“This man cursed you?” asked Bryony.
“I’m not certain,” said Agatha. “But he kissed me. It was after that everything changed.”
“So his kiss transferred the curse to you,” said Ivy. “That was his gift.”
“Quite possibly.” Agatha sighed and looked at the floor. “After he kissed me his mood changed and he became dismissive. I asked him what was wrong. He told me I would repel all men from now on.”
“Why didn’t you tell us this in the first place?” snapped Ivy. “We’ve been chasing around after suspects when all we needed to do was find this creepy curse guy and force him to reverse what he’s done to you.”
“I didn’t believe it at first,” said Agatha. “So I kissed a few other guys to see if it was true. And it was. My attempt at kissing a red blood was a last resort. I had to know if every man I ever kissed would be disgusted by me.”
“Well, you’ve got your proof.” Ivy prodded the still unconscious red blood who lay on the sofa.
“I was also embarrassed,” said Agatha, a tear tracking down one cheek. “I never meant to kiss another man. And I do still love Bruce. I miss him terribly. But I can’t go near him until the curse is broken. If we do kiss and I’m still cursed, he will hate me forever. He could be my one chance at true love and I will not spoil that.”
“You’ve spoiled it already by kissing somebody else,” said Ivy.
Agatha looked horrified. “Don’t say that! I can’t have lost Bruce for good.”
“Maybe it’s not so bad.” Bryony patted Agatha’s hand. “We can still reverse the curse. And I could tell by the way Bruce spoke about you that he still cares. I’m sure he’ll take you back.”
“He may not want to when he finds out what Agatha’s done,” said Ivy.
“Ivy’s right,” said Agatha with a sigh. “And there’s no point in me going back to him until the curse is broken, even if he will have me.”
“You don’t deserve to have the curse broken,” said Ivy. “Sure, Bruce seemed like a bit of a wimp to me, but you cheated on him. You deserve everything you get.”
“I don’t deserve this,” Agatha said miserably. “Everybody makes mistakes. It was one tiny kiss, nothing more.”
“You made a simple mistake,” said Bryony, shooting a glare at her sister. “You got scared by how intense Bruce was getting. But you soon came to your senses.”
“She came to her senses because she’s been cursed and realized what an idiot she’s been,” said Ivy. “What’s to say Agatha wouldn’t have continued going around cheating on Bruce if this curse guy hadn’t zapped her with something nasty?”
“I won’t, I promise you,” said Agatha. “I feel terrible about what I’ve done. Bruce is a good man, he would never do anything to hurt me. And I’ve ruined everything. I’ve ruined my chance of marriage and a family and setting up a lovely home with Bruce.”
“We can fix this,” said Bryony. “But we need to add this mystery man to the list of suspects.”
“Sounds like he’s the only suspect,” said Ivy. “But if he cursed you then he’ll know how to reverse it. We have to find him.”
“We can start looking for him at Maggie’s tavern,” said Agatha. “That’s where I met him.”
“That’s a good place to start,” said Ivy. “After what you’ve told us I’m in need of a strong drink.”
Chapter 13
Gabriel scrubbed a hand across his face as he inspected the results of the tests Jacob had run. “Looks like you’re making progress.”
“We're getting there. One of the red bloods can string together a whole sentence in his more lucid moments,” said Jacob. “Not that the sentence always makes sense. Red bloods say strange things. But the curse is breaking down slowly. They’re going to be fine.”
“Time to have a chat with them both,” said Gabriel.
“Start with the one who is able to keep his eyes open for more than five minutes.” Jacob followed Gabriel out of his office and along the corridor to the interview room. “He’s the most useful one.”
Gabriel opened the door of the interview room and took the notes Jacob handed him. “I'll catch up with you later.”
Jacob nodded, did a quick peek into the room, and left Gabriel alone.
Propped up in a makeshift bed in one corner was one of the red bloods who had been infected with the curse. His shaved head was covered in stubble and his brown eyes were ringed with tiredness.
