Alba pretended to vomit for effect. “No thanks, Shorty. I’ll just keep you up there until you find the book we need.”
“I can fly!” Jax giggled, then straightened her back, kicked out both heels, put a hand on either hip and looked off into the sky. “Who am I?” she asked.
Sweets covered her mouth and giggled too. “You’re Peter Pan!” she hollered.
Jax clapped excitedly. “Two points for Sweets!”
Alba groaned and rolled her eyes. “Can you idiots quit it, please? We have stuff to do!”
Jax pouted her bottom lip out but returned to looking through the last book shelf.
Holly looked pointedly at Alba. “Looks like someone didn’t get a nap today.”
“Oh, can it, Cosmo.”
“Girls!” Jax hollered suddenly. “Look what I found!”
{ Chapter Nine}
I leapt up onto my feet and rushed to Alba’s side where she was lowering Jax’s tiny frame to the ground. Holly and Sweets joined us quickly. Jax took the book she was holding and sat it down carefully on the flat surface of a carved wooden library table.
“Whatcha got?” I asked excitedly.
“I think it’s hollow!” Jax said. “Feel how light it is!”
“I don’t care how much it weighs,” Alba barked. “Open it up!”
Carefully, Jax peeled back the ancient hardcover front to reveal the inside of the book, which was made of just a shell of some type of papier-mâché. A nook had been carved out inside to reveal a skeleton key.
“It’s a key!” Sweets said excitedly.
“What does it unlock?” Holly asked.
Jax shrugged as she gingerly plucked the key out of the book. “I have no idea.”
“Well, what book did you find it in?” I asked her.
Alba closed the hardcover and flipped it over. Both sides had ornate gold detailing decorating the cover, but no words. She flipped it sideways to inspect the spine. She read it aloud. “Tertius Solum. What’s Tertius Solum?”
I pulled out my phone. “When in doubt, Google it.”
I typed in Tertius Solum. “Well this doesn’t help much,” I sighed, scrolling through a page of stuff in another language. “I think it’s Latin.”
“Look up one word at a time,” Holly suggested.
I nodded and typed in just Tertius this time. I scrolled through my results. “It says Latin word meaning third.”
Alba’s eyes shot open. “Third! Maybe it’s the key for the third-floor!”
“We could go try?” I suggested.
Holly nibbled on her fingernails nervously. “Girls, it’s locked for a reason. Do you really think we should go in there?”
Jax nodded fearfully. “Yeah, my mom has always told me that the third-floor is off limits.”
“Sure, to kids,” Alba scoffed. “They shouldn’t have hidden the key in such a prominent place if they didn’t want someone to find it.”
“It wasn’t really a prominent place,” Jax said wearily. “You had to fly me up there to reach it.”
Alba shrugged. “Potato – potahto.”
“I’m all for it,” I agreed. Anything to get the unbinding spell done and my mom free of whatever weird stuff is happening to her. I looked at the other girls. Aside from Alba, none of them looked particularly excited to go to the third-floor.
I threw my head back. “What could possibly be so dangerous on the third-floor?”
Sweets sucked in a breath and eyed me like I was crazy. “Mercy! There could be monsters or ghosts or demons or any number of traps up there!” Sweets fanned her face which was starting to get red. “I need to sit down. I think my blood sugar is getting low. Does anyone have a Twinkie?”
Alba rolled her eyes. “That’s so not what’s up there. They just keep the dangerous spell books up there.”
“How do you know?” Holly asked.
Alba cocked her head back and pointed her finger at her head. “Because I know. I’ve got a brain inside of my head. We’re in a library, not an underground receptacle for paranormal creatures. There aren’t going to be any goblins or ghouls upstairs.”
“It is almost Halloween,” I told her, trying to suppress a laugh.
“Really Red? You’re going to encourage them?”
“Fine,” I grumbled grudgingly. “Girls, Alba is right. This is a library. There aren’t going to be any creatures up there. But that is probably where they keep the dangerous spells. Considering the fact that we haven’t been able to find that Spellman’s book, and considering the fact that Stone said it was dangerous, it would be safe to assume it’s up there.”
