Catalpa's Curse

by Terri Reid

  “Conditions like what?” Finias asked.

  “The three from one is not enough,” Joseph replied. “Each of the three needs to find a companion, a soul mate, who is of the blood, to help her. Only then will the grimoire reveal the rest of the instructions.”

  “And the sisters are having problems finding those soulmates?” he asked, his tone skeptical.

  “Well, yes and no,” Joseph replied with a shrug. “They have each found them, but one of the men thinks he can pretend to be on the side of evil while advocating for the sisters. His name is Donovan Farrington, and he is a powerful warlock.”

  “He’s an idiot,” Finias stated bluntly.

  Joseph nodded. “Yeah, I agree,” he said. “But he’s in superhero mode, and he thinks he can save them all by himself.”

  “Do you trust him?” Finias asked.

  Joseph thought about it for several moments, remembering Donovan’s remarks when they met on the street that morning. “No. Not anymore,” he finally said. “I believe he started on our side. I think he still believes he’s doing what’s best for the Willoughbys. But I think this creature has far more influence over him than he realizes.”

  “It will kill him if it believes he is trying to betray it,” Finias said.

  “Yeah, and Catalpa’s heart will die along with him,” Joseph said.

  Finias sat up a little straighter. “This man is linked to Catalpa?” he asked.

  Joseph nodded. “Yeah, why? Do you know her?” he asked suspiciously.

  Finias shook his head. “No, we have never met,” he answered honestly. “But I have heard of her.”

  “Okay, so now you know the story,” Joseph said. “Now you know why I asked you if you were single. So, now I’m going to ask you one more question.”

  Finias nodded.

  “Do you think you could love Catalpa?” Joseph asked. “Do you think you could be that companion?”

  “I do not know if I could be that companion,” Finias replied. “Especially if her heart has already been given to this man, Donovan. But I am willing to try.”

  “Great,” Joseph began.

  “But there are conditions,” Finias added.

  “Why do I get the feeling that you’re hiding something from me?” Joseph asked.

  “Because you’re a smart man and I am hiding something,” Finias replied. “But it is not something that will harm the Willoughbys. I give you my word of honor.”

  “What are your conditions?” Joseph asked.

  “I meet Catalpa at a neutral place without her family,” he replied.

  “No,” Joseph said. “I don’t know you, and you’re not going to be alone with her without someone else.”

  “You don’t have much time before Samhain,” Finias replied. “And Catalpa will not be able to relax with all of her family watching.”

  “And she’ll be able to relax having dinner with a stranger?” Joseph asked skeptically.

  “Are you one of the other companions?” Finias asked.

  “Yeah,” Joseph said, nodding slowly. “Yeah, I am. Why?”

  “Which sister?” Finias asked.

  “Hazel, the youngest.”

  “Fine, you and Hazel can also come,” Finias offered. “Tomorrow night?”

  “Yeah, tomorrow night,” Joseph said. “I can trust you, right?”

  Finias sighed and nodded. “I can promise you that harming Catalpa is the furthest thing from my mind.”

  Joseph started to stand up, then stopped and sat down. “I just realized that I don’t know your name,” he said. “And you haven’t shown me any identification.”

  Finias smiled and nodded. “You’re right,” he said. “You don’t, and I haven’t.”

  “I’d like to see some now,” Joseph asked, holding out his hand.

  Finias reached into his back pocket and pulled out a wallet. Reaching inside, he pulled out a Jamaican driver’s license and handed it to Joseph.

  Joseph took the card, glanced at it, and then met looked up. “You don’t mind if I run this through the system to make sure you don’t have any outstanding arrest warrants, do you…” Joseph looked back down at the license. “Ellis Thomas.”

  Finias smiled and shook his head. “I don’t mind at all.”

  Chapter Twelve

  The early-morning sun was streaming through the windows in the kitchen of the Willoughby house. A unique fragrance of herbs and floral scent filled the air as Rowan stood at the commercial stove mixing an herbal ointment slowly in a large stainless-steel pot.

