“You were raised here?” Cassandra turned to Mitch and asked.
“Yeah, it’s a nice neighborhood.”
“Wouldn’t you prefer being a cop in this neighborhood?”
Mitch laughed to himself, thinking the most he would have to do would be to ticket people for double parking. Crime in his mother’s neighborhood was virtually nonexistent. He preferred being a cop where he could get to know the people on his beat.
“I like getting to know the people I’m protecting.”
Cassandra followed Mitch up the path that lead to the table and chairs under the trellis of morning glories in full bloom. There was a slight breeze and the wind chimes that were hung at various points in the back yard sounded in unison. It was very soothing to the ear and cut out the street noise. The two sat down and waited for his mother to return with the beverages.
“I feel embarrassed being here. You should have brought your girlfriend.”
“Rosy didn’t want to come.”
“You would think that would be the logical step in a relationship,” Cassandra said, but then regretted how it came out. “I’m sorry, it’s none of my business.”
“Don’t bother apologizing. I had it coming.”
Cassandra glanced around. “Your mother is nice.”
“Yeah, she tries to stay busy.”
“Do you have any brothers or sisters?” Cassandra asked, curious now about Mitch.
Mitch just shook his head. “No. I was an only child. Makes things difficult now because the pressure is on me to give her grandchildren.”
“Is that so bad,” Cassandra said and then smiled.
“Nowadays the women I meet want a career, and kids just don’t fit in the picture.”
“That’s too bad. I have two sisters and three brothers. Needless to say, there are plenty of grandkids for my parents to dote over.”
“I bet you miss them all.”
Cassandra just shrugged. “They all have their own busy lives now. We don’t get together much anymore.”
Mitch’s mom came out with the lemonade. She set it on the table and the three sat there for the better part of the afternoon visiting. She made Cassandra feel welcome even though she felt out of place seeing as she had only known Mitch for such a short time.
When the time was right, Mitch and Cassandra took their leave. There were just a few hours left before Mitch had to report in for work. He gave Cassandra a quick tour of the city, making it back to The Curiosity Shop with only a half hour to spare before he had to report in for duty.
Chapter 17
Mitch stood in front of his commanding officer’s desk. Normally he never asked for time off, so this was a rare request. He knew if he were going to help JoJo get the goods on the gang of thugs running the protection ring, he would need a week off at least. Vacation requests had to be in at the beginning of the fiscal year and only emergency leaves were granted thereafter. Mitch nervously waited for what the Commander had to say and hoped his leave would be granted; if not, he was seriously considering leaving the force to accomplish this task.
“This is a little unexpected.”
“I got the time coming,” Mitch argued.
“Yeah, I know that,” the commanding officer replied and then held up the vacation schedule. “I have two men already out. This will put us in a bind.”
“I wouldn’t be asking if I didn’t need it,” Mitch pleaded.
The commanding officer stared at Mitch for the longest time and then picked up Mitch’s request form. The reason for the time off was purposely left blank.
“You ain’t itching to run off and tie the knot, are you?”
Mitch laughed, shaking his head. “First, I’d have to find me the right woman.” A gleam came over Mitch’s eye as he stopped, and then he stared at the Commander.
“Yeah, I heard you hooked up with Rosy Gomez Lopez. Isn’t she Gino’s...”
Mitch cut him off before he could continue. “Yeah, but they aren’t close,” was all Mitch said and then asked, “Besides, I’m not ready for marriage yet. And don’t worry, when I am you’ll be invited to the ceremony.”
“Then I guess I better approve this.”
The Commander signed the request form and handed it back to Mitch. He took it and breathed a sigh of relief, thankful for the time off. He turned quickly and was about to walk out.
“You stay out of trouble,” the commanding officer said in a way that Mitch took notice of.
Mitch just turned to him and smiled. He would now have to find JoJo and decide on an action plan. This was not going to be an easy task and once his commanding officer found out what he had been up to, he might not have a job when it was done.
