by Tonya Kappes
“That isn’t right.” Once I got my name cleared, I was going to go in front of the council and ask them about this.
“It might not be right. But is anything?” She put her hand in the air. A little mound of dust formed on her hand. She tossed it in the cauldron. Her cloak swished as she made her way back to her seat. “How did you figure out you have your dad’s talent?”
Talent? I wasn’t sure what she was talking about. I didn’t know my dad’s talent, just that he was part of this village.
“I had never questioned what he had done. I just assumed he was a cop all his life. My best friend, Oscar Park, told me about Whispering Falls. And Izzy found me.” I knew not to listen to Oscar. I shook my head. “I should’ve stayed in Locust Grove.”
Her chair went crashing to the floor when she stood up. “Did you say Oscar Park?”
I nodded. “Yes, he’s the new police officer of Whispering Falls.”
Nervously she walked down the gazebo steps. She turned around when she reached the bottom one. “It was good chatting with you. We must do it again.” She glided on the gravel path toward her house.
“Wait!” I ran behind her trying to catch up. There were so many more questions I needed answered. When I reached the bottom steps of her porch, I took the dolls out of my waist band. I held one in each hand and held them high above my head. “What are these?”
Slowly she turned around and her eyes darted back and forth between my hands. She darted down the steps just as a clap of thunder echoed throughout the woods and into the crystal clear blue sky.
I fell to the ground and laid in fetal position. “Please don’t kill me,” I begged.
Damn! I’ve got to stop listening to my intuition or I wouldn’t be begging for my life.
“Where did you get these?” She snapped them out of my hands. “Whose voodoo dolls are these?” Her shadow towered over me.
“You aren’t going to kill me are you?” I looked up.
“No, get up.” She held the dolls in one hand and stuck out the other. I took it and she helped me up. “I haven’t seen voodoo dolls in a long time. Especially ones that have pins stuck in them and are personalized.”
She pointed to the yarned thread on the back of the one doll that looked like a woman. It was a makeshift “D.”
“Darla?” I questioned hoping I was wrong. Had Oscar really hated my family that much?
“I’m afraid so. I’m afraid she was murdered.” A single tear fell down Eloise’s cheek. “Did you get this from Oscar Park?” Her voice was low and steady.
“I found them under his bed.”
“I’m Oscar’s aunt. I moved here to find him. I was afraid this was going to happen.” Her mouth turned down. “My sister was married to Oscar’s father. She was a witch. I heard they were moving here, and then they disappeared.”
“What about Uncle Jordan?”
“Who is Jordan?” She pulled back, looking confused. “I don’t have a brother.”
“Oscar lived in Locust Grove and was raised by his Uncle Jordan. Oscar told me that his parent’s were moving here and were killed in a car accident.” I had to get some answers from Jordan. I was beginning to get a craving for lasagna. “That’s when he went to live with his Uncle Jordan.”
“I’ve spent all my life looking for Oscar. We couldn’t find him.” She held the dolls in her hands, she rubbed them. “I was afraid of this. If a child was raised by a non-spiritualist, most of the kids become angry and don’t understand their powers. Oscar was in line to become a sorcerer.” She took the pins out of the doll. “I’m afraid these are a sign of an evil sorcerer.”
She plopped down on the step and I sat next to her.
“A murder in the village is just like an evil spirit.” She put her head in her hands.
“Did you say evil spirit?” Madame Torres popped into my head. Was Oscar who she was talking about? There was no way Oscar knew that he was a sorcerer or even spiritual.
Eloise nodded. The fear was deep-set in her eyes.
“Why would Oscar want to hurt me or anyone else in the village?” Did Oscar sit in his room and poke holes in the dolls? What did have against Darla? None of this made sense. Hell, for that matter, nothing in this entire spiritual village made sense.
“Am I in trouble?” I spent the next hour telling her about my nightmares and how Oscar knew everything about me. I told her about all my suspicions about who had motives to kill Ann and what the evidence was. That included Gerald, Petunia, Izzy, and even Oscar.
