Curse of the Witch

by K E O'Connor

  “Are you going to carry me up the stairs?” Auntie Queenie asked.

  “Not unless you want me to put my back out,” Uncle Kenny said as he guided her to the stairs. “That’s it. One step at a time. We’ll get there.”

  I stood at the bottom of the stairs with Mom until we were sure they weren’t going to topple down in a drunken heap.

  Mom walked into the kitchen and switched on the kettle. “Do you want a mug of cocoa before bed?”

  “That sounds good.” I curled my feet underneath me, and Wiggles settled by the chair, exhausted after his fun night of partying and food. “Bastille still seems hung up on Uncle Kenny.”

  “She took it hard when they got together.” Mom made the cocoa and sat next to me at the table.

  “They were only teenagers when they dated. She couldn’t have expected it to last.”

  “She absolutely did,” Mom said. “Your auntie makes light of it now, but they weren’t friends for a long time. It was all because Kenny chose Queenie over Bastille.”

  “He didn’t mess them around?” Uncle Kenny was the sweetest of guys. I couldn’t imagine him fooling with people’s emotions.

  “No, your uncle was straight down the line. He was clear with Bastille. He said he cared for her, but he was in love with Queenie. Bastille tried to win him back and used several underhanded tactics. She even tried to get him drunk and seduce him.”

  “No way! Bastille’s so quiet. You’d never think she was so devious by looking at her.” I liked Bastille, but she’d always been a little stand-offish, not like the others who always wrapped me in warm hugs and gave me too many kisses.

  “Bastille had a habit of asking Kenny out, just as a friend, and then trying to win him back.”

  I frowned. “I’m glad she failed.”

  “So am I. That’s why your uncle stayed away from the party. He didn’t want to upset Bastille. He’d like to be her friend, but it’s not possible. And he’d hate to rub her nose in it if Bastille saw Queenie with him. For years after they were married, Bastille still wrote your uncle love notes, trying to convince him he’d made a mistake.”

  “That’s plain weird,” I said. “Six months in a relationship with Uncle Kenny, and she can’t let him go. He’s a nice guy, but...”

  “Your uncle is a special guy,” Mom said.

  “Even so, that’s unhealthy.”

  “It is. But suddenly, she stopped. I always figured Bastille had found someone else.”

  “But she never married.”

  “No, and I don’t think she even dated. Bastille leads a quiet life. She stayed in the gang, but after moving out of Willow Tree Falls, she wasn’t a regular. She’d drop in and out and keep in touch with the other members, but she was a part-time member. She found it too painful and didn’t want to risk seeing Queenie and Kenny together and so obviously happy.”

  “It sounds like she needs to get a life,” I said. “She has to have moved on by now.”

  “You’d think so. Speaking of moving on.” Mom arched an eyebrow. “How are things going with you and Rhett?”

  “Oh, you know, they’re going.” I downed my cocoa. If Mom was going to quiz me about my love life, it was time to leave.

  “When can I expect him for dinner?”

  “In about ten years.”

  She swatted the back of my hand. “Tempest, if he’s going to be a significant part of your life, he needs to be a part of our family. We need to welcome him.”

  “You mean hassle him. Rhett’s a new part of my life, and we’re taking things slowly. You know it’s not straightforward to date me.”

  “Even if you didn’t have a demon living inside you, it wouldn’t be straightforward. That doesn’t mean I can’t give your boyfriend a home-cooked meal now and again. I worry about those biker boys and what they eat. They always seem to be eating pizza.”

  “Tate makes a mean pizza. I could live off his pizza every day.”

  Mom tutted. “You tell Rhett that any time he wants a decent feed to come here. We’d all love to see him again.”

  “And by see him, you mean grill him about his intentions toward me and scare him off.”

  “There might be some gentle grilling.” She stroked a strand of my dark hair off my face. “After all, I need to make sure you’re treated well and looked after.”

  “You can be sure that, if Rhett ever mistreats me, it will be the last time I see him. I’m a big girl.”

  “You can be as big as you like. I’ll always keep looking after you.” Mom jumped up and wrapped two pieces of peach cobbler. “Take this with you, but don’t eat it for breakfast.”