Jax took a step closer to my side and linked her arm through mine. “I go where Mercy goes.”
Holly nodded. “I’ll go too.” Uneasily she looked down at her freshly painted nails. “Goodbye nails, it’s been fun having you.”
We all looked down at Sweets who had somehow managed to find a Snickers bar and was nibbling on the edges with her eyes closed.
“Where’d that come from?” I asked her with surprise.
She opened her eyes and found us all staring at her. Her cheeks flushed crimson. “Oh, I never leave the house unprepared. It was in my emergency kit.”
The rest of us waited while Sweets devoured the rest of her candy bar.
“Happy now?” Alba asked her.
Sweets smiled, scrunching her chubby cheeks up into her eyes. “Yes, thank you. Much better.”
“Let’s go then,” Alba commanded and led the way to the wrought iron gate.
The five of us peered through the bars with interest, Alba seemed hesitant to put the key in the lock.
“What are you waiting for?” I finally asked her.
“Maybe Jax should unlock it. Stone can’t get too mad at her own daughter, right?” Alba suggested, backing up a little.
Holly laughed. “What’s the matter, Albs – scared?”
Alba elbowed her in the ribs. “Oh, fine.” She stuck the key in the lock. It clanked loudly when she turned it and pulled the accordion door open. The squeal of the door opening reverberated through the stairwell and caused the hair on my arms to dance. Immediately I felt a cool whoosh of air blow past me.
“Did anyone else feel that?” I asked, burying my hands in pockets.
Jax hid her body behind mine. “Yeah, I felt it. Felt like a spirit just floated past us. I sure hope we didn’t let someone out that wasn’t supposed to be let out!”
Sweets and Holly locked arms and cowered behind Jax and I. Holly reached an arm around me and shoved Alba forward. “You go first, Alba.”
“Why do I need to go first?”
“You’re the biggest,” Holly hissed, while biting on her fingernails.
“Sweets is bigger than me,” Alba objected.
“No, she’s not. You’re taller, Sweets is just wider. Anyway, you’re the bravest,” Holly said while Sweets glared at her.
“Well that wasn’t very complimentary,” Sweets objected.
“Sorry Sweets. Maybe if you toned down your sugar consumption, just a little…” Holly suggested carefully.
Sweets pounded her fists by her side. “I’m hypoglycemic!”
“Sure ya are,” Alba growled before tenaciously taking the first step on the stairs to the third-floor.
I shoved her forward a little faster. “Oh for cryin’ out loud, Alba. Since when are you a big scaredy cat?”
Alba looked back at me with annoyance. “Those idiots are the ones that were talking about monsters and demons. I’m not scared.”
“Then rip off the band-aid!” I prodded.
“Fine,” she growled at me then promptly took off up the stairs, taking them two steps at a time.
“Let’s go, ladies!”
I took off running with my head down, at a dead sprint as Alba had. Around the wide spiral staircase, I flew. The sounds of our laughter filled the hollow emptiness around us. I had barely just begun to get winded when I crashed the top of my head, like a long-horn sheep, into A
lba’s back.
She careened across the flat open space and into the dark shadows of the third-floor. “Oww, Red!” she yelled at me.
“Sorry,” I said with a laugh. Then just like that, the laughter stopped. Dead, in its tracks.
Alba had just gone flying through the body of a floating apparition. The ghost turned to face me, her white hair was bound back in a strict bun and she held a book open in front of her.
“Oh my god,” Holly gasped.
“You can see her too?” I asked incredulously. Usually, I was the only ghost seer in the group, so to hear that Holly was able to see the floating spirit was shocking to me.
“Mmhmm,” she nodded frightfully.
“Me too,” Jax agreed, hiding behind my body again.
“Me three,” Sweets whispered. “I’ve never seen a ghost before.”
The ghost held a long skinny finger up to her face. “Shhh,” she whispered.
“Maybe we should just go,” Alba said nervously as she skirted around the ghost carefully to stand next to me.