  Hazel was on her phone at the table, sipping on a cup of the tea Rowan had created for her, and checking her social media accounts. Agnes was sorting through the mail order requests they’d received the day before, and Henry was doing research on his computer.

  “Good morning,” Joseph said, as he entered the room, then walked over to Hazel and kissed her.

  She smiled up at him and returned the kiss. “Good morning,” she replied. “Want some tea?”

  He shook his head and pulled up a chair next to her. “I’m good,” he said. “Where’s Cat?”

  “She’s in her office,” Agnes said. “Going through the online orders, while I go through the old-fashioned print orders.”

  “People still mail in orders?” he asked, astonished.

  Agnes nodded. “Some of our older customers have been shopping with us for decades, and they see no reason to change their ways,” she said. “So, we accommodate both ends of the technical spectrum.”

  “Besides,” Cat said with a smile as she entered the kitchen from the great room. “Mom is pretty much of that generation.”

  “Rude,” Agnes said. “I’m not that much older than you. And once you turn forty, we’ll practically be the same age.”

  Cat sighed as she walked over to the refrigerator. “Unfortunately, that’s true,” she said, pulling out a pitcher of cucumber water and pouring herself a glass. “I’ll be forty, and you’ll be sixty, and we will be the same age.”

  “Well, that’s not for ten years,” Agnes said. “And thinking about it only depresses me. So, let’s talk about something happier.”

  “How about the world possibly ending on Samhain?” Hazel suggested. “Then neither of you have to worry about aging.”

  “Wow, Debbie Downer,” Cat said, taking a sip of the water. “Besides, the world is not going to end. We are going to prevail.”

  “Speaking of the world ending,” Joseph said. “I got you a date.”

  All the women in the room turned toward him, with astonishment in their faces. “Excuse me?” Catalpa asked.

  “Oh. No,” Joseph stammered. “I didn’t mean it that way. Oh hell, I really stepped in it, didn’t I?”

  Hazel snorted and nodded. “Yes, you did,” she agreed.

  “What I meant is that you needed to find someone who is of the blood and on our side,” he added quickly. “And I found someone that I think could work. If you’re interested, he’d like to meet you for dinner tonight.”

  Cat placed her glass down on the counter, her stomach tied in knots. “I suppose,” she said, trying to push past the sadness in her heart. Then she smiled at Joseph. “Yes, thank you, I need to meet someone. I’d be happy to meet him tonight.”

  “Okay, so it’s not weird, Hazel and I will be joining you,” Joseph said. “And, if for any reason, you start feeling uncomfortable or just not interested, we’ll leave.”

  “Thank you,” Cat said. “That’s helpful.”

  “Maybe we should come up with a code term that you could use if you aren’t interested,” Hazel suggested.

  Cat rolled her eyes. “Okay, how about something like, ‘I’m sorry, this just isn’t working for me, I’m not interested,’” she suggested.

  “Yeah, well, you kind of took all the fun out of the whole code term thing,” Hazel teased. “But I think we can work with that.”

  “What time?” Cat asked.

  “How about six?” Joseph asked. “I’ll pick you both up.”


  “How about I follow you in my car,” Cat suggested. “Then, if things go well, we have our options open?”

  “Catalpa,” Agnes inserted. “Maybe you should go with…”

  “Mom,” Cat interrupted. “I promise I won’t do anything foolish. But I just feel like I need to open myself up to new possibilities.”

  “But you’ll be careful?” Agnes requested.

  Cat walked over and placed a kiss on her mother’s head. “Of course,” she said. “We all know what’s at stake here.”

  “Okay, this is interesting,” Henry said, looking up from his laptop at the kitchen table and surprised there were so many people around him. “Oh, hello Joseph and Cat. When did you arrive?”

  “What’s interesting?” Rowan laughed as she sprinkled some dried comfrey into the ointment.

  “The Pratt Institute was made into a Bed and Breakfast,” he said.

  Hazel nodded and put her cup down. “Oh, yeah, I knew that,” she said. “It’s the big one downtown.”

