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

by Wendy Wang

  “It's only 10:30,” Lisa said, looking at the expensive gold watch on her wrist.

  “Okay, breakfast then.” Daphne argued.

  “I'm with Daphne,” Charlie said. “All I’ve had is coffee.”

  “I could eat,” Jen said.

  “All right, let’s eat then.” Lisa folded up her pillow, shoving it between her head and the window. She closed her eyes. “Wake me when we get there.”

  Charlie drove Daphne's Ford Explorer up the steep gravel driveway because she had the most experience using four-wheel drive. Daphne’s round face pinched with panic and she held tight to the oh-shit-bar above her door. The others breathed an overdue sigh of relief once Charlie made it to the top and pulled into the large parking area to the side of the little cabin they’d rented. Charlie pulled alongside an ancient Jeep Cherokee already parked there. Daphne had called the rental company, and the woman had agreed to give them the key early.

  An older woman dressed in tan pants and a thick flannel buffalo plaid shirt over a t-shirt waved at them from the top step of the wide front porch. Daphne hopped out of the truck and headed up the steps.

  Daphne greeted the woman. “Hi, Marion. Thank you so much for meeting us.”

  Marion smiled. “My pleasure.” A few moments later, Charlie, Jen and Lisa joined Daphne on the steps. “I went ahead and got everything turned on and pulled all the covers from the furniture. It's been closed all winter. So there’s still a little nip in the air inside. But I turned up the heat and made sure the water was running okay.”

  “Thank you. We appreciate that.” Charlie turned around and took a deep breath of the cool, pine-scented air. The cabin sat halfway up a hill. Looking out over the tops of the evergreen trees, Charlie could see the soft blue mountains stretching into the distance and the gorge where the nearby river ran. “My gosh, it’s beautiful here.”

  “Well, we like it,” Marion mused.

  Charlie noticed a trail leading through the trees at the edge of the cabin’s tiny yard. “Where does that trail lead?”

  “Well, either up the mountain or down toward the river. Just depends on whether you turn right or left,” Marion said, using a matter-of-fact tone.

  “How far up does the mountain go?” Jen asked.

  “Another mile or so,” Marion said. “There are a couple more cabins nestled up there.”

  “And we can get to the river directly from here?” Daphne asked.

  “Yes. But you’ll want to make sure you stay on this side of the river. It’s been a warm winter, so not much snow, but we’ve had plenty of rain lately and the river is higher than normal,” Marion added.

  A distant ping went off in Charlie’s head and she looked at the woman squarely. There was something Marion was specifically not saying. An image of thick trees with a tangled canopy flashed through Charlie’s mind and a sharp, cold pang filled her chest. “What’s on the other side of the river?”

  “Oh, you don’t want to go over there.” Marion’s lips curved into an awkward smile. “The trees are thick and there’s lots of dead-fall. People have gotten hurt or lost in those woods.”

  “Devil’s Snare?” Daphne sounded more intrigued than wary.

  Marion shifted her feet and glanced over toward the path. “Yes, that’s what they call it.”

  “Is it true that if people go in they don't come out?” Daphne asked.

  “People get lost all the time in the woods but most of the time they're found. A little tired, a little hungry, a little scared. I don't think we've had anybody completely disappear in those woods in probably a good ten years.”

  Charlie’s internal lie detector went off again. She forced a smile. “Is there anything else we should be careful of?”

  Marion’s round, weathered face softened. “No, not really. Just that check out is at nine AM Saturday morning. I've left a little map on the dining table inside with instructions on how to get to my office, and you can drop off the key in the box attached to the door if I’m not there.”

  “Thank you so much for everything,” Daphne said.

  “Well, thank you ladies for renting from us. There's a local grocer down the mountain — DuPont's. Or you can go toward Hendersonville and find a regular supermarket.”

  “Okay, wonderful.” Jen planted her hands on her slim hips.

  “There are also couple of restaurants downtown that are pretty good. Garamond's Café is one of my favorites. And if you're looking for fancier fare, there's Springhill Restaurant and Spa. It overlooks the river and is a little more expensive, of course, but it's nice. Real nice.”

  “Well, thank you. We really appreciate the suggestions,” Charlie said.