*
Mitch and JoJo watched the neighborhood from the rooftop of Mitch’s apartment building. They watched as Gino’s thugs visited various merchants. JoJo made a notion in his spiral notebook while Mitch watched Cassandra below sweeping the sidewalk outside the shop. He had been watching her from a distance for some time now. JoJo walked up behind him and poked him in the ribcage.
“You like her?” JoJo asked.
Mitch turned to him and frowned. “I got a girlfriend already.”
“Yeah, but I see the way you look at Lucinda’s niece.” JoJo said, pointing at Cassandra. “You better make your move on her soon. Mac down the street has his eye on her.”
Mitch turned to JoJo and then back at Cassandra, who seemed to be greeting a man and woman who walked up to the shop, Cassandra followed the woman in while the man just stood outside.
Mitch turned and looked at JoJo with a curious grin. “I thought his girlfriend was pregnant?”
“So?” was all JoJo commented with a smile on his face.
Mitch couldn’t stop looking at The Curiosity Shop. His thoughts always went back to Cassandra. He enjoyed the time they spent at his mothers and couldn’t get over how relaxing the whole afternoon was. Mitch knew his mother liked Cassandra. And, as hard as he tried, he couldn’t stop thinking about the woman with the strawberry-blonde hair who haunted his inner soul. He clearly was bewitched by her.
*
Cassandra followed Mrs. Wilcox into The Curiosity Shop while her husband just stood outside by the lamppost. He took out a pack of cigarettes, lit one quickly, and watched the traffic driving by.
Mrs. Wilcox talked to Lucinda for a few minutes, and then they walked over to the sagebrush twigs. Lucinda had a skeptical look on her face as she turned around and walked over to the cash register. Mrs. Wilcox, on the other hand, looked excited about her purchase, as once she gave Lucinda the money she quickly turned and walked out of the shop.
Cassandra watched as she rushed up to her husband and showed him the contents of the bag. The two then turned and walked down the street arm-in-arm.
Cassandra glanced at Lucinda with a curious look across her face. “So you changed your mind?” Cassandra asked with a smile as she continued watching the happy couple.
“What makes you think that?”
“You sold her the ingredients for the spell.”
Lucinda smiled shyly. “No, you have it all wrong,” she said and then glanced at the couple also.
“Then why did you sell her the sagebrush twigs?”
Spider jumped up on the counter and walked over to Lucinda. His back humped up as he rubbed his body against Lucinda’s arm. She took the animal and held him while caressing him under the chin. He purred loud enough for Cassandra to hear across the shop.
Lucinda turned to Cassandra. “She told her husband about what she wanted to do.”
“He must have had a good laugh,” Cassandra said as she walked closer to Lucinda and the cat.
“On the contrary. That was him outside the shop. He’s all in favor of the cleansing.”
Cassandra did a double take. “A grown man is a believer!”
“You do what you have to do.”
Lucinda kept watching the couple, Cassandra turned and watched them too. She was still puzzled by the r
evelation from Lucinda.
“What’s this really about?” she asked. “Why does she feel the need to cleanse her home?”
Lucinda set the cat down and then said softly. “It’s simple. They want to have children. The woman who lived there before them had two miscarriages. She wanted to rid the apartment of bad spirits.”
“And burning sagebrush will do that?”
“Well, that and the proper incantation.”
“What about her husband.”
“At first he was a little skeptical.”
“He must have loved all the mumbo-jumbo.”
“No. He agreed that it should be done properly and wanted to be a part of it.”
“And for this they won’t have any miscarriages?” Cassandra asked with a look of skepticism.
This part of Lucinda angered her. She didn’t like the idea that people bought into her being a witch, or that a simple thing like burning sagebrush and saying some words before midnight could stop a person from having a miscarriage. Lucinda answering her snapped Cassandra out of her inner thoughts.