  I grinned at her. “As if I would.”

  She kissed my cheek as she walked me to the door.

  Wiggles wandered along behind us, his nose in the air as he smelt the peach cobbler.

  “I expect your auntie won’t be up early tomorrow.”

  “From the amount of wine she drank tonight, it will be a miracle if she surfaces all week.”

  “It takes more than some spiced wine to knock her off her feet.” Mom waved us goodbye as we headed out the door and into the quiet lane.

  Tonight had been a lot of fun. I’d sort of failed in my mission to keep everyone in line, but it had been an enjoyable failure. And everyone, so long as I discounted Rhett’s idiot gang members, had come out unscathed.

  Wiggles nudged me with his nose as we walked back to Cloven Hoof. “Peach cobbler for breakfast?”

  I grinned at him. “Of course. What other option is there?”

  Chapter 3

  I sat bolt upright in my bed, my heart racing.

  Boom! Boom! Boom!

  There it was. That noise hadn’t been in my head.

  Wiggles opened one eye and stared at me. “What is that?”

  “I think it’s a who. And whoever’s banging on our door this early had better have a good excuse.” The thudding came again. They weren’t going away.

  I reluctantly slid out of my cozy bed and shuffled to the door. I pulled it open, ready to give whoever dared invade my sleep a piece of my mind.

  “Tempest! Something terrible has happened.” Auntie Queenie stood in front of me, her hair a disheveled mess and her dressing gown on over her checked pajamas.

  I caught hold of her hand, worry flooding through me as I saw she’d been crying. “What’s the matter? It’s not Mom? Is everything okay at home?”

  She covered her mouth with her hand for a second. “It’s Bastille. She’s dead.”

  I gasped and wrapped Auntie Queenie in a tight hug. “Come in. You’ve had a shock.” I was just as shocked. Bastille wasn’t much older than Auntie Queenie. She was too young to die.

  “No, I don’t have time. I need to get back to the hotel.” Auntie Queenie stepped away and scrubbed the tears off her cheeks. “I thought you could help me.”

  “Of course, whatever you need. Give me five minutes, and I’ll come with you.” I couldn’t let Auntie Queenie go to the hotel alone. I gestured her into my apartment. “Do you know what happened?”

  Auntie Queenie bit her bottom lip. “She was always a kind, quiet soul. She had a dark sense of humor that could offend if you didn’t know her well, but she never meant anything by it. I can’t believe this has happened.”

  “Of course you can’t.” I hugged Auntie Queenie again. I’d never seen her look so shocked. “Have you seen her? Did she die in her sleep?”

  “No, nothing like that. I didn’t get a good look at her body when I went to the hotel. I got a message on the snow globe from Tabitha to let me know what was going on.”

  Tabitha Dimples ran the hotel everyone was staying in. “So, what did happen?”

  Auntie Queenie swallowed as a tear trickled down her cheek. “There’s a possibility it was a demon attack.”

  My mouth fell open. “A demon loose in Willow Tree Falls. That’s not possible. We’d know about it.”

  She clasped her hands together, her bottom lip trembling. “What if one escape
d from the cemetery and we missed it?”

  “There’s not a chance of that. We don’t mess around when we’re on duty at the cemetery.” My eyes narrowed as I looked at the guilty expression on her face. “Do we?”

  Auntie Queenie looked away. “I can get caught up in my steamy romances. They’re so distracting. I lose myself in them when I’m taking notes.”

  “Distracting enough that you’d let a demon sneak past?”

  She sighed. “I hope not. What if it happened, though? I could have set a demon loose, and he killed my friend.”

  “No, this isn’t your fault. If a demon so much as pokes his ugly head out of the prison, we know about it. This can’t be a demon from our prison.” At least, I hoped it wasn’t, or we were in huge trouble.

  Auntie Queenie wrung her hands together. “If it wasn’t a demon, something awful happened to Bastille. It wasn’t a natural death. The smell...” she looked away and wiped her cheeks with her fingers.

