d been holding her breath. Her chest heaved, and she tried to take in fresh air but she couldn’t seem to get her lungs to work.

  Oh my god. Oh my god! I’ve been marked! I’ve been marked!

  Pain, hot and sharp, seared through her chest. Her hand flew out and found the car door. A moment later Jason was beside her lifting her up by her elbow.

  “Can’t breathe — ” she choked out the words, pressing her hand against her chest. He slung her arm over his shoulders and wrapped his arm around her waist, supporting her. Her legs dragged on the ground as he tried to move her forward and he scooped her up into his arms.

  “Help! Somebody!” Jason’s shouts sounded panicked but she couldn’t comfort him. Tears squeezed from the sides of her eyes and a pebble formed in her throat growing larger. The world around her grayed at the edges.

  Jason carried her up the steps. The old screen door opened with a squeal.

  “Jason?” Jen’s soft voice penetrated the haze filling Charlie’s brain.

  “Call 911. She can’t breathe.”

  “Daddy!” Jen shouted. “Something’s happened to Charlie. Get your bag!”

  “Bring her in here.” Evangeline directed him to the dining room. He put Charlie in one of the large armchairs at the end of the table.

  A moment later her uncle Jack appeared with his black medical bag. He knelt in front of her and began to examine her.

  “Charlie, can you tell me what happened?” her uncle said in a gentle and strangely dispassionate voice.

  Charlie gulped in air and stared into her uncle’s sharp blue eyes. How on earth was she supposed to explain to him that she had just told off Death? And that for her impertinence he marked her? She searched her aunt and cousins’ faces. Charlie shook her head and continued to gasp for breath.

  “All right, can yo
u tell me where it hurts, exactly?”

  Charlie tapped her fingers against her breastbone just under her throat. Her uncle Jack nodded and pressed his mouth into a straight line. “Is this a sharp pain or dull pain? Is it throbbing? Does it radiate outward?”

  “It’s sharp,” Charlie said between gulped breaths. “I can hear my heart in my ears.”

  Her uncle nodded his head. He gently took her wrist and pressed his finger against her pulse. “Sweetie, you're not having a heart attack.”

  “I'm not?”

  “Nope. You’re having a good old-fashioned panic attack. Can you tell me what brought this on? What happened?”

  Her shoulders slumped, and the pain in her chest faded to a dull throb. There were just some things that were better left unsaid when it came to her uncle. While he recognized that his daughters, nieces, and even his sister-in-law were all exceptional in inexplicable ways, there was an unspoken rule. Never tell Jack the truth about their unique abilities. Charlie glanced at Jason. His eyes were pinched at the corners and he watched her carefully. “I don’t know. Nothing, I guess. Nothing real.”

  Jack pressed his palm against Charlie's cheek and gave it a gentle pat. “You're gonna be okay, sweetie.” He pushed to his feet and kissed her forehead. “Jason, I think the ladies here need to chat for a few minutes. I don't know about you but I need a drink. I got some scotch and Jack. Pick your poison.”

  Jason knelt in front of Charlie. “Was it anything we talked about earlier?”

  Charlie breathed easier now. She shook her head. “No. Nothing like that.”

  “You sure you’re gonna be okay?” Jason asked.

  “I’m fine.” She gave him a reassuring smile. “Go on with Uncle Jack. I’m sorry I scared you.”

  “I’m just glad you’re all right.” Jason put his hand on hers and gave it a squeeze.

  Charlie’s fingers grabbed onto his hand, not letting him get up. “You're not driving, if you’re drinking,” Charlie said. “You’ll stay here tonight. Okay?”

  Jason opened his mouth to argue.

  “Charlie’s right,” Jen said. “No drinking and driving. I’ll make up the couch for you.”

  Jason offered a defeated smile. “Yes ma'am.” He rose to his feet and followed Jack out of the room.

  Lisa peeked around the corner, holding her hand in the air, signaling them to wait to start their conversation. “Okay – door’s closed. We can talk.”

  Jen, Lisa’s sister pulled up a chair next to Charlie. Concern etched lines into her delicate elfin face and her large blue eyes darkened. “What happened?”

  A breathy nervous laugh escaped Charlie's lips. “It was stupid really. A reaper appeared, and I thought he was going to hurt Jason.”

  Jen’s dark eyebrows raised and shock smoothed the lines of her face. “A reaper?”

  “What do you mean?” All the color drained from Lisa’s already pale skin. She folded her arms across her chest.

  “I saw one a few days ago, when I was helping Jason on another case. A missing child.”

  “Oh good goddess,” Evangeline muttered. She took a seat in the chair next to Jen.

  “Is this the first one that you've seen since —.” Jen’s voice trailed off but Charlie finished the sentence in her head. In April, Jen had helped Charlie call a reaper to dispose of a tricky spirit. They’d all been on edge about the decision ever since.

  “No,” Charlie said softly. “I've seen him two other times. Once when I was at work and once when I was at the mall with Evan. Both those times he was at a distance, and he didn't seem to acknowledge me at all.”

  “Well, he’s acknowledging you now,” Lisa said.

  “I don’t know what happened exactly. He was reaching for Jason, and I just snapped. I couldn’t let him hurt Jason.”

  “What did you do?” Jen’s usually gentle voice sharpened.

  “I yelled at him. I told him to get out. To get off the property.”

  “And he just . . . did it?” Lisa asked, her tone incredulous.

  Evangeline covered her mouth with one hand and grabbed hold of the small leather pouch hanging round her neck. “What were you thinking?”