  “Have you ever been there?” Henry asked.

  Rowan shook her head. “No,” she replied. “It hasn’t been the Institute for over fifty years.”

  “But there could be residual information still in the building,” Henry said.

  “Residual information—like ghosts?” Agnes asked. “Why would ghosts be helpful, Henry?”

  “Well, if we knew what the people who had conjured up the demon said when they were performing the séance,” he mused. “It might be helpful when we’re trying to banish him.”

  “So, we should have a séance to find out what went wrong with another séance?” Hazel asked.

  Henry shook his head. “Heaven forbid,” he exclaimed. “No, I would never recommend a séance, especially in this highly charged environment. I was thinking along the lines of a spirit box or an EVP session.”

  “That could be interesting,” Cat said. “And I understand that the Bed and Breakfast doesn’t use the third floor at all. They’ve locked it up and just have storage up there.”

  “Why don’t they use it?” Joseph asked.

  Agnes smiled knowingly. “Well, you’re correct when you assume there might be residual energy there,” she said. “There was so much residual energy that the B&B has changed hands several times in the past fifty years. And most of the complaints were from rooms on the third floor.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Finias entered the dining room at the Bed and Breakfast and smiled at Katie. “Good morning,” he said with a cordial smile.

  “Mr. Thomas, good morning,” Katie greeted him with a warm smile. “And how did you sleep?”

  “Like I was sleeping on feathers,” he replied. “Until I was awoken by the heavenly scent that must be coming from your kitchen.”

  Katie blushed with pleasure. “Why, what a nice thing to say,” she said. “I’ve made a spinach and ham quiche, chocolate-filled croissants and a fruit salad. How does that sound?”

  “Like I will have to go jogging several times a day to work off my breakfast,” he replied. “But it will be worth every step.”

  She chuckled delightedly and then offered him a chair. “Please, have a seat,” she said. “And help yourself to a beverage. I’ll be serving breakfast in a minute or two.”

  Seating himself, he picked up a carafe of tomato juice and filled a small juice cup. He picked up the glass and began to sip when Joseph walked through the lobby into the dining room.

  “Should I worry that you’re drinking blood?” he asked softly, glancing around to be sure Katie was not in the vicinity.

  Finias laughed. “You must realize I am sitting in full sun,” he said. “So, your vampire theory is not holding up.” Then he smiled at Joseph. “Besides, I do not glitter.”

  Joseph pulled out a chair and sat at the table. “Okay, here’s the deal,” he said. “I set up the dinner tonight, with Cat, and she agreed. Hazel and I will be there too.” He paused for a moment and met Finias’ eyes. “You hurt her, and I will kill you.”

  Finias picked up the glass of tomato juice, sipped again, and then placed it down in exactly the correct spot in the table setting. He picked up the linen napkin and blotted his lips. “I have already given you my word that I do not intend to hurt Catalpa, and I am on your side,” he said slowly.

  Joseph sat back in the chair and shrugged. “Yeah, well, I’ll believe your word when you’ve proven that it’s true,” he said.

  “That’s fair,” Finias replied. “So, where are we meeting for dinner?”

  Joseph paused for a moment; then a slight smile curled the edge of his mouth. “A brew pub a couple of blocks away from here,” he said. “I think you’ll like it. It’s called Second Salem. We’ll meet at six.”

  A grin spread across Finias’ face, his white teeth a dazzling contrast to his dark skin. He lifted the juice again and toasted in Joseph’s direction. “I think I will too,” he said. “I will see you there at six.”

  Joseph stood up and nodded slightly. “See you then,” he said, and quietly exited the room.

  “Were you speaking with someone?” Katie asked a moment later as she carried in a large plate laden with Finias’ breakfast.

  “No,” Finias replied immediately. “Why do you ask?”

  She sighed and put the plate on the table in front of him. “You don’t get spooked by paranormal things, do you?” she asked.

  He bit back a smile and shook his head. “No, I tend to be quite boring and rational,” he replied.

  She scooted into the chair next to him and turned to face him. “Please, eat your breakfast, I don’t want it to get cold,” she insisted.

