I put away the laptop and shake off the gloom that looms over me.
“We’ll find another way,” Vicky assures me. “Just like we always do.”
I nod, and we hurry downstairs.
“Listen up, I’ve got a plan,” I say as soon as I step into the kitchen.
All eyes turn to me. Kessley sits up straight and alert. She’s obviously ready to jump into action.
I take the pocket watch from Vicky and hold it up. “We can take Trevor’s memories of my mom, make him forget he loves her or even knows her.”
Gisella frowns. “But how? You have to think about the memory you want to store. You’ll never get Trevor to think about all those memories, especially once he knows what you’re doing with them.”
I grin. “I know! But I can write a spell to make him think of them. And once we’ve got all his memories of her, he won’t know that he lost them.”
Charlie slams his hands down on the table. “I like it!”
More hope builds up inside me. “You think it’ll work?”
“Sure, if we prepare it well.”
I hand the watch back to Vicky. “You keep this safe. We’ll use it later when we’ve dropped Taylar’s memory off and reversed the curse on you.”
She smiles. “Sounds good to me.”
“Great.” I stand up and turn to Mona. “Can you disguise us as FBI agents?”
The fairy godmother stands up and waves her hands. “Of course.”
In the blink of an eye, Vicky and I are dressed in black suits. Vicky still has her own face, but it’s about twenty years older. I imagine mine has undergone the same change, but I don’t bother going upstairs to look in the mirror. I don’t want to know what I’ll look like twenty years from now, if I even make it till then. So instead, I wave while I turn and leave the kitchen. “Thanks! See you all soon!”
“Wait!” Mona catches up with us at the front door. She hands me a business card. “Give them this. It’ll connect them to me and prevent them from finding out you’re not actually FBI.”
With a frown I study the card. “How?”
Mona winks. “I put some of my sparks in it. If they try to call the FBI to ask them about you two, I’ll get notified, and they will reach me instead.”
I grin and put the card away. “Sounds great.”
Outside, I pat Phoenix gently on the hood before opening the door.
As we drive into the center of Blackford, the corners of my mouth start to ache from the constant smile playing with my lips. I whistle a tune I don’t even know the name of. My head bobs up and down to the beat.
When I glance at Vicky, I see that she’s watching me with a thoughtful expression and a glint of annoyance. Somehow it suits her current official looks.
“What?” I ask her.
“You know we haven’t solved anything yet, right?”
I recoil. “When did you become so pessimistic?”
She shrugs.
“I know we haven’t solved anything yet,” I continue, “but we’re getting there. We’re taking the first steps toward solutions. Plus, Dad… is… here… to… help!” I hit the steering wheel to emphasize each word, making Phoenix groan. “Sorry, love,” I tell her, stroking the wheel.
Vicky swallows half a snort.
“Come on, you must see the bright side too here,” I say, pulling up in front of the police station.
“I do,” Vicky answers. “And I think there’s a good chance that most of our plans will work. But I think we shouldn’t get too excited. A lot can still go wrong.”
“Sure, but it won’t.” I turn off the engine and bend sideways to kiss her. “And if it does, we’ll find a solution again. That’s what we do, isn’t it?”
Finally, she smiles again. “Yes, it is.”
We get out of the car, and I stare at the police station. “Are you ready for this?”
Vicky straightens her back. “Let’s do it.”
I hold the door open for her, and we walk to the counter.
“Hi,” Vicky says cheerily while she flashes a badge that Mona conjured into her pocket. “We’re here about a murder that took place years ago. We’ve got security footage from the crime scene.” She hands over the flash drive, and the woman behind the counter puts it in a bag and writes something on it.
“The perpetrator was sent by Shelton Banks,” I add. “He had ordered the kill because the boys stole some food and a goldfish. The boys are both dead now, which is why we are handing over the evidence to the proper district. With our prime witness gone, we’re providing all of the evidence to this district so you can prosecute Mr. Banks. Unfortunately, we had to drop the case.” I give her a sad smile. “New priorities.”