“No need to run off. May I help you find something?” the ghost asked me kindly.
I shot Alba a frightened glance but smiled nervously at the ghost. “We’re looking for a book.”
The ghost nodded. “Well, then you’re in the right place. What book are you looking for?”
“A book written by Adamina Spellman,” Alba said bravely.
“I know the book well,” the old lady nodded as she floated around to face the opposite direction. “Follow me, dear.”
Typically the ghosts I encountered were present day ghosts. Based solely on the clothing of the old woman, it was obvious to me that she had died sometime in the 60’s or 70’s. I wondered if she had died in the library or if she’d only come to haunt it. Even though I was curious, I wasn’t quite sure if I wanted to strike up a conversation with her.
She turned between two bookshelves and finally stopped in front of a set of books all the way in the far corner of the third-floor. “It’s right here,” she said, pointing at a crimson colored book on the shelf.
I nodded at her. “Thank you,” I whispered to her. “What’s your name?”
“I’m Clara, dear,” she whispered back.
“Clara, are we allowed to check the book out?” I asked her.
“You may. However, third-floor books have a three day check out allowance. You must sign for them with one of your lives. If the book isn’t returned by sunset on the third day, you will be fined.”
“What’s the fine?” Jax asked curiously.
“The fine is that you will become the new third-floor librarian.”
Jax swallowed hard. “You mean live up here?”
Clara looked at Jax softly. “No dear. Only ghosts may be the third-floor librarian.”
“So whoever becomes the next librarian will be – gulp – dead?”
Clara nodded. “Yes, dear. You will lose your life and must take my place as the librarian of the third-floor library until another hapless soul forgets to return their library book,” she explained kindly.
“Seems a little harsh,” Sweets said to Holly out of the corner of her mouth.
“Wow, have you been stuck up here because you forgot to return a library book?” Jax asked her incredulously.
The old woman smiled kindly. “I didn’t forget to return it, dear. My husband became ill and I had to take him to the hospital. The trip was long and I wouldn’t have made it back in time, so I spent my remaining time with him. As it was, he passed within minutes of me, so I wasn’t missing much in life.”
“Do you have a photocopier, maybe we could just make a copy of the pages we need,” Sweets suggested nervously.
The woman laughed. “Oh no dear, spells books don’t work on copy machines. They’ll just print out blank pages. It’s all right, darlings. I’m sure you’ll return the book in plenty of time. Now. Who will be checking it out?”
Everyone looked at Alba.
“I’m certainly not checking it out. This spell isn’t for me!” she growled at the four of us.
With dread, I stepped forward. “Alba’s right. This is my mother and the spell is for her. Put my name down,” I said.
She pulled out a card from her pocket and slid a pencil out of her bun. “What’s your name dear?”
“Mercy. Mercy Habernackle,” I told her starchly.
“Very good, Mercy. There’s a book drop at the bottom of the stairs. You can just put it in there by sunset on the third day.”
I nodded gravely and pulled the book from the shelf. It was a large, heavy book with gold inlaid in the leather.
“I can take it now?”
She nodded. “Yes. Thank you for coming to see me, dear. It’s been ages since I’ve had a visitor to the third-floor.”
We all started towards the stairs before Jax turned around. “It’s because you’ve got the stairs all locked up. Maybe you’d have more visitors if you left it unlocked.”
Clara looked at Jax sweetly. “Oh, darling. You do realize the books in this section aren’t your everyday run-of-the-mill spells? Every spell in that book you’re borrowing can cause some serious damage if not done correctly.”
Jax’s eyes widened.
“We wouldn’t want these books to be borrowed by just anyone.”
“Then why did you let us borrow one?” I asked her curiously.
Clara glanced at Jax again. “I know who her mother is, dear.”
“You know my mother?” Jax asked excitedly.
“Of course I do. She has been to see me on numerous occasions. You have her features,” Clara whispered towards Jax.
Jax’s smile softened. “Thank you,” she whispered.
Alba clapped her hands. “Ok, let’s go girls.”