  “Anytime. And don’t hesitate to call me if you have any questions.”

  Daphne smiled. “We won’t.” The three women watched as Marion made her way down the steps, got into her truck and took off slowly down the precarious driveway.

  “Okay, let's get the car unpacked.” Jen clapped her hands together. “Then I want to get to the grocery store and get supplies.”

  “And margarita mix,” Lisa chimed in.

  “And we should fire up that hot tub, too,” Daphne said, pointing to the covered tub on the end of the porch overlooking the view.

  “Sounds like a plan,” Charlie said, heading back to the car to unload the suitcases from the back of the SUV.

  The blender whirred, pulverizing the ice and rum that Jen added to a slurry of mint, sugar syrup and lime juice. When she seemed satisfied with the results, she poured the frozen Mojito mixture into four cocktail glasses and topped each one with a fresh mint leaf.

  “Charlie, can you help me carry these outside?” Jen asked.

  “Of course.” Charlie threw the towel in her hands over her shoulder and grabbed two of the glasses. Jen took the other two, and they headed out to the front porch.

  Lisa and Daphne had already turned on the hot tub and lowered themselves into it. The six-foot diameter round tub was sunken into the porch and only a foot-tall lip protruded, reminding Charlie of an oak bucket.

  Lisa was submerged up to her neck and leaned against the hot tub wall with her eyes closed. Daphne sat up straighter, holding the travel book just above the water, reading it intently.

  “Daphne, put that away,” Jen scolded as she leaned down and handed Daphne her drink. “We can look up things to do later.”

  “There are some gem mines not too far from here. You can buy a bucket of dirt and pan through it.” She closed the book and rested it on top of the hot tub. Daphne took a long sip and winced, grabbing her forehead. “Brain freeze.”

  “Sip it slower,” Lisa said not opening her eyes.

  Jen carefully stepped down onto the round ledge of the tub’s seating before letting herself slip up to her waist into the steaming, bubbling water. She took a seat between Lisa and Daphne, settling her back against one of the jets.

  “Here ya go.” Charlie handed Lisa her drink.

  Lisa sat up and took the glass. She took a cautious sip then let out a deep breath. “I could get used to this.”

  “I don’t think there’s room on your balcony for a hot tub,” Daphne quipped. She balanced her glass on the edge of the hot tub and picked up her book again. She slipped the second book she’d brought from the inside cover and began to read.

  “And it’s too hot for one of these most of the year,” Jen added.

  “I know,” Lisa said. “Still it’s nice.”

  Charlie stepped into the hot water and carefully lowered herself to the seat opposite Daphne. She sipped on her drink and let the hot water rush around her body, relaxing her tight muscles. “So, what’s so interesting about that book you can’t put it down?”

  “I don’t know. It’s just really sad, I guess. This poor girl was blamed for something she didn’t even do.”

  Lisa took another sip of her Mojito. “Well, people are ignorant and superstitious.”

  Daphne closed the books and put them back on the ledge. “One legend sa
ys she didn’t really die, and that she lures people onto her property and feasts on them,” Daphne said, sounding simultaneously titillated and horrified.

  “Well, of course she does,” Lisa said sarcastically. “What witch doesn’t resort to cannibalism?”

  Charlie put her drink on the tub’s ledge and scooted to the end of the seat, submerging her shoulders under the water. Her cheeks filled with heat despite the cool outdoor air. “Do you think there’s a candy house involved?”

  Jen giggled. “Yes, I’m sure there’s candy involved.”

  “Oh my god, you’ve had two sips of your drink and you’re already drunk.” Lisa sounded appalled but the curve of her mouth gave her away. She continued to tease her sister. “What a lightweight.”

  “Well, we can’t all be a lush like you,” Daphne snapped.

  “Hey!” Lisa sat up straight, splashing hot water on Jen and Charlie. “Just because I drink a couple glasses of wine a week doesn’t make me a lush.”

  “Come on, you two,” Charlie said. “This is supposed to be a relaxing, non-stressful week.”

  “You’re right.” Daphne shook her head, blinking. “I don’t know where that came from. I don’t think you’re a lush. Snappish maybe. Definitely a know-it-all,” she said earnestly. “But not a lush. I’m sorry.”