  “Wait right here.” I raced into the bedroom and threw on the first clothes I could find. “It’s time to get up.” I nudged Wiggles as I pushed my feet into my boots.

  “What’s going on?” he grumbled.

  “Auntie Queenie’s had a shock. We need to help her.” I sorted through my laundry basket and found an over-sized black pullover.

  Wiggles yawned and rolled off the bed. He stretched before trotting in front of me back into the living room. “What’s up, Auntie Q?”

  “Oh, Wiggles.” She bent and wrapped him in a huge hug. “I’m in need of your nose.”

  He wriggled in her tight embrace and glared at me. “What do you need my nose for?”

  Auntie Queenie stifled a sob. “To help my dead friend.” She buried her nose in his fur.

  “Let’s go see what’s happening at the hotel.” I helped Auntie Queenie to her feet and handed her the pullover. “Put this on. It’s chilly outside.”

  She looked at her clothes and laughed sadly. “I didn’t even think about getting dressed when I heard the news. I raced straight to the hotel. I leaped right over your uncle, who was still sound asleep.”

  “Don’t worry. We’ll get this figured out.” We left Cloven Hoof and hurried to the hotel. It was still early. The sun hadn’t long been up, and there was a chill in the air.

  Only a couple of stores were open, and I looked longingly at Brogan’s cafe and wondered if I dared sneak in and grab a coffee. But Auntie Queenie was focused on getting to the hotel. My coffee would have to wait.

  Auntie Queenie shook her head. “I’d planned to meet the girls for breakfast, make the most of the day while we’re all here. Everyone will be devastated by what’s happened.”

  “Who found Bastille?”

  “Samantha. She’s always been an early riser. She knocked on her door and found it open. There was no sign of Bastille inside. Samantha went out the back and found her.”

  “Where was she found?”

  “Behind the hotel. Tabitha has a private garden for residents to use. Samantha ran in screaming. Tabitha called me and asked for my help.”

  “Was Bastille killed outside?”

  “I don’t know. I can’t think clearly. That’s why I came to get you. I knew you’d help. You’re so good at puzzling things through. I don’t know what she was doing outside.”

  “Maybe she went out to get some air if she couldn’t sleep.”

  Auntie Queenie dabbed at her eyes. “Tempest, I’ll never forgive myself if this happened because of me.”

  “Don’t think like that. We need to find out what happened before we worry about the prison. It can’t be one of our demons involved.”

  “I can’t help it. Bastille didn’t deserve this.”

  I watched as an angel descended from the sky and landed outside the hotel. “Angel Force has been informed?”

  “Tabitha messaged them before making contact with me. They’ve sealed off the garden and are looking around. I overheard Dazielle mention demons, which is when I started panicking.”

  “What makes them think it was a demon?”

  “Bastille’s skin has been burned. It looks like she was grabbed and choked by someone with hot hands. Demon hot hands.”

  A shudder ran through me. This wasn’t sounding good.

  We reached the hotel where a small crowd was gathered at the front. Among them was Aurora and Granny Dottie.

  I hurried over, keeping a tight hold of Auntie Queenie. “What are you doing here?”

  “I was opening the store when I heard the news,” Aurora said. “We had to come and see. Poor Bastille, this is horrible.”

  I nodded. “You both took the late shift at the cemetery last night. Were the demons acting up?”

  “No,” Aurora said. “It was quiet.”

  “No demons tried to get out or cause a distraction?”

  Aurora’s eyes widened. “I heard the angels mention demons. Did a demon kill Bastille?”

  “We’re not sure,” I said.

  “I am,” Auntie Queenie whispered. “I got a glimpse of Bastille.”

  “I’m sure no demon escaped on our watch.” Aurora’s cheeks paled as she turned to Granny Dottie. “We didn’t let anyone out, did we?”

  “Absolutely not.” Granny Dottie wrapped an arm around Aurora’s shoulders. “We were there the whole time, and nothing stirred. There’s no chance a demon crept out and did this to Bastille.”

  Samantha, Lila, Caprice, and Esmeralda hurried over, all looking as pale and shocked as Auntie Queenie.