She gave a tilted smile, leaving room for the worry lines that had formed around her eyes. “Go about your business for now. I need to cleanse your house. I will have to wait until the first break of dawn. People can’t see me then.”
“Is that why you were cleansing the streets in the early morning?” I recalled seeing her and Izzy.
“Yes.” Slowly she ascended up her steps. She turned back around and pointed toward my wrist. “Never take that off.”
“Don’t worry.” I twirled the bracelet around my wrist. Mr. Prince Charming did figure eights around my ankles. “I need all the protection I can get.”
It was time for my lasagna dinner. There were questions I needed answered and I wasn’t going to ask Oscar.
Chapter Twenty
I made it out of the woods without getting lost or killed. Mr. Prince Charming was nowhere to be found. I circled around the big rock to pick up the bundles, but they were gone. I could’ve sworn I left them next to the rock. There was no time to investigate where the bundles had gone. They probably blew away.
Once I reached the house, I called Jordan and told him I’d be there at six, which gave me plenty of time to go visit Izzy.
Mystic Lights was busy and Izzy waved, motioning me to her office in the back of the shop. She’d be back when she was finished.
I sat in the chair in front of her desk. There was a faint glow coming through the crack on the bottom of the door. Squeak, the chair groaned as I leaned back and looked into the shop. The glow was calling me, or so my intuition said, or maybe curiosity, but I wanted to make sure that Izzy was busy and wouldn’t notice me snooping around. After all, I had to figure out who killed Ann, because I knew it wasn’t me.
I tiptoed over to the closest and slowly turned the knob. As the door opened, the glow got brighter. And once my eyes adjusted, the crystal ball illuminated with all yellow, red, orange, and purple lines. The lines parted and a face appeared. The eyes were gaunt, the lips were rosy red, and the skin was pale.
“Hello, June. I’ve been waiting for you.” Madame Torres’ green eyes were no longer hollow, and the red medusa hair flowed beyond the boundaries of the glass ball. The vision made my heart pound and my skin crawl with fright. There was no mistake, she had definitely been looking for me.
“Don’t be scared, dear. I’m here to help.” Her voice lowered, her eyes darkened showing her power.
I fiddled with my charm bracelet. Right now would be a good time for the dog charm to kick in. I knew nothing about crystal balls. There was no time to let evil in my life.
“Yes. You are in grave danger.”
No joke, tell me something I didn’t know or dream about.
“Do not take any remedies for nightmares or it could cost you your life. The village needs you.” She spoke softly and swiftly. “You must not trust. . .”
The ball went black.
Clink, clink. I knew that sound from Izzy’s heels. The shoes filled the silence in the air. I grabbed the crystal ball.
“What are you doing?” Madame Torres voice was demanding. “Put me down!”
Without a word, I checked all the doors. Damn! Closet. I shut the door. Click, click. Izzy was getting closer. Please help me find a way out, I prayed opening the last door. The steps to the cellar looked scarier going down then it had that day when I was looking up.
“Shh!” I held the ball close to my eyes so she knew I meant business. “You’re going with me.”
“You�
�re making me sick with all this rolling around.” She wasn’t going to be quiet.
I put her in my bag with the rest of my stuff, including the voodoo dolls.
“Wait! I’m scared of the dark!” She screamed before I shut the flap. “Who’s voodoo dolls are these?”
I rushed down the steps into the cellar. I knew the way out from when I was in there before the smudging ceremony. I pushed the doors open leading to the back of the building. There was no time to waste. Izzy was going to know that I took the ball and left out the cellar, so there was no sense in shutting the doors again.
There was no sense in coming back to Whispering Falls until Ann’s murder was solved. I knew exactly what I needed to do and it included Uncle Jordan.
Chapter Twenty One
I ran as fast as I could to my cottage. There was no time to waste. I had to get out of Whispering Falls until my plan was in the works.
I didn’t even turn around to see if Izzy was following me.