The woman nods. “Thank you both. I will pass it on to our homicide detective. Can I have your name and phone number so we can contact you if we have questions or news?”
I’m surprised she doesn’t ask any more questions but give her our fake names and Mona’s business card. After a thank you from both sides, we walk back to the car.
“That was easy. Do you think they’ll take this seriously?” I ask Vicky when we drive back to Darkwood Manor. “I mean, it’s an old case.”
“True, but they take every murder very seriously, especially if they get evidence from the FBI. And I’ve seen this detective a couple of times when your dad was still our master. He’s a good man.”
I nod. “That’s a relief. Then we’ll definitely hear from them again.”
She taps the window, as if she’s counting the trees we pass. “They won’t let us know when they pick him up, so I think you should ask Mona to keep an eye on Shelton Banks. That way we’ll know when the coast is clear to go check out his house.”
I pull up to the mansion. “That’s a good idea. I’ll do that right now.”
Mona agrees immediately and disappears to take a first look.
The rest of us gather our weapons and file into the car, Charlie instead of Jeep beside me and the backseat filled with blended faces. I hate to admit it, but I’m going to need a bigger car when we get D’Maeo and Jeep back.
“Everyone comfortable?” I ask when I start Phoenix.
Discontent mumbling rises from the back seat, and when I look in the rearview mirror, only Kessley is smiling. I wink at her, grateful for her optimism.
“Don’t worry, it’s not far.” I turn on the radio and sing along to “Bohemian Rhapsody” at the top of my lungs.
Soon, everyone joins in. Maël hums along and taps the back of Charlie’s seat rhythmically.
I know most of us are thinking of Jeep and D’Maeo, who should be here singing along too, but no one says anything about them. We fear for them inside, but none of us dares to put our worries into words.
The whole way to Kasinda’s house in Buke, which is about seven miles north-east of Blackford, we sing and hum. We only stop when I turn left onto a street that the sun can’t reach for some reason. In silence, we study the old houses. They haven’t been painted for a long time, and all the fences are rotten or half collapsed. Some of the windows are broken, and there’s no movement anywhere. Large oak trees stretch their crooked arms out to the roofs threateningly.
“Is this where she lives?” Taylar asks, leaning away from the window.
“Yes, it’s a bit further up the road,” Gisella answers. “I think all the neighbors fled.”
“From her?” Taylar swallows.
Gisella pats his leg. “Yes, but I think they were all non-magicals. They couldn’t defend themselves against her. We can.”
I slow down as I drive past the houses. “Which house is it?”
Gisella bends forward and points through the windshield. “That one.”
I hit the brake. “Then I’d better park here.”
She frowns. “Why? We’re going to ring the doorbell, aren’t we?”
With a sigh, I place my foot back on the gas. “Right.”
“Are you afr
aid?” Gisella asks. She sounds surprised.
“Well… yes, a bit.”
She squeezes my shoulder. “We’ll be fine. The spells will work.”
I nod, and she leans back again, apologizing when Taylar and Vicky scoot over.
The house Gisella indicated is bigger than the other ones on this street. It’s also a lot darker, because of the oak trees surrounding it with long branches, as if they’re protecting the place.
It looks like a square block of wood. Moisture has peeled off some of the black paint that covers the wooden boards. Leafless branches reach up to the windows from the ground. The porch slumps in the middle, weighed down by years of gloom. Gray clouds hang above it, blocking out the sun. Even inside the car the temperature seems to drop several degrees.
Charlie shivers. “Well, this is going to be fun.” He smirks at me when I turn my head.
“Ready?” I ask.
He pulls out a half-melted piece of chocolate and stuffs it in his mouth. “I’m owways weady.”
I turn to the back seat. “Remember, we don’t want to come off as intimidating, so stay invisible.”
“Yes, master,” Kessley calls out enthusiastically.