  “Okay.” It took a minute for Lisa to stop frowning and relax back into the water again.

  “Say you forgive her,” Jen said.

  “What?” Lisa looked at Jen as if she’d grown a second head.

  “Say you forgive her.” Jen repeated. “She just apologized.”

  “Fine.” Lisa rolled her eyes. “I accept your apology. You’re forgiven.”

  “Thank you.” Daphne jutted her chin in a self-satisfied way. She trained her blue-green eyes on Charlie and smiled slyly. “Speaking of forgiving. When are you going to forgive Tom?”

  “Yeah, Charlie?” Jen asked. “When are you going forgive Tom?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe never. Why do you care?” Charlie pulled her legs up close to her chest. Her knees protruded from the water and the cool air struck her skin causing immediate goose bumps.

  “He always looks so mopey when he comes into the café.” Jen’s speech slurred a little.

  “Well, he’s a lying liar, so he may win you over with his mopey face, but he’s not gonna win me.” Charlie straightened her back in defiance.

  “You know nobody shows their real face,” Daphne said. “Trust me. I’m queen of glamours. I personally don’t blame him for keeping it from you.”

  “Well, I do.”

  “He is a nice guy,” Jen mused. Her eyes blinked long and slow. “He always over-tips, too.”

  “Come on. Y’all can’t be serious,” Lisa piped up. “He’s a reaper and he’s immortal. You can’t have a relationship with an immortal. How does that end?”

  “Exactly. And he lied,” Charlie added.

  “And he lied!” Lisa said. “That’s three strikes right there.”

  “None of those things make him evil,” Jen said. “Everybody lies.”

  “I know that.” Charlie sighed. “I just wish, I wish he’d been honest.”

  “Right, because that would've gone over well.” Daphne scoffed. She adjusted her voice and cadence. “Hi, I'm Tom. I'm a reaper. Would you like to go to dinner with me? Oh, and by the way, this is what I look like when I don't have my human mask on.”

  Charlie made a disgusted sound in the back of her throat.

  “Well?” Lisa frowned.

  “You jumping on me too?” Charlie sniped.

  “Nope.” Lisa shook her head. “It's your life. You get to decide who you let into it. Tom may be a nice guy.” She shrugged one shoulder. “But he’s also dangerous. Not because he has evil in his heart but because he’s a powerful immortal creature. And he knows that, which is why he lied.” Lisa sighed and blew out a breath. “Now who's to say he wouldn't have told you eventually.” Charlie opened her mouth to protest and Lisa held up one finger pointed to the ceiling. “But. He didn't. He betrayed you. And if you feel like you can't ever trust him again, then hell no, don't forgive him. I personally like a good grudge.”

  Charlie's lips twisted into a scowl and she sighed. “You think I'm being stupid.”

  “No, I do not. He's too close to death for my comfort zone. You don't know what that would mean for you. Witches may be able to live a long time, but that doesn't mean you aren't mortal.” Lisa sniffed. “And anyway, somebody has to support you.”

  “Figures,” Daphne said rolling her eyes. She picked up her glass and took a sip of her Mojito. “You just like being contrary.”

  Lisa made a face at her younger cousin. “You know what? I think we should all just forget about men and work. Concentrate on relaxing and reconnecting with this gorgeous forest and mother goddess. That’s what we’re here for, isn’t it?”

  “I like that.” Jen said raising her glass. “To this gorgeous forest and mother goddess.”

  Lisa raised her glass. “And rites of passage.”

  Daphne and Jen chimed in together. “And rites of passage.” The three of them shifted their gazes to Charlie, pausing before clinking their glasses together to see if she would join in. She looked from Daphne to Lisa to Jen and her lips curved into a smile. Finally, she picked up her glass and held it up.

  “To rites of passage. May they be short and painless.” She leaned in and clinked her glass with theirs. They all laughed and took a sip.

  Lisa swallowed back the rest of her drink. “Okay,” she said. “Who wants another one?”