  The women all talked at the same time, comforting each other and hugging. Hankies were produced and shared to mop wet eyes and noses.

  “Auntie Queenie, stay here with the others,” I said. “I’ll see what I can find out from the angels.”

  I left her with Aurora, Granny Dottie and the others and headed through the hotel to the back door and into the garden with Wiggles.

  We were stopped by a large, blond, broad-shouldered angel, who peered down at me and fluttered his wings. “Nobody gets through. This is a crime scene.”

  “I can go through. I’m sort of a consultant,” I said. I didn’t recognize this angel. He must be a new recruit. He sure was an attractive one, if you liked your guys seven feet tall, muscled, and blue-eyed.

  The angel’s eyes narrowed. “I know who you are. Dazielle doesn’t want anyone in until the scene has been examined.”

  “Is Dazielle here?” I tried to look past the angel but was blocked by a wall of white feathers.

  “She is.”

  “Is there any chance I can have a word with her?”

  “I’ll see if she’s available. Wait here.” The angel walked away. He spoke to a colleague, who came closer, her attention on me.

  I knelt next to Wiggles. “How do you fancy a sneaky look at the crime scene? See what happened to Bastille.”

  Wiggles’ eyes gleamed red. “I’d be happy to if you can provide the distraction so I don’t get stomped by those horrors in white.” He eyed the angels as they discussed me and shook their heads.

  I walked over to them. The other angel was also new and just as attractive with long blonde hair, curves a guy would kill to touch, and big, blue eyes.

  “What do you think happened?”

  The angel eyed me with suspicion. “That’s what we’re trying to find out.”

  I stuck my hand out. “I’m Tempest Crypt. We’ve not met.”

  The angel nodded but didn’t shake my hand. “Dazielle warned me about you.”

  “That’s lovely to hear. Do you have a name?”

  “I do.”

  This wasn’t going well. It looked like I was in Dazielle’s bad books again. I shifted to the right, and the angels matched my step just as I hoped they would. It meant Wiggles could sneak past unnoticed, which was exactly what he did.

  “What theories do you have as to the cause of death?” I asked. “I heard a rumor it could be a demon.”

  The beautiful blond angel glanced at her colleague. “You shouldn�
�t listen to rumors.”

  “Tempest!”

  I looked past the mean angels to see the smiling face of my favorite cute but dumb angel, Dominic.

  “Hey, Dominic. How’s everything going?”

  He grinned at me. “I’m not loving this early start, but other than that, things are good. How about you?”

  “No complaints.” I walked away from the grumpy angels and took Dominic with me. “What are you thinking happened here?”

  Dominic scratched his head. “It’s hard to say. The body’s in a bad way. Whatever got her, it was something hot.”

  “Demon hot?”

  The other angels, who were clearly listening in to our private conversation, cleared their throats.

  Dominic glanced over his shoulder. “It could be. But you have a handle on all the demons. You wouldn’t let one loose in Willow Tree Falls, would you?”

  “Not a chance. Our prison is impenetrable. And if any were on the loose and causing trouble, you’d know about it.”

  “That’s right, and we’d call you in to deal with it. We make a great team.” His grin widened. He was the only angel I knew who was always happy to see me.

  Shouts rang out in the garden, followed by the sounds of a scuffle. It looked like Wiggles had been discovered doing his undercover sleuthing. I hoped he’d had a chance to look around before he was caught.

  Dominic turned and straightened his spine as Dazielle strode toward us. She had something wrapped in her wings, and I’d lay money on what it was.

  “Tempest! You must control your hellhound.” She opened her wings.

  Wiggles dropped to the floor. He shook out his fur and scowled at Dazielle. “I was taking a morning walk. There’s no crime in that.”

  “There is when you’re deliberately nosing around a closed crime scene,” Dazielle said. “And I know why you’re doing that.” She glared at me. “Keep him out of here.”

  “He was curious, as we all are. What do you think happened?”

  Dazielle shook her head. “This one isn’t for you.”

  “Was it a demon attack?”

  Dazielle’s eyes narrowed. “Most likely, but we need more time here before we can say for certain. Go home. There’s nothing you can do.” She stalked off.