“Mr. Prince Charming?” I hollered throughout the house when I got there. Of course he was nowhere to be found. He would find me. That was one thing I could count on. I grabbed my keys and Darla’s journal off the counter and hopped in the Green Machine.
The tires squealed. I was out of there.
I had a couple hours before I was going to Uncle Jordan’s for dinner. With one hand on the wheel and the other stuck in my bag, I felt around for my phone.
“Left, left,” Madame Torres called out from my purse. “The phone is to the left!”
She was right. I found the phone and called Jordan.
“June, what’s going on?” Jordan didn’t bother to beat around the bush. “Oscar called looking for you.”
“Did you tell him I was coming for dinner?” I needed to get Uncle Jordan’s help without Oscar knowing.
“No, I didn’t. I figured I’d give you a chance to tell me why you are running?” There was concern in his voice. “Oscar said that you had stolen something from one of the merchants and that you left Whispering Falls when one of the laws clearly states that if you are accused of a crime you aren’t allowed to leave the village.”
“I know it sounds like I’m guilty, but I need your help. If I’m wrong, then you can turn me in to Oscar.” I pleaded for him to help me.
“Okay. And the only reason is because I care about your family. You are like one of my own. I will continue to tell Oscar that I haven’t heard from you.” He sighed. “I don’t get off work for another couple of hours. Go on to the house and I’ll be there soon.”
“Thank you, Jordan.” He was my last hope. I had to get him to agree with my plan.
“You’re welcome. You can pop the lasagna in the oven. I made it last night. It’s in the refrigerator.” He had comfort in his words.
I hung up the phone and put it back in my bag.
“I hate the dark!” Madame Torres hollered when I slipped the phone in. I would deal with her once I got to Jordan’s house.
I peered in my rear-view mirror the entire time. I made sure no one from Whispering Falls had followed me.
The old Cape Cod looked lonely across the street from Jordan’s. Or maybe it was me that was lonely for it. I turned the Green Machine off and took out Madame Torres.
“Pshew.” Her glow had gone from green to crystal blue. “Thank you for getting me out of there. Those voodoo dolls are evil, evil I tell you!”
“Now that I have you in my hands, I need you to tell me who to stay away from.” The ball turned a flaming red.
Madame Torres’ eyes deepened into a dark green, almost black, her face paled, her lips flamed. “You have possession of me illegally. I’m just another spiritualist to you. By law of the village, I cannot read you.” The ball went black and she disappeared.
I shook it.
“What? Illegal?” I waited to see if she was going to come back. I shook it a couple more times, but nothing seemed to happen. I set the ball underneath the seat and grabbed my bag.
Uncle Jordan was going to be another hour. I got the spare key from underneath the porcupine shoe cleaner and let myself in.
There were so many questions I wanted to ask him. Especially the ones about Oscar being a sorcerer, which meant that Jordan had to be a spiritualist of some sort.
Exhausted, I sat down on the couch. It wasn’t long until I heard a scratch at the door. Without having to think about it, I knew it was Mr. Prince Charming.
“Hey, buddy.” I opened the door. “Do you miss Locust Grove as much as I do?”
He turned to look out the door and we both stood there staring at the ole Cape Cod.
“Come on.” I shut the door behind his wagging tail. He followed me into the kitchen and watched as I turned on the oven and put the lasagna in.
We made ourselves comfortable on the couch to wait for the oven timer to go off. Mr. Prince Charming was nestled in my lap. I took the journal out of my bag.
“Today at the shop, Ann asked me if I wanted a free manicure. Of course I said yes. It would be a treat after a long day of work, only it wasn’t. She asked all sorts of questions about how we feel about June not being a spiritualist. Then she had the nerve to tell me that our life was going to dramatically change, ending it by saying, “poor June.” Well, I better stop writing. Otto has gone to work and I’m very excited about going to see Eloise. She has a new potion for growing hair. I can just see Gerald now with a full head of hair sticking out of that top hat. Makes me laugh every time. Plus Mac is going to take June for some fishing at the lake. She loves spending time with him.”
