Eclairs, Scares & Haunted Home Repairs

by Erin Johnson

“Let it come up,” Jiji coaxed from somewhere nearby.

  Once more, my stomach lurched, sudden and sharp, and I retched. Something slimy and gritty poured from my mouth.

  “Oh snakes, I’m going to be sick.” Iggy’s choked voice sounded near my head, and then a fine dusting of ash landed on my face.

  “She’s getting worse,” Hank groaned.

  “No.” Jiji moved nearby. I felt something—long strands of hair—trail from my lips. “This is good. She’s vomited up the curse.” A cloth blotted my chapped lips. My stomach still cramped, but it felt emptier now.

  “Here, Jun.” Jiji spoke. “Take this—careful—only touch the cloth, not the vomit.”

  Poor Jun, cleaning up after me. What a job. My chest heaved as I weakly gasped in breath.

  “Go out back. Light it on fire, then bury the ashes under a cedar tree.”

  His footsteps faded away, down the hall. The porch door creaked open, then banged shut.

  “—untangle, unknot, undo the rot—”

  “Keep going,” Jiji coaxed. “We’re almost there now.”

  I lay on my side, and Hank continued to rub my back.

  I heard a small sizzle.

  “The candle’s out,” Misaki cried.

  “Good.” Jiji spoke low and quick. “Take this.” A snap cracked through the air. “Bury the two halves of the candle together in a hole, pour the water from the bowl around it, and then cover it with dirt. Don’t put it under the same tree as the curse. Go!”

  Footsteps thudded away, and the porch door creaked again.

  “Hang in there, girl.” Jiji’s voice came louder, her breath on my ear. “You’re nearly safe.”

  47

  A New Start

  I nodded. Then froze, waiting for the room to start spinning in a nauseating lurch. But it didn’t come. I tentatively took a deeper breath, and though my throat still burned, I found I could inhale without gasping. I peeled an eye open. The world was still blurry, but as I blinked it came somewhat more into focus.

  Footsteps sounded again, and I spotted tall Jun and petite Misaki sprint into the kitchen. They skidded to a stop before Jiji, who now stood outside the circle of my chanting friends.

  “Is it done?” the older lady asked.

  Misaki nodded, her messy top knot bouncing.

  Jiji turned to me, her thick brows drawn in worry. I gave her a weak smile, and her whole face brightened. “Finish the spell.” She raised her voice to be heard over the chanting. “And then stop.”

  “Snare, snare, tooth and hair, find the light, find the air, untangle, unknot, undo the rot, let go of your hold upon the fair.” The voices finished the line and then stopped in unison.

  Maple pushed between Rhonda and Annie and crouched down in front of me, her face wet with tears. “Imogen. Are you all right?”

  I swallowed, my throat dry. I slightly nodded. “Yes.” My voice came out weak—but hey, at least it came out.

  Maple whimpered, and her chin trembled as more tears streaked down her cheeks. I braced myself, afraid she was about to throw her arms around me in a hug. I wasn’t quite ready for that yet. My skin still ached and my head throbbed.

  But instead, Maple whirled and embraced Jiji, burying her blonde head in the older woman’s shoulder.

  “Thank you for saving her,” she sobbed, her words garbled through her tears.

  Jiji wrapped her spotted hands around Maple and drew her closer, rocking gently from side to side with her. “There, there.”

  From behind me, Hank gently kissed my burning cheek, then buried his face in my hair, his cool forehead pressed to the side of my neck. I felt a cool wetness at my hairline. Hank’s tears.

  Within a few minutes, I was sitting upright, a blanket wrapped around my shoulders, cold now despite the warmth of the summer day. I’d been burning up just minutes ago, but now I couldn’t seem to stop shivering. My stomach still ached, as did my head, but it was nothing compared to what I’d felt before.

  Hank held my mug of steaming tea. “Would you like a little more?”

  I nodded, and he held it to my lips. I sipped, the warmth and the honey soothing my raw throat. Hank leaned back beside me, the mug in his lap. We all sat around the big long table in the front room. “So, lesson learned.” My voice still sounded weak and scratchy. “Don’t touch curses.”