  Chapter 5

  Charlie awoke early the next morning, ambled down to the kitchen and made a large pot of coffee. The blender was still in the sink so she washed it up and put it back on its base. She had stopped drinking last night after her second Mojito. But her cousins had moved on to frozen margaritas and continued to drink into the night. They would probably need to sleep it off for most of the morning, which was fine with her. She liked quiet mornings to herself.

  She fried an egg in a small nonstick frying pan that she found in one of the cabinets next to the stove and popped two pieces of bread into a toaster on the counter. Jen had bought already cooked bacon, and she threw a couple of pieces into the frying pan to warm them up. After she assembled her bacon and egg sandwich, she took her coffee and food out to the little table on the front porch. The chilly air pressed against her cheeks and the inside of her nose. She breathed in the cool woods and admired the green buds on the trees promising spring and life. There was no street noise. No cars or trucks. Only the sound of birds and a very faint sound of rushing water. The river was close to the property.

  After she finished up her sandwich and coffee, she dressed warmly in a pair of jeans, a t-shirt, a flannel shirt, and her waterproof barn jacket. Her camera bag sat perched next to her purse on one of the barstools and she dug through it. Her fingers grazed the box holding the tool and compass Scott had given her. She pulled it from within the bag and shoved the tool and compass into her inner pocket. The she slung her camera bag over her shoulder and scribbled off a note on a scrap pad by the ancient telephone on the breakfast bar. Lastly, she tucked her phone into her bra and headed out. The sun was not quite up in the sky yet and she wanted to see sunrise over the river.

  Charlie walked toward the path leading into the woods from the cabin's yard. A circle of large river rocks surrounded the cabin and strangely reminded Charlie of a salt circle. Before crossing over it onto the path, she stooped down.

  “Magic gives off an energy signature.” Evangeline’s voice rang through her head. Her aunt had held up a hand-carved wand made of ash wood. She had placed the wand in Charlie’s palm during one of their training sessions. “Once you fully accept your power as a witch you’ll become more attuned to it,” Evangeline had said. “You’ll be able to recognize from sight or touch whether something’s been imbued with magical properties through a spell. Or whether it has it on its own.”

 
; Charlie shook off the memory and hovered her palm over the flat gray river stone at her feet. She closed her eyes and waited for . . . what? A tingling? A chill? Nothing. She laughed out loud. It was just a circle. Probably somebody put it there because they thought it was pretty. She shook her head and stepped over the line of rocks and headed down the hill.

  It took a while to wind her way down the path toward the river. It had rained recently and there were muddy slippery stretches. Twice she almost lost her balance. Finally, the trees opened up to an embankment. Dark water flowed in the expanse of the river. In some places, the current swirled. Charlie went left and followed the riverbank toward the sound of a waterfall. She took her camera from its bag and cautiously made her way down the bank. Several slabs of granite lined the top of the falls causing a drop-off, and the water emptied into the fast-moving current below. When she got to the bottom of the falls, she took photos. Making adjustments to blur the water and then to capture it in a freeze frame action. The sky lightened to a dull gray. She’d make sure to check the weather later. Maybe they weren’t going to get any sun today.

  A deer wandered out onto the opposite bank and Charlie raised her camera to her eye again, zooming in on the beautiful creature and the two fawns following it. She fired off several shots.

  Something white flashed across the lens, startling her. Her finger automatically held down the shutter, firing off three more shots before Charlie lowered the camera to find the source of the motion. The deer disappeared back into the safety of the trees. She scanned the bank looking for whatever had spooked the deer, half-hoping to see a bear. Instead she found a girl standing near the top of the falls wearing a dirty white nightgown. Pine straw and sticks jutted from her long, dark, tangled hair. The translucence of the girl’s skin gave her away even before an icy finger of dread touched Charlie’s heart.

  The girl couldn’t have been more than fourteen or fifteen, and she would never get any older. Charlie’s heart thudded in the back of her throat as she raised one hand in a wave to the girl. The child’s black eyes stared at her for a moment, but her face showed no acknowledgment of Charlie’s gesture. Instead she turned and headed back into the woods. Charlie pulled her phone from her front pocket. Only one bar flickered in and out so making a phone call would be iffy, but she might be able to get a text through. She thumbed Jason’s contact info and pressed send text.