Hmmm. . .I looked over at Mr. Prince Charming. He didn’t seem too fazed by Darla’s revelation. I read it aloud, “poor June.” What did Ann mean? Too bad she was dead or I’d be able to ask her.
Was she referring to the upcoming death of my dad? Was she trying to tell Darla about it? Or was she talking about us moving to Locust Grove? Either way, I was probably never going to know unless Darla wrote it in her journal?
Before I knew it, I was fast asleep.
Turn over, turn over! Save yourself! I watched the victim do something that Ann nor Gerald did. The victim’s hands lifted, and struggled with the killer. I watched helplessly as the struggle continued. Then all of a sudden I saw it. The dog charm and Celtic knot were flailing around in the water as the victim struggled. NO!
Me! The victim was me!
Fear gripped my insides as I propelled myself out of slumber. I had to do something. This time I was dreaming my own fate. And now fate was in my hands. The crystal ball was right. There was no way I was going to take a remedy to stop my nightmares.
“I could smell that lasagna from outside.” Jordan unhooked his holster and sat it on the table just inside the door.
“How do you think we feel? Our mouths have been watering.” I hugged him. Mr. Prince Charming didn’t bother getting up. “Thanks for having me.”
Steam exploded from the deep dish when he cut into it.
“I. . .um. . .I know I put you in a compromising position.” I grabbed my plate and took it to the table. I pulled the chair out and sat down without making eye contact. “I don’t want you to pick between me and Oscar. He is really your family. Plus you are a cop, but I really need your help. And you need to keep it from Oscar.”
“Oh.” Jordan sat across the table and had a curious stare. “You two never keep secrets.”
“I know, but I think it’s a fine line between murder suspect and friend.”
“I don’t like keeping secrets.” He patted the badge on his uniform. “Part of the job, but I’m listening.”
“You know I have those nightmares. Well, I dreamed about Ann’s murder before it had happened. Only I didn’t know it was her.” I left out the fact that I saw a mole on the killer’s hand. “The dreams are becoming more vivid.”
“So you are a spiritualist.” He put his fork on his plate and waited for my answer.
My mouth dropped open. So what Eloise had said was true. They were spiritualist.
“How did you know?”
At this point I only wanted him to help me catch Oscar. I didn’t want to accuse Oscar of being an evil spirit or I’d fear Jordan wouldn’t help me. After all, I was going to expose Oscar as the killer, so asking him questions about their family was off-limits.
“Oscar told me to combine our cities since Whispering Falls is so small. You aren’t going to put some spell on me are you?” He was half joking, half serious.
“I’m not that kind of spiritualist. Supposedly I know how to mix the right ingredients for cures.” I pointed in the direction of my Cape Cod. “And we see how that turned out.”
I left out the little detail about Ann burning down my shed. I let Jordan think I had done it.
“Are you going to try to combine both communities?” I asked. Oscar never mentioned a meeting with his uncle about combining the two.
Izzy would never let that happen. Hell, the village didn’t let in Fairiwicks. They certainly weren’t going to allow the mortals.
“Not any time soon. They would have to have a vote and change the laws in place. If you were in Locust Grove and under the suspect umbrella, you’d be out on bond, not just hanging around until they figure it out.” He glanced over, but I didn’t give a reaction. I knew the law and yes, it was a little suspicious that each of the victims was holding something that tied them to me. Jordan knew his boundaries. “Let’s talk about your nightmares.”
“Anyway, I had a nightmare that I was the next victim.” I swallowed hard trying to digest what I had said out loud. It didn’t sound good or sit well in my stomach. I was afraid my lasagna was going to come up, but I needed to eat for strength. I wanted to put my plan in place tonight.
Mewl, mewl. Mr. Prince Charming lay under the table, his tail slowly wagged up and down.
There was fear in Jordan’s eyes. “How do you know it’s you?”