Catalpa's Curse

by Terri Reid

  “We have to have some of the homemade chips,” Hazel inserted. “With a side of cheese sauce. And then perhaps some of the soft pretzels with more cheese sauce.”

  Cat grinned. “What Hazel didn’t mention is that she is pregnant and finally finding her appetite again,” she explained quietly.

  “Ah,” Finias said with a knowing nod. “So, we should order quickly and generously.”

  Cat laughed, suddenly feeling at ease with him. “Right now, her eyes are much bigger than her stomach,” she replied. “But quickly is a good idea.”

  Finias looked over and caught the attention of one of the waitresses, who, Cat noted, had been staring at him the entire time. She came over and smiled at him. “May I help you?” the waitress asked eagerly.

  “I believe we need some appetizers, as quickly as possible,” he said. “Could we get a large order of your homemade chips with cheese sauce, as well as some soft pretzels with cheese sauce and…” He looked at Hazel. “How do you feel about deep-fried cheese curds?”

  She smiled and nodded. “I feel very good about those,” she replied.

  He looked at the waitress and added the cheese curds to the list. “If you wouldn’t mind getting those going right away,” he asked courteously. “We will be ready with our drink requests and dinner orders when you get back.”

  “Okay, I’ll get the order in and be right back,” she said.

  Finias turned to Cat and smiled. Cat was surprised to feel a hint of camaraderie towards him. This was not what she expected at all.

  “Now that we’ve taken care of quickly and generously,” he said softly, “What would you like to order?”

  She smiled and quickly glanced at Hazel for a moment. “I’ll have the fish fry,” she said.

  Chapter Twenty-two

  Donovan walked back to his office after the meeting, his mind on the new responsibilities his boss had just given him. He was moving up in the firm and getting more opportunities. Whistling happily, he reviewed the last thirty minutes in the meeting. Yeah, this was good. Things were going really well for him at work.

  He paused at his office door, his hand on the door knob, and a fleeting memory darted through his mind. He saw himself opening the door and rushing into the room early that afternoon. Shaking his head, he removed his hand from the door knob and stared at it.

  “That can’t be right,” he whispered, running his hand through his hair. “I was in meetings all afternoon. I didn’t come back to my office.”

  He closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. He was imaging things that didn’t happen. He was losing his mind.

  “Okay, I need some down time,” he said, opening the office door and walking inside. “I need some food, some friends and maybe a beer.”

  He walked over to his desk, put down his laptop, and picked up his phone. He dialed Cat’s phone and waited, but after ringing a few times, he was directed to her voicemail. He hung up without leaving a message and called the Willoughby house. After two rings, Agnes answered.

  “Donovan, it’s so great to hear from you,” Agnes said immediately. “How are you doing?”

  “I’m great, Agnes,” he replied. “How are you?”

  “Well, you know, we’re all on edge a little with all that’s going on,” she replied.

  “Yeah, I can imagine,” he replied. “It’s harvest time, isn’t it?”

  There was a long moment of silence.

  “Yes, it is harvest time,” Agnes replied slowly. “And that keeps us pretty busy.”

  “I was just wondering if Cat was home,” he said. “Can she drag herself away from the store?”

  “Um, Donovan, we closed the store,” Agnes reminded him.

  He looked down at his watch. “Oh, yeah, jeez, it’s after six, isn’t it?” he replied, not understanding her comment. “Well, then, can I speak with her?”

  “I’m afraid she’s gone out with Hazel,” she replied. “I’m so sorry. Do you want me to give her a message?”

  Donovan shook his head as he pulled his office drawer open without thought. “No. No, that’s okay,” he replied casually. Looking across the room, toward the window, he robotically reached into the drawer, pulled the gun out, and stuffed it into his waistband underneath his suit jacket. “I’m just going to go out and get some dinner. I’ll try her again tomorrow.”

  “Okay, Donovan,” Agnes replied. “You take care of yourself.”

  He smiled and gently pushed the drawer closed. “I will, thanks,” he said. “Have a good night.”

  “You too,” she replied.

  He shrugged and buttoned his suit jacket unconsciously. “Oh, yeah, I will.”

  Chapter Twenty-three

  Joseph leaned back against the upholstered booth and scanned the restaurant. As a law enforcement officer, he automatically chose a seat where he could see the pub’s door and watch who was coming and going.

  Hazel leaned against him. “Are your spidey-senses kicking in?” she whispered.

  He looked down at her in mock outrage. “Excuse me,” he whispered back. “I have finely tuned canine intuitive abilities, not a bug’s radar.”

  She giggled and wrapped her arm through his. “Oh, forgive me,” she laughed. “How thoughtless of me.”

  She started to reach for another cheese curd when she saw Donovan enter the pub out of the corner of her eye. “Oh, incoming,” she said.

  “What?” Catalpa asked her sister, trying to look over her shoulder.