“How are you feeling?” asked Gabriel.
“Like I’ve been hit with a brick several times.” The man shifted on the bed and eyed Gabriel warily. “Can I leave this weird isolation place yet?”
“Not until you’re fully recovered.” Gabriel looked at the notes in his hand. “Your name is Ryan Peterson, is that correct?”
“That’s right. And before you ask me again, I’ve no idea how I contracted this virus. The last thing I remember, I was walking through the park on my lunch break, and the next I’m in here, and you’re telling me I’ve got some infectious virus that needs to be contained.”
“You must understand our need for caution,” said Gabriel. “We wouldn’t like a nasty virus like this to get out into the general public. You were lucky you were found before anyone else was contaminated.”
Ryan let out a sigh. “Any idea how I contracted the virus?”
“I was going to ask you about that,” said Gabriel. “Did you meet anybody in the park? Anyone who was acting strangely?”
Ryan ran his hands over his stubbled head. “The memories are blurry. I work over at the print distributors on Lion Lane. You most likely know it.”
Gabriel nodded, having no idea where that was. “Did you feel unwell when you were there?”
“No, just a headache from inhaling too many fumes from the printer ink. Decided to take a walk, clear my head, and get something to eat. I took a shortcut through the park, and that was it. I must have collapsed when I was walking.” His hands went to his knees where he had two large scrapes where he’d hit the ground as the curse took hold.
“Were any of your other work colleagues feeling unwell that day?” asked Gabriel.
“Not that I know of,” said Ryan. “They all seemed fine. But we were busy so I didn’t have the chance to chat to anyone.”
“Retrace your steps from the moment you left your work,” said Gabriel. “Did you pass anyone who was acting out of character?”
“Nobody stood out as unusual. Well, nobody looked sick or coughed over me if that’s what you mean. Would that be how the virus was transmitted?”
“Possibly, but physical contact may have been likely as well. Did anybody touch you when you were walking or give you something to hold?”
“No, that would be weird,” said Ryan. “Strangers don’t usually make a habit of touching each other.”
Gabriel looked through the notes again. Curses could be transmitted remotely, but few magic users had that kind of power. It was so much easier to give someone an item with the curse on or put it in their food or drink. Or you could grab hold of a person and speak the curse directly at them. It didn’t sound like any of that had happened to Ryan.
“When do I get out of here?” asked Ryan. “This place is strange. Never seen a hospital quite like it.”
“We’re a private facility,” said Gabriel. “We’re used to treat the more complicated medical cases. That’s why you’re here. You’re in the best place to ensure a safe and complete recovery from your illness.”
“You don’t look much like a doctor,” said Ryan.
“I’m a consultant,” said Gabriel. “We don’t all have to wear lab coats and walk around with stethoscopes around our neck.”
“Guess not,” said Ryan with a tired shrug.
“And you definitely didn’t meet anyone in the park when you walked through it?” asked Gabriel. “That’s where you were discovered. Illnesses like this can be fast acting.”
Ryan closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the wal
l. “There is something. The memory is so hazy it seems like a dream.”
“What is it?”
“I’ve got this image of a redheaded woman. She sort of dances towards me and she’s laughing and flirting. But she seems too beautiful to be real. She’s all shimmery around the edges, like she’s a fairy or a ghost or something. I know, it sounds weird. I assumed it was a hallucination from the illness.”
“Go on,” said Gabriel. “You could be onto something. Did she say anything to you? Did she touch you?”
Ryan kept his eyes closed, a line forming between his eyebrows as he squinted through the memory. “She did speak to me. I can see her mouth moving. And she came really close. Maybe she did touch me. I don’t know, the memory is such a mess. I’m not even sure it’s real.”
“Keep trying to crystalize those thoughts,” said Gabriel. “You could be looking at the person who infected you.”
“Don’t like to think of her still out there harming more people.” Ryan opened his eyes and looked at Gabriel. “Is she doing it deliberately?”