  Hank managed a weak smile, but Maple shook her head at me, her eyes red and swollen from crying.

  I glanced at Iggy. Shifting my eyes to the side made them ache. “Too soon?”

  “Yeah, Imogen, too soon.” He crossed his little flame arms and puffed up bigger and brighter. “And you know if I’m the one telling you that, it’s extremely inappropriate.”

  I pulled my lips to the side. Tough crowd.

  Rhonda turned to Jiji, who sat at her usual spot at the head of the table. “So a wasting curse, huh?” She let out a low whistle. “That was a doozy.”

  The grandmother’s brow furrowed in thought. She stroked the fluffy white cat who sat in her lap with a little more force than usual. Rini flattened her ears and let out an unhappy “rowr.”

  Jiji snapped out of her deep thoughts and glanced down. “Sorry, Rini.” She dipped down and kissed the top of the cat’s head.

  Cat, sitting in Wiley’s lap, watched, then looked up at him expectantly with his big, globular eyes. Wiley rolled his eyes. “Oh, all right.” He bent and kissed Cat’s head. The little black monster grinned, revealing rows of pointy teeth.

  I sat back. Cute. Iggy and I exchanged looks. Or terrifying.

  Jiji huffed. “That was the strongest wasting curse I’ve ever seen.”

  I frowned and swallowed before speaking in my hoarse voice. “Sorry. I thought spells and curses were only spells—spoken words?”

  Annie shook her head. “Yes, but not exclusively. They can be encapsulated in amulets and objects, like the one you touched.” She shuddered. “Still can’t believe you used your bare hand.”

  I let out a shuddery breath. “Tell me about it.”

  Hank slowly, gently rubbed my back through the blanket. I smiled gratefully at him. He pressed his lips together, his eyes searching my face, then turned to Jiji. “Yoshi and Yori. If they did this—” His voice broke, and he looked away.

  Iggy scoffed. “If? Who else would be rotten enough to?”

  I lifted my brows and weakly nodded. I had to agree.

  But Jiji shook her head. “No. I think this has been going on awhile.”

  Yann leaned forward. “What do you mean?”

  She shifted on her cushion, settling the cat closer to her. “That house—it decayed so fast.” She pressed her lips together and slid her eyes to Rhonda.

  The seer tapped her lips with a brightly colored nail. “Hm. So you think it was the curse?” She tipped her head side to side, considering it. “Snakes. I think you’re right.” She beamed and brushed her palms together. “Case closed.”

  I frowned. “What do you mean?” I struggled to follow along.

  Rhonda leaned across the table. “Okay, so it’s like this. The house has been falling apart for years, right? Like way faster than it would have, just left to the elements. I mean, it was practically brand new when Haru and Emi abandoned it, because you said Daichi had recently built it, right?”

  Hank nodded. “Go on.”

  Rhonda flipped her palm up. “And then we all slave away day in, day out, but all our progress is destroyed—everything’s rotten when we come back to it.”

  Iggy scoffed. “Oh. Our hard work, huh? You’ve been sleeping all day.”

  Wiley lifted his brows at my flame. “And you’ve been swinging the hammer a bunch, have you?”

  Iggy glared, but his flames shrank a little. “I’ve been casting light—upon a dark situation.”

  Wiley chuckled. “Very poetic.”

  Hank leaned an elbow on the table, his other arm still tracing slow circles across my back. “So you’re saying it was the curse that made the windows break and the roof cave in?
”

  Jiji nodded. “We all just thought the place was haunted. We were close.”

  Sam sniffed. His nose was red from crying over me. Sweet Sam. “Sssomeone cursssed our houssse?” He looked on the brink of tears again.

  “Right. But maybe long before it was our house. Maybe that’s why the house has rotted—from the wasting curse.” Rhonda lifted her brows.

  Hank frowned. “Which would seem to rule out Yoshi and Yori. They only care about keeping us from opening the bakery. They don’t seem to have any motive for cursing the house for the last ten years.”

  I gulped. Then who would?

  Jiji nodded. “And that kind of thing is only good for about six months.”

  I sniffed. “Curses have expiration dates?”

  Jiji, Annie, and Rhonda nodded in unison.