  “Evidently, I wasn't,” Charlie said. “He touched me.” Her hand drifted to her cheek where the back of the reaper’s hand had brushed across her skin. Tears stung the back of her throat and she sniffled. “I think he may have marked me for death.”

  “I told you girls it was a bad idea.” Evangeline shook her head. “I told you, you shouldn't be messing with such forces.”

  “It’s gonna be all right.” Jen wrapped an arm around Charlie’s shoulders. “We’re gonna figure something out.”

  Charlie let the tears spill on to her cheek and buried her face in her cousin’s neck. “How? He’s Death for crying out loud. If he wants me dead. I’m dead.”

  “Okay, let’s just think about this for a minute.” Lisa raised her hands up as if to put a stop to their crazy talk. “You just said when Death comes for you, he comes for you.” She paused and her green eyes squinted as if she were trying to think of the right words. “He doesn’t wait. If he wanted you dead, you’d be dead. That you’re not dead speaks volumes about his intent.”

  “Spoken like lawyer,” Jen muttered.

  “‘Cause I am a lawyer,” Lisa shot back.

  Charlie took in a deep breath and blew it out. Lisa was right. She had to be. “Then what does he want with me?”

  Lisa hugged her arms around her waist, her face solemn. “I don’t know. We’ll have to figure that out.”

  Chapter 5

  Charlie pulled her feet beneath the shade of the umbrella and shifted in her chair. The wood creaked, and she marveled at it. She ran her hand over the oiled teak arm of the steamer chair. It was smooth and glossy and reminded her of the chairs that her grandmother Bunny used to drag out to the beach. “You don’t have to spend a million bucks to feel like a million bucks, Charlie girl,” Bunny had said. Bunny would sit beneath a big red umbrella and watch Charlie play in the waves until the tide came in. Sometimes the old woman would bring a fishing pole and cast a line, and they’d have fresh fried whiting for dinner. Charlie smiled at the memory, halfway expecting her grandmother to show up. Sometimes Bunny visited her in her dreams.

  Warm summer air blew across the beach, shifting the sand a little. Charlie opened her mouth and breathed deeply. The taste of salt brine coated her tongue. She sat up straight and looked up and down the beach. There was no crowd, which was strange for a sunny summer day. She looked right and then left. A jetty of large granite rocks jutted out into the ocean. There were no landmarks to tell her which beach she was on. But since this was a dream, maybe it didn’t matter which beach. She leaned back against the wooden slats of the chair and stared out at the waves crashing.

  “Hey mom.” Evan came up from behind her startling her. He wore bright orange and navy surf trunks and a long-sleeved rash guard. Scott had taught Evan to surf on their last vacation together as a family in Hawaii. Surfing was possible off the coast of South Carolina, but the water was smooth as glass today. Evan picked up a boogie board leaning against the empty steamer chair next to her. He tucked it under his arm. She smiled and grabbed hold of his free hand. His blond hair glowed almost white in the sunlight, and his blue eyes glittered against his tan skin.

  “You be careful.”

  He pulled away from her. “I will.”

  She blinked and Evan was already at the water’s edge. This was definitely a dream.

  The sand was whiter than any beach she’d ever been on and everything shined like she was looking at a glossy postcard. She breathed deep, inhaling the salt air. The muscles in her shoulders and neck relaxed.

  “Don’t get too comfortable.” A silky voice came from behind her. A chill skittered across her shoulders despite the heat of the afternoon. Slowly she turned her head and looked up to find his dark shadowy figure beside her. He glided across the sand, robes blowing in the wind, heading toward the water. To
ward Evan. Charlie bolted upright, her gaze locking on her son as he stood up, with his back to the ocean and waved at her. The ocean shifted from smooth to turbulent in a blink. A white-capped swell grew larger and larger behind Evan. If it crested and broke, it would knock him over. Evan was a strong swimmer. He’d learned early and got into the water every chance he got, but it wouldn’t be enough to combat the size of the wave or the swiftness of the current. Charlie jumped to her feet and raced toward the water’s edge, waving her arms. “Evan, come out of the water!”

  The reaper stopped between Evan and her, throwing a glance over his shoulder. His amber eyes shimmered, crystalline fire in the shadow of his hood. He grinned, revealing shiny white teeth in a frightening leer. “Evan come out of the water, right this minute! Ev — ” His name died on her lips just as the waves broke over her his head, knocking him forward. Her heart leapt into her throat, a hard rock of fear, blocking her breath and voice. She launched herself toward him, but her feet sank into hot sand, sucking her toes downward, making it impossible to move. Evan disappeared beneath the water, swallowed by the waves. The reaper’s laugh slithered through her head, and she finally found her voice.

  When Charlie awoke, she wasn't sure if she had screamed out loud or not. She sat up and listened to the room, to the house for any sign someone had heard her. There were no footsteps in the hall. No voices asking who had cried out. She placed her hand on her chest and breathed in deeply through her nose and out through her mouth. It was just a dream. A stupid, bad dream.

  After a few moments, her heartbeat normalized. She glanced at the clock. The red numbers read 4:02 AM. She heard something clank downstairs. The smoky scent of bacon drifted through her senses. Jen. Her cousin kept ungodly hours but Charlie understood why. Jen would have to be at her restaurant soon to prepare for the breakfast crowd. The doors opened at 6:30 AM, and there were customers to feed.

  Charlie swept the quilts off her legs and got up. She quickly made the bed, wrapped herself in a pale blue cotton robe and headed downstairs. Maybe she could catch Jen before she left.