That was a question Gabriel wanted to get answered. “Let’s hope not. She may not even know she’s unwell. If she is in some kind of fever or having an episode herself, she could be accidentally transmitting the illness to people.”
“I hope you catch her quickly,” said Ryan. “Sounds like she needs treatment too.”
“We’ll find her,” said Gabriel. “Don’t you worry about that.” No sneaky curse throwing magic user was going to get away with this kind of behavior on his watch.
Ryan gave an enormous yawn. “Sorry, can’t keep my eyes open. This illness is exhausting.”
“Get some more rest, it will help with the cleansing process.”
“You make it sound as if I’m on some hippy retreat not in a hospital,” said Ryan as he slid down into the bed.
“We are much better than your average hospital.” Gabriel left the room and shut the door softly behind him. A redheaded woman who looked like a fairy. That sounded like a resident of Old Sarum. But why slip over the border and do this to the red bloods?
“Get anything useful out of him?” asked Jacob as he walked along the corridor with an armful of test tubes.
“He’s given me a vague description of a woman he thinks he met. But he was vague. He’s not sure the memory is real.”
“He mentioned the redhead to you did he?” asked Jacob. “When Ryan’s asleep, he talks about her. But from the way he acts, it seems as if she repels him. As if he sees this beautiful thing but suddenly he’s repulsed and tries to get away.”
“He didn’t mention that,” said Gabriel. “I wonder what this fairy redhead did to him that made him scared of her.”
“Not so much scared,” said Jacob. “But as if she grossed him out. Whatever magic she did to him, he didn’t like it.”
“Repelling magic,” said Gabriel. “That’s interesting. Why would a magic user want to repel a red blood?”
“No clue, but maybe you should start talking to all the redheads in Old Sarum?”
“That’s one way to go about it,” said Gabriel. “But I need more information from our victims first. Otherwise, I could be chasing a red headed red herring and wasting everybody’s time.”
“I’m quite partial to redheads myself,” said Jacob. “I could take a break from the tests and go do some interviews of my own.” He winked at Gabriel.
“What happened to your latest girlfriend?”
“Gwen’s still around, but red hair is my weakness.”
“If I need your help when it comes to interviewing the redheads I’ll let you know.” Gabriel grinned at Jacob as he walked away. At least now he had something to go on. It wasn’t a great lead, but it confirmed his suspicions that someone had been illegally using magic on the wrong side of the border. Whoever it was they needed to pay for what they’d done, and he wasn't going to rest until he’d discovered their identity.
Chapter 14
Bryony gave the shelf in the Love Cauldron a final dust. It was almost closing time and they were heading to Maggie’s tavern after work to see if they could find Agatha’s mystery kisser.
The store door opened and Vapid Vanessa walked in, dressed in a skin tight red dress, fitted dark jacket, and platform shoes. Her blonde hair was combed into an elaborate beehive atop her overly made up face.
“Hi, Vanessa,” said Bryony, a duster in one hand. “Looking for anything in particular?”
“Just wanted a quick browse on my way home.” Vanessa lisped when she spoke.
“We’re doing a special on charms if you’re interested,” said Bryony. “And the ragwort is fresh in.”
“Sounds good,” said Vanessa. “Have you got any of that new age busting fairy dust they were talking about on Witch Radio?”
“I’ve not heard of that,” said Bryony. “What does it do?”
“You sprinkle it on your skin and it knocks five years off your age,” said Vanessa. “Not that I need any help in that department.” She tittered out a laugh.
“I’ll look into getting some supplies if it’s proving popular,” said Bryony. “Would you like a brownie?” She walked over to the counter and lifted a plate of macadamia nut and white chocolate brownies.
“They look yummy, but I’m watching my weight,” said Vanessa. “And I can’t eat a thing when I’m wearing this dress.” She patted her flat stomach, her gaze running over Bryony’s curves.
“Fair enough.” Bryony helped herself to a brownie and bit into it. “If you need any help let me know.”
“Will do.” Vanessa tottered to the other side of the store and browsed the ready-made potions.