  Annie smoothed back her wiry gray hair. “So someone changed out the amulet at least a couple of times a year to keep the house in disrepair.”

  Rhonda snapped her fingers, suddenly brightening. “It was probably blocking my powers every time I went inside.” She tapped the center of her forehead where it glowed when she received a vision. “Hey, spirits! Rhonda the seer is open for business again!” She’d barely finished her sentence before throwing her head back, the center of her forehead glowing golden.

  Iggy scoffed. “Is this a joke?”

  Rhonda held unnaturally still for several long moments, and then the glow faded and she slumped on her cushion. She blinked and gave her head a little shake, dazed. “Woo.” She cleared her throat and tapped her lips. “The message was something to the effect of… keep an eye out?” She shrugged, then looked up. “Maybe a little more specific next time, spirits.”

  Annie brightened. “Now that the curse has been destroyed, we should all be feeling a little more pep in our step—those things are toxic, not just if you touch them, but if you come anywhere within their radius of power.” She shook her head. “And that thing had a lot of power.”

  Jiji nodded. “It’s true.” She grinned at Maple. “Now you can get the house fixed up and finally have some space to yourselves, eh?”

  She’d said it kindly but Maple’s chin trembled and she buried her face in her hands, bursting into tears. “I—I don’t—care anymore. You saved—Imogen—and—you’re like a—grandma to me—and—”

  Jiji gently lifted Rini and handed the cat to Sam, then moved around the long side of the table and wrapped her arms around Maple. “It’s all right, Maple. I love you, too.” Maple cried harder.

  I glanced at Hank, a weak smile on my lips. “I’d say she almost had a worse day than I did.”

  He smiled, but it quickly faded as his eyes searched my face. “Can’t say I’ve ever lived a worse day myself.” He scooted closer and slid his arm all the way around me. “I’m so glad you’re okay.”

  I leaned my head against his shoulder. “I’m more okay now.”

  “Get a room,” Iggy groaned.

  48

  Not So Secret

  After a heavy nap, I felt well enough to walk downtown to Chief Abe’s tiny police box. I had to stop and catch my breath a couple of times, and Hank’s arm around my shoulders certainly helped.

  Annie led the way through the open French doors, fluffing her hair as she did so. I grinned. She’d put on lipstick before we headed out.

  The chief sat behind his desk, just where we’d left him last time. He looked up and his dark eyes landed and stayed on Annie. He pushed back from his desk and rose to his feet.

  “You’re back again? What a pleasant surprise.” He bent into a deep bow, and when he lifted his head his eyes twinkled, lines creasing their corners. He swept a gloved hand toward the three chairs in front of his desk. “Please, have a seat.”

  I settled into the middle again, with Iggy’s lantern on my lap. Annie perched forward on her chair, her arms resting on the chief’s metal desk. “Someone tried to kill Imogen.”

  The chief stiffened. His eyes darted to me. “What happened?”

  I shook my still aching head. That didn’t feel great. “I doubt I was the intended victim, but I found a curse in the attic of the house.” I rubbed my temple and caught Hank watching me, his brow pinched with concern. I reached over and patted his knee. “I’m okay. Just a headache.”

  Abe leaned forward, his voice a low growl. “What kind of curse?”

  Annie shuddered. “It was made of bones and hair. We believe it was a wasting curse, intended to keep the house run-down, but Imogen was unfortunate enough to find it and touch it.”

  Abe took off his cap and ran both hands through his thinning black hair. He let out a weary sigh, his eyes on me. “You’re lucky to be alive.”

  Hank gripped my hand, tightly.

  The chief heaved another great sigh. “I don’t know what this means, but… curses like that? Those were Chiyoko’s signature.”

  I narrowed my eyes. “Chiyoko?”

  “The serial killer whose body Daichi was called out to identify the night of the great typhoon.” The chief shook his head.

  Hank frowned. “But she died in the train crash, correct?”

  “Yes.” The chief nodded. “The identification was just a formality, really. But her crimes were so gruesome, Daichi braved the storm just to make sure it was her.”

  “What did she do?” My voice came out smaller than I’d intended.