“Cleansing the home also cleanses the mind of negative feelings. If she feels she has rid her dwelling of all the negativity, her positive attitude will help nurture a loving environment for the baby that grows inside of her.”
“She’s pregnant already?”
Lucinda put her finger to her mouth and then motioned for Cassandra that it was a secret.
“She will know in due time,” Lucinda whispered.
Cassandra just laughed loudly. “It’s strange, but it all makes sense.”
Lucinda took Spider off the counter and set him on the floor. She stood up and then turned to Cassandra and touched the side of her face softly.
“I knew you would come around.”
“Maybe you should whip up a potion to make my dreams go away.”
Once Lucinda realized Cassandra meant what she said about her dreams, she appeared troubled for a moment. She stared into Cassandra’s eyes and suddenly, without saying a word, walked over to the shelf of little bottles. Lucinda searched through the bottles and grabbed four from the shelf and carried them back to the counter. Spider jumped up on the windowsill and meowed as he settled down and took in the bright sunlight.
Lucinda turned to Spider sitting on the windowsill and smiled as if it were an inside joke between the two.
Cassandra couldn’t take her eyes off Lucinda. She was curious about what she would do next. It didn’t take long and the old woman reached for the drawer under the counter and took out a small piece of cloth and set it on the counter. She poured a little from the one bottle and set it down, then she picked up another bottle.
“A little pinch of this,” she said as she dropped the pinch on the little pile that covered the center of the cloth.
Lucinda glanced up at Cassandra and then picked up another bottle. She looked at Cassandra for the longest time.
“A lot of this,” she said.
“What are you doing?”
“Putting together a potion.
“Love potion?” Cassandra snapped while pointing a finger at Lucinda, but all the old woman did was frown.
“No need for that kind of potion,” Lucinda said with a smile on her face that went unnoticed by Cassandra.
“I’m glad we got that settled.”
“We have to keep you safe.”
Cassandra raised her arms in disbelief. “Oh, so now I’m in danger?”
“Your dreams,” Lucinda said, nodding her head assuredly.
“What about them? All they are, are dreams.”
“No, they are pathways into the soul. Sometimes we see what is to come.”
A puzzled look crossed Cassandra’s face. “This bright light I see is something in my future?”
“I don’t know. It may not be you the light is reaching out for,” Lucinda said and then paused as if thinking a moment. “I have a feeling.”
“So because you have this feeling, you’re whipping up a potion for me?”
“Not just for you.”
“I don’t believe this,” Cassandra snapped.
Once Lucinda had all the ingredients she needed, she picked up the ends of the cloth. She then took a piece of yarn out of the open drawer and tied the cloth into a little pouch. Lucinda held the little pouch up to the ceiling. She mumbled something and then made a few gestures that Cassandra didn’t understand. This clearly was unnerving to Cassandra, but she said nothing and just watched her aunt closely.
When Lucinda was done with the spell, she turned to Cassandra and said. “And so I say, so be it, and so it is so.”
While Cassandra had a puzzled look on her face, Lucinda just turned to her, put the pouch in Casssandra’s hand, and curled her fingers tightly around the pouch.
“It’s important that you listen, and you listen closely.”
“Sure, but why?” Cassandra said with concern.
“This will keep you and anyone you care about from harm.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Promise me you will carry it at all times.”
Lucinda still had her hand around Cassandra’s. She looked her square in the eyes with a sincerity that scared Cassandra for the first time since she arrived there.
Finally, Cassandra mustered up a weak, “Yeah, I promise. What good is it going to do?”
“When the moment is right you will understand and all will be clear,” Lucinda whispered in Cassandra’s ear and then pointed to Cassandra’s closed fingers. “Never be without it.”
Lucinda finally let go of Cassandra’s hand. Spider meowed loudly, startling both women. Cassandra stepped back, she opened her hand and just stared at the pouch. It felt warm to the touch as if a chemical reaction was happening.