I chuckle. “There’s no need to call me master. Dante is fine.”
“Yes, Dante.”
“Can you make yourself invisible?”
“I can.” She demonstrates it with a wide grin on her face. “I practiced with the others, mast- I mean, Dante.”
I hold up my thumb. Still chuckling, I open my door and step out. After a glance at the house, the sound dies in my throat though. I clench my jaws and walk to the back of the car. I open the trunk and hoist the heavy book out. Gisella joins me and closes it. “This will work,” she says again.
“Yes, it will.” My voice is hoarse when I answer, and I clear my throat. “She’s already waiting for us.”
Gisella turns while my eyes stay fixed on the doorway of her aunt’s house. Standing there is a plump middle-aged woman with layer upon layer of clothes. Scarves or coats, I can’t tell. She reminds me of the fortunetellers I’ve seen in movies. Her hair is as bright red as Gisella’s, but she’s got streaks of black in it. Even from this distance I can see the hostile look in her eyes. Goosebumps rise on my arms as I approach her slowly, the book held closely to my chest. I beckon Vicky, who is still visible to Kasinda.
“I’m sorry to bother you,” I say when I’m five paces away from her, “but Gisella said you could help us.”
“Why would I help you?” she spits angrily.
“We have what you’ve been looking for, Aunt Kasinda,” Gisella says, stepping up next to us with Charlie in tow. She nudges me softly. “Show her.”
I lower the book so she can have a good look at it.
Kasinda’s hand flies to her mouth. “You found it?”
I nod and press the book against my chest again. “Yes, and we want to ask you to lift the curse in return for it.”
Her red eyebrows shoot up. “The curse?”
I look her in the eyes, anger rising inside me. “The one you put on my father, John Banner.”
Her eyebrows drop down to form a solid ‘V’. “I see. You think I’ll go soft if you give me the book.” She reaches out to me with bony fingers and sharp nails. “Who says I won’t just take the book and kill you for what your father did to my daughter?”
“Gisella did,” I say, trying hard not to step back. My lips are dry, but I don’t wet them.
Kasinda drops her hand by her side. “Did she now?”
The werecat steps forward. “I did, because I know you, aunt.”
The woman shakes her head. “Not anymore, child. I’ve changed.”
Gisella stops in front of her and places her hand on her aunt’s heart. “You’re still you deep inside. Somewhere behind all the grief and anger, you’re still the person that read me bedtime stories and sang me happy songs when I was sad.”
Kasinda snorts and pushes her hand away. “Sure, and what good did those do? Huh?”
“Please listen to what we have to say,” Gisella begs her. “And if you still want the book after that, you can have it. As long as you lift the curse on Dante’s girlfriend.”
They stare at each other for at least a minute. The book is getting heavy in my hands, and a chill creeps up from the ground to my ankles.
Kasinda grins. “Fine. Come in. After all this time, a couple more minutes can’t hurt.”
CHAPTER 16
“Thank you.” Gisella tries to grab her hand, but her aunt turns quickly and walks inside.
The hallway behind the front door is not very inviting, but Gisella steps inside without hesitation, and I follow close behind, afraid of the door slamming in my face, trapping the werecat inside. Thankfully that doesn’t happen, and the others follow us in too.
The hallway is damp, and the flickering lights on both walls do little to chase away the darkness. A soft scratching sound comes from the middle of the floor. I walk around it carefully. Shadows seem to move everywhere, closing in on me if I walk too slow. If the molded, scratched up wallpaper could speak, it would tell stories that would give you nightmares.
“Sit down,” Kasinda says, pointing at the chairs and couch in the living room.
I try not to stare too much as I walk in, but it’s hard to ignore the brown stains on the carpet and the pieces of wallpaper that have been burned away. Part of the ceiling is black. The shadows are still moving, but they stay away from the middle of the room where we are. When I sit down and place my hand on the armrest of the chair, I can feel something that resembles claw marks.