  “I will, as long as you tell me about your house,” he agreed.

  “Well, there are quite a few stories about this Bed and Breakfast,” she said. “People have had experiences here that have frightened them. Ghostly experiences.”

  Finias pulled off a bit of the croissant and popped it into his mouth. “Downstairs?” he asked.

  She shrugged. “Well, not that often,” she said. “But I always hear conversations happening when I know that I’m the only one home.”

  “Old houses do that sometimes,” he replied.

  She smiled. “Exactly,” she agreed. “But there have been things that happened upstairs, on the third floor, that just could not be explained. That’s why we closed it off.”

  “Oh,” Finias said, picking a forkful of quiche. “Were they dangerous?”

  “Well, I suppose you could say that,” she said regretfully. “Furniture moving, doors slamming, water faucets turning on, lights flashing.”

  The fork stopped before he put the morsel in his mouth. “That is quite extraordinary,” he said, feigning alarm. “Is it safe for me to be on the second floor?”

  “Oh. Oh, yes,” she replied, waving her hands as if to dispel any worries. “The second floor is fine. And the only way to get up to the third floor is a locked door at the far end of your hallway. So, really, you are quite safe.”

  He took the bite of quiche into his mouth and then smiled at her. “This is quite delicious, Katie,” he replied. “The cheese in the quiche is unique, is it local?”

  “Funny you should ask that,” she replied. “Yes, it is, and I’m going to be running out after breakfast to pick up some more and a few other things I need. I’ll lock the front door behind me, but your room keys will also open the front door if you decide to go out.”

  She paused, thinking about what she’d just told him about the building. “Are you going to be okay staying here by yourself?”

  He smiled at her and nodded. “Oh, yes, I can assure you that my work will keep me very busy while you are gone,” he replied. “And I am not at all concerned about the third floor.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Cat hiked up the path that led from the side of their home up into the woods and bluffs. With Fuzzy at her side, she was able to concentrate less on her surroundings and more on the ebb and flow of the energy enveloping her. S
he breathed deeply and inhaled the scent of the rich, moist earth at her feet. She felt the warmth of the sun against the back of her head. Heard the whisper of the wind through the pine trees. And felt the vibrations from the limestone bluffs around her.

  She stepped up, grabbing onto a sapling with one hand, and pulled herself up onto the black escarpment that lay above the lake. Walking along the edge, the wind flowing through her hair, she hurried, surefooted, to a ledge a little wider than the path she was on. Once she’d reached the edge, she turned to the small cave nearly concealed by overgrown brush, and slowly entered it.

  The cave was no more than five feet deep and was actually more of a shelter than an actual cave. The floor was clay and rock, and the walls nearly smooth limestone with water stains running down from the top. She walked to the very back of the shelter and placed her hand on a smooth stone embedded in the limestone wall. Closing her eyes, she allowed the energy from the stone to fill her body and the memories of that day long ago, fill her mind.

  Thunder rumbled, and lightning flashed on the other side of the lake. There was no way she would make it home without getting drenched. Besides, her mother had always warned her not to run through the forest during a lightning storm. She was on the escarpment, and the soft rain had begun to make it slick and dangerous. She hugged the edge of the bluff and moved along its face, hoping to find a place where she could shelter until the storm passed.

  She closed her eyes for a moment and reached out to the universe for direction. The answer came almost immediately and clearer than any she’d ever received. Only a few more feet and there would be a shelter. She would be safer there.

  Hurrying, trying to avoid getting her hair even wetter, she dashed forward, the memory of the vision guiding her way. The rain increased and she sprinted ahead, laughing with delight as the raindrops splashed against her skin. She dashed into the shelter and then screamed with surprise as she careened into the young man who had also sought shelter from the storm.

  He wrapped his arms around her, so she didn’t slip on the slick surface and held her in his arms for a long moment. She looked up into his dark, brown eyes, and her heart skipped a beat. Embarrassed, and a little fearful, she slowly stepped away from his embrace.