“If that toad belches at me one more time, he’s going to the toad knacker’s yard.” Ivy stomped in from the back room. She stopped for a second as she noticed Vanessa.
“He’s just trying to assert his dominance over you,” said Bryony.
“Then I’ll let him belch all over you next time,” said Ivy. “Are we closing?” Her gaze went to Vanessa again.
“We’ve got another fifteen minutes yet,” said Bryony. “There may be a few more customers before we shut for the evening.”
“How effective is this speech enhancement spell?” Vanessa held aloft a small vial with purple liquid inside.
“You thinking of using it to get rid of your lisp?” asked Ivy.
“I love my lisp,” said Vanessa. “It drives the men wild. I thought this spell might be useful for my business. Sometimes when the voices come through they aren’t clear and I have trouble passing on the messages to loved ones.” Vanessa worked as a psychic medium for dead pets.
“The dead animals you talk to have their own voices?” asked Ivy.
“Yes, they all have their unique accents and voices. Just like humans.”
“You must be fluent in meows and barks,” muttered Ivy.
Bryony pushed past her sister and walked over to Vanessa. “I’ve never tried that spell on animals. You could give it a go, but I’m not sure how effective it will be on dead animals. Do you communicate with living ones as well?”
“No, can’t stand all the fur and smells they make. And they’re never responsive to me,” said Vanessa with a dramatic sigh.
“Can’t imagine why.” Ivy eyed the suspiciously real looking fur collar on Vanessa’s jacket.
“Perhaps I could give it a go,” said Vanessa. “If it doesn’t work, can I return it for a refund?”
“We don’t do refunds,” said Ivy.
“Of course we do,” said Bryony. “Try the spell and let me know what you think of it. If that doesn’t work, we’ll try something better suited to you.”
“I will try it,” said Vanessa. “It could give my business a little boost. I’ve been having trouble hearing some of the voices lately.”
“It could be all that hair getting in the way,” said Ivy.
“My abilities have nothing to do with my hair,” said Vanessa. “My clients are simply temperamental. You never know when you�
�re going to get a badly behaved dog coming through and insisting I pass on a garbled message about bones and buried undergarments. It can be confusing at times.”
“Sounds terribly complicated,” said Ivy.
“How’s your love life, Ivy?” Vanessa strutted to the counter. “Been on any dates recently?”
Ivy’s dark eyes narrowed. “It’s perfect, thanks. How’s yours? Lost count of the number of sugar daddies you’re involved with?”
Vanessa smirked. “I don’t need a sugar daddy. I’m a successful businesswoman. But I did hear that Bruce Creed is on the market.”
“He’s Agatha’s boyfriend,” said Bryony.
“He was. From what I heard, she left him and he’s single, and cute,” said Vanessa. “Agatha couldn’t keep hold of him. Maybe I will instead.”
“Have you been after Bruce for long?” asked Ivy, shooting a look at her sister.
“I’m always on the lookout for a good model of man,” said Vanessa. “I assumed he wasn’t worth pursuing. The rumor was he was planning to ask Agatha to marry him. He’d been seen lurking around Myers jewellery store, staring at rings like a dummy. But now it seems that’s off.”
“Know any good curses?” asked Ivy.
Vanessa wrinkled her button nose. “Curses aren’t my forte. Why do you ask? Looking for a gift for a friend?”
“No, but there are a few enemies I’ve got in mind who I wouldn’t mind cursing.” Ivy stepped out from behind the counter.
Bryony hurried over. “I’ll put the spell on your account, Vanessa. You can come in and pay me later if it works.”
Vanessa glared at Ivy but then nodded. “Very well.” She turned on her heel and stalked out of the store.
“She’s such a gossiping gollum. Let’s see what she thinks about this.” Ivy pointed a finger at Vanessa and her hair turned black as she walked along the road.
“Ivy, that’s not nice. She looks like a drag queen with her hair that color.”
“It suits her,” said Ivy. “Gives her a bit of character.”
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