  The chief looked down at his folded hands. “I looked into her case files after the fire at the morgue. Like I said, it was supposed to be a formality, but… the fire was so strange. And as I told you, I heard the alarm go off, the one that signaled a criminal on the loose.” He let out a shaky breath. “I wanted to know more about her.”

  “What did you find?” Annie leaned forward.

  “Chiyoko, from an outside perspective, was a respectable woman, never married, lived alone, but had a tidy house and appearance, always polite. Neighbors never suspected anything.”

  “Hm.” Iggy’s flames guttered. “They never do.”

  “She’d prey on the lonely, the desperate, befriending them. She’d invite them over for tea, or bring goodies. She’d curse them with amulets and curses hidden about their homes or snuck into the lining of their coats, for instance.”

  Annie gulped. “Wasting curses?”

  The chief nodded. “She was a master of preservation and wasting spells. She used a combination to preserve their outsides so they looked healthy, all the while the wasting curses would be slowly destroying them from the inside.”

  I shuddered, and Hank rubbed the back of my hand with his thumb.

  “It took a long time to catch her.” The chief shook his head. “She probably has more victims than we’re not even aware of, because when they died, it appeared to be of illness. Everyone thought it odd that there’d been no visible symptoms, but heart failure or broken bones or aneurysms didn’t immediately point to a killer.”

  Birds chirped outside the open casement window beside the desk as we all mulled this information over.

  I cleared my throat. “It is odd, but it’s probably just coincidence that someone used a wasting curse on the house, right?” I looked left at Hank, then right at Annie. “Unless, someone was inspired by Chiyoko—a copycat, maybe?”

  Iggy scoffed. “Or it’s her ghost planting them around the house!”

  Hank huffed and sat back in his chair, arms crossed. “It’s not a ghost.” He lifted his chin. “We were hoping you might speak with Emi and Haru. I don’t want to believe they had anything to do with this, but….”

  The chief lifted a brow. “But?”

  Hank looked at me, and I gave him an encouraging nod. It was time to tell the chief everything we knew. He turned back to Abe. “We caught them the other night—they were the ones vandalizing our house.”

  “What?” Abe slammed his hands down on the desk. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  I wrinkled my nose—that had to have stung.

  Annie lifted her nose. “It’s complicated.”


  The chief sat back and adjusted the navy tie that matched his uniform.

  “And talk to dummy one and dummy two.” Iggy flared brighter. “They put Emi and Haru up to the vandalism in the first place.”

  The chief frowned. “Put them up to it?”

  Erp. I glanced down at my flame, who winced.

  “Er. Sorry.”

  Hank laced his hands together. “I’d feel badly about revealing something… private, that Emi and Haru told us in confidence, if it turned out they were not responsible for the curse.”

  The chief chuckled. “You mean about them being together?”

  “What?!” I sat up straighter—the room reeling a little as I did so.

  “You know?” Hank lifted a brow.

  The chief waved a hand. “The whole town knows… or suspects. It’s hard to hide that kind of thing day in, day out, for ten years.” He shook his head. “Plus, everyone could tell they had a thing for each other back when they were in high school. It was the talk of the town when Haru’s father, Daichi, married Emi. Only Daichi, and possibly Emi and Haru, were blind to it.”

  “Wow.” I leaned back, blinking. “So everyone already knows.”

  Hank cocked his head. “That doesn’t make them suspects to you? In Daichi’s disappearance?”

  The chief settled back in his chair. “You have low opinions of police work, don’t you?”

  Hank grinned as he looked at me. “I guess Inspector Bon set the bar pretty low for us.”

  I nodded.

  Abe winked at Annie. “We do things differently around here. Emi and Haru were prime suspects for a while, but there was never a body, never any hard evidence.” He shrugged. “Like I told you, it’s a cold case I’d love to solve before I retire.”

  I shook my head. “They let Yoshi and Yori blackmail them into vandalism, and more, for nothing—everyone already knows.”

  “Blackmail?” The chief replaced the cap on his head. “I’ll go have a chat with those boys.” He rose, and we stood a moment later.

  “Thank you.” Annie batted her lashes. “It’s good to have a man in uniform we can trust.”