Chapter 18
The Imperial Room was busy during the early evening hours, and Rosy took this opportunity to put aside her anger. She had seen Mitch drive off with Lucinda’s niece a few days earlier and was stewing about that for days now. She would have liked to call in sick but knew that once she confronted Mitch eventually about what she saw, she would be looking for other accommodations. Up until then it was nice not having to worry about rent payments or any of the other expenses of living on her own. But now reality was setting in and she realized once she broke up with Mitch, the easy life would be over with. She knew now that it was time to move on.
When Rocco walked in he went unnoticed by Rosy, given her state of mind. She had a hard time focusing on the customers through her anger. Under normal circumstances she would have made an attempt to give Rocco special treatment, making his already inflated ego even larger. Rosy busied herself bringing food out of the kitchen for one of her tables. It wasn’t until she passed out the food that she turned and saw Rocco. As usual he had another sexy-looking blonde on his arm. It was rare for him to have the same bimbo two days in a row.
As another customer entered the restaurant the smallS black creature managed to slip in through the open door and quickly scurried behind a large plant that was sitting near the hostess’s pedestal. Spider sat quietly and patiently waited before making his move closer to Rocco and his blonde bimbo’s table. Spider just kept a watchful eye on the two as he held the little packet that contained the remaining contents of the love potion that Lucinda made up for Rosy a few weeks back.
Rosy quickly walked up to Rocco’s table; he was too engrossed in the blonde to even look up or acknowledge Rosy standing there.
“Would you like something from the bar?” she asked politely as she glanced around the room to see which table she would go to next. While she waited she tapped her foot on the ground, her patience wearing thin, but didn’t dare say anything to Rocco for fear of irritating him.
Rocco was too busy kissing the nape of the woman’s neck, so Rosy just stood there watching the two until he was ready to order.
“Stop that, you’re messing my hair,” the blonde bimbo snapped while popping the gum in her mouth.
Rosy cleared
her throat, hoping to finally get Rocco’s attention. She knew Rocco didn’t take kindly to being kept waiting, and her job was to please the customers. She glanced around at her other tables. A coffee run topping off everyone’s cup would have to be done soon. She only hoped Rocco would stop his game playing so she could get on with doing her job. As luck would have it, the blonde bimbo excused herself to make sure her makeup and hair were intact. It gave her a perfect opportunity to get the drink order and tend to the other customers.
Rocco glanced up at Rosy. “And what’s your problem?” he asked sarcastically.
“Your drink order, do you want anything from the bar?” Rosy asked trying to sound pleasant.
“The usual,” is all he said, angering Rosy for an instant.
Rosy quickly walked over to the bartender, gave him the drink order, and then quickly tended her other customers while Rocco’s drink was being prepared.
The hostess walked over to Rocco. “There’s a call for you,” she said, motioning to her work station.
Rocco turned to the ladies room, but the blonde bimbo was nowhere to be seen. He quickly got up and walked over to the hostess’s station.
After Rosy topped off everyone’s coffee, she passed by the bar and saw Rocco’s drink order was ready. She quickly put the drinks on the tray. Neither Rocco nor his lady friend were at the table; she just set the drinks down and tended to other customers that needed her attention.
After Rosy walked away from the table, Spider quickly scurried over to Rocco’s table unnoticed by anyone. He jumped up on the chair and put his front paws on the table and with his head extended, reached over for Rocco’s drink. Slowly he sprinkled the remaining contents of the love potion into the drink and was ever so careful not to get any in the blonde bimbo’s drink. Spider then jumped off the table and scurried through the room over to a cluster of plants near the exit.
Rocco walked up to the hostess’s station, he leaned over and reached for the phone that was lying on the counter and quickly put it to his ear.
“Hello, hello,” Rocco said. But there was no response on the other end.
The Curiosity Shop: A comedy of errors about witchcraft Page 11