“So…” Kasinda says. “Let me see that book.”
I hold it tightly to my chest again. “Not until you lift the curse.”
She snorts. “Oh, come on. Any dimwit would understand that I can’t take your word for it. You probably cloaked another book or something.”
I look down at the book with an expression that hopefully tells her the thought of taking another book here never occurred to me.
I could give her the book. But if I do that, she’ll know something’s up. I would never hand the real Book of a Thousand Deaths to her unless I got something in return.
“Well,” I say after a brief silence. “You’ve been searching for this book for so long you must know what it looks like.” I hold the book up to her as she stands only three paces away beside the coffee table with the staring eyes carved into it.
She doesn’t move but takes in every millimeter of the cover. I see her eyes glinting with pleasure. She’s falling for it!
Suddenly, she dives forward. “Give it to me.”
I press the book against my chest and step back. “No!”
She looms over me, her eyes full of hate, her mouth twisted. Gray veins pop up in her neck. “Give me the book, boy.”
I stare back angrily. “Not until you lift the curse. It’s not Vicky’s fault you lost your daughter, nor is it mine. I never even knew her!” I leave Dad out of it on purpose, since I already know she’s not willing to even consider the possibility that it wasn’t his fault.
Kasinda brings her face even closer to mine. The smell of rotting flesh escapes her mouth, and I suppress a shiver. The lines in her neck move to her cheeks and maim her face. It’s as if they’re pulling her whole head out of proportion. Her nose gets wider, her eyes turn up, and it looks as if her skin is melting away. Her fingers grow longer, just like her nails. For a moment, I’m sure I’m looking at a monster instead of a woman. Maybe, in this case, they’re one and the same.
My breath is shallow, but I manage to sound confident when I say, “I’m not giving you the book unless you give me something back. We need Vicky for our battle against Satan. If we didn’t, I would never give you the book.”
She straightens up so suddenly it’s as if someone pulled a cord attached to her head. Her face returns to normal, making her features look soft in comparison to the monstrous one
from a second ago. “A battle against Lucifer? Really?” She grins. “How very interesting.”
I swallow. “Is it?”
She turns and paces up and down between my chair and the one Vicky is sitting in. “Of course! The Devil has always fascinated me. He makes a great example.” She stops and stares down at me. “Expect for the part where he got himself locked in Hell.” A nasty chuckle rises from her throat. “I certainly won’t make that mistake. That’s why I kicked my husband out long ago.”
I clench my fingers around the book. What is she going on about?
“Okay,” she says after a quick look at her niece. “Fine. I’ll do it. I’ll lift the curse, and you give me the book. Sounds like a fair trade to me.” Her eyes rest on the book in my hands, greed shimmering through them.
I wet my lips. “What are you going to do with the book?”
“Bring back my Lily of course. And after that, who knows.” Her grin widens. “I’ve got some nice plans for the world. It could use a make-over.”
My knees tremble when I rise from the chair. “Forget it.” I beckon Vicky. “Come on, we’ll find another solution. I’m not handing the world over to some lunatic.”
Kasinda’s hand is wrapped around my neck before I realize she has moved. I hear the others standing up, but I can’t see them. Gray threads shoot before my eyes, stinging viciously. They crawl from Kasinda’s hand onto my face, leaving hot marks all over my cheeks and chin. I gurgle as boiling grains move down my throat.
“Please let him go,” Vicky begs with panic in her voice. “We’ll hold true to the deal we offered.”
The pressure on my throat grows. I drop the book. My hands fly up to the squeezing fingers.
“Aunt Kasinda?” Gisella sounds as calm as ever. “Please let him go. He’s my friend.”
I land in my chair hard, gasping for air. My fingers move over my face, once, twice, searching for the gray that crept beneath my skin. Everything feels hot, but I seem to be in one piece.
The Sixth Ghost: a supernatural urban fantasy action adventure (Cards of Death book 6) Page 10