Sweets followed Alba to the stairs. “Yeah, it’s lunch time. I’m starving.”
Clara waved to us as we descended the stairs. “Come back and see me again sometime!”
{ Chapter Ten}
“So are you girls ready to do the spell now?” I asked the girls at the table anxiously as soon as we’d finished our lunches in the quad.
It was a beautiful afternoon. The leaves on the scarlet oak tree behind us were the perfect shades of orangey-reds and a quiet breeze blew through the courtyard rustling the fallen, dried leaves in the corner of the low retaining wall enclosing the circular patio area.
Jax pushed her tray back. “I can’t eat another bite.”
“Me either,” Holly agreed.
I pushed my tray back and stood up. “So we’re ready to go back to our room and get the spell book? I think we should take it down to the potions lab and work down there.”
Alba shook her head. “I don’t think it’s a spell we’ll be able to do in a potions lab.”
“Why not?”
She shrugged. “I just don’t think it is. Have you ever seen a binding? They actually bind the person. We’ll probably have to do it in the presence of your mom and Sorcerer Stone or something.”
I let out a deep sigh. “We can’t! Mom doesn’t know I’m doing this.”
“You didn’t tell her?” Jax asked incredulously.
“Of course I didn’t tell her. She didn’t ask to be bound and she didn’t ask to be unbound. I just know that something is messing with her and I think it’s Merrick. It’s either that he’s messing with her or his proximity is causing her problems.”
Holly looked over my shoulder and pointed down the cobblestone sidewalk leading to the front parking lot of the Institute. “Hey! Is that Detective Whitman?”
I squinted my eyes and looked harder. The 80’s khaki sports jacket was a dead giveaway. “Yup, it’s Whitman. I wonder what he’s doing here.”
When he finally reached the opening to the courtyard, Jax waved at him excitedly. “Detective Whitman! Over here!”
He gave us a tight-lipped smile and walked over to us. “Hello, ladies.”
“Hey Detective Whitman,” I said. “Are you working or is this a fri
endly visit?”
“I’m working on the Edwards case,” he answered somberly.
“Have you figured out if it was an accident or if someone killed him?” Alba asked him point blankly.
Detective Whitman cracked a smile. “Boy you girls don’t beat around the bush, do you?”
“We just don’t have time for small talk. We’ve got our own issues going on,” Alba explained.
“I see. What kind of issues are you ladies dealing with?”
I waved a hand in front of my face. “Oh, it’s a witch thing. You wouldn’t understand.”
Jax giggled into her hand.
“I see,” he said. “Well, as a matter of fact, I do have an update.”
The five of us looked up at him expectantly while he paused for what appeared to be dramatic effect.
“Well don’t keep us in suspense!” I prodded.
“This isn’t public information and I typically wouldn’t be sharing this, especially since I haven’t spoken to the Stone’s about this yet, but since you girls are kind of my eyes and ears at the school, I’ll let you in on it.”
Jax clapped excitedly. “Yay! I feel like a real detective now!”
Alba elbowed Jax in the ribs. “Quiet, Shorty. Let the man speak.”
Jax wrinkled her nose at Alba, then looked up at Detective Whitman anxiously. “We can keep a secret, Detective Whitman. I promise.”
He nodded. “Exactly what I was getting at. Initial reports are suggesting that Ronnie had a foreign substance in his body prior to falling.”
Sweets sucked in her breath, covering her mouth from shock.
“What are you saying, Detective?” Alba asked.
“Well, it appears that he inhaled a toxic substance.”
“What substance?” I asked anxiously.
He shrugged. “We haven’t been able to pinpoint exactly what it is. It isn’t registering on any of our tox-screens.”
Holly looked at him in confusion. “What does that mean?”
“If I had to guess? Considering the location that he was found – a paranormal campus – I’d say that it means he either died of magical means or was dying and the fall finished him off.”
My jaw dropped as my mind began to swirl. Magical means? What did that mean? “Do you think someone killed him?”
Witch Degrees of Separation: A Witch Squad Cozy Mystery #3 Page 8