  “Donovan just walked in,” Hazel said. “And it looks like he’s headed this way.”

  Joseph studied Donovan and felt a chill run down his back. “Something’s off,” he said, moving to block Hazel. “Something’s wrong with him.”

  “What?” Hazel asked, leaning around him.

  Reacting to Joseph’s alarm, Finias turned around in the booth and then stood up. He looked at Donovan, and their eyes met. A satisfied smile appeared on Donovan’s face as he moved toward the table and nodded at Finias.

  “His eyes,” Cat exclaimed. “His eyes are black.”

  Suddenly, Donovan reached into his suit jacket, pulled out the gun and aimed it at Finias.

  “Bacainn!” Hazel shouted the Celtic word for barrier a moment before they heard the gun discharge. The single bullet slammed against the invisible barrier, causing waves of energy to reverberate from the contact point. Then the bullet ricocheted back, striking Donovan in the chest.

  Donovan was propelled backwards by the force of the impact and collapsed onto the floor of the restaurant.

  “Imeacht,” Hazel ordered, removing the barrier as quickly as it had appeared.

  “Donovan,” Cat cried, climbing out of the booth and running to his side. She touched her hand to his neck and cried with relief. “He’s still alive,” she wept.

  Joseph knelt on the other side of Donovan and saw blood staining Donovan’s shirt. “We need to get him to a hospital,” he said.

  “I can help him,” Finias said softly, and then he glanced around. “But I don’t need an audience.”

  “I can do that,” Cat replied, sniffing the tears back. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and recited the spell.

  Like the shadows in the night,

  Or the creatures lost from sight.

  Bring invisibility,

  As I ask, so mote it be.

  Suddenly the restaurant around them faded into soft shadows. “We’re good,” she said. “No one can see us.”

  Finias placed his hands on Donovan’s chest and gasped aloud.

  “What?” Cat asked.

  “I can stop the bleeding here,” he said, and she could hear a strain in his voice. “But he needs more help than I can give him.”

  “Rowan and Henry could help,” Hazel said. “I’ll contact them.”

  Finias looked questioningly at Cat. “My sister and her fiancé,” Cat explained. “Both remarkable healers.”

  Finias nodded. “Have them meet us at the Bed and Breakfast,” he said. “I’
ll be able to move him there without too much pain.”

  Cat put her hand on his arm. “Pain for you, or him?” she asked.

  He smiled down at her. “I’m afraid there will be pain for both of us,” he replied. “But I will be careful with your friend.”

  She shook her head. “He isn’t my friend,” she said sadly. “Not anymore.”

  He nodded. “Well, let’s just wait and see, shall we?”

  Closing his eyes, he put his hands over the wound and concentrated, binding the nicked artery and closing the wound. His forehead was beaded with perspiration when he finally opened his eyes. “We can move him,” he whispered.

  Joseph nodded. “What about all of the witnesses?” he asked.

  “I took care of that,” Cat said. “They won’t remember anything about the shooting, and they’ll all remember us getting up together and leaving after dinner.”

  “Thank you,” Joseph said, then he turned to Joseph. “Carry or have Hazel send him there?”

  “It’s only a few blocks away,” Finias said. “I think we need to carry him, the ride through the ether might be too much for him.”

  “Rowan and Henry are on their way,” Hazel said. “And there’s an ambulance waiting outside the restaurant.”

  Cat turned and stared at her. “What?”

  Hazel smiled and shrugged. “I’ll return it when we’re done,” she replied, giving her sister a quick hug. “I figured we needed it just as badly as anyone else.”

  Cat smiled and wiped the tears from her eyes. “Thank you,” she said.

  “Just don’t tell Mom,” Hazel replied softly.

  Chapter Twenty-four

  Cat sat in the back of the ambulance, holding Donovan’s hand and praying quietly as it traveled down the street. His face was pale and drawn, dark circles surrounded his eyes, and his face was contorted in a grimace of pain.

  “Please,” he groaned softly.

  “What darling?” she whispered, bending over to better hear him.

  Finias, sitting on the other side of the Donovan, widened his eyes at the term of endearment that came so easily from Cat’s lips. “Be careful,” he cautioned her.

  She turned her head and glanced at him. “Why?” she asked, confused. “There’s nothing he can…”

  “Cat,” Donovan rasped. “Cat, are you here?”

  She immediately turned her attention back to Donovan, gently stroking the side of his face with her hand. “Yes. Yes, I’m here.”

  His eyes flew open, the irises solid black, and he smiled widely as he ran his tongue slowly across his lips. His hand clamped, like a steel grip, on her arm. “I’m going to drink every drop of your blood,” he hissed. “And then I’m going to burn your body as a sacrifice to my Master.”

  Horrified, she pulled back, but he wouldn’t let her go. She struggled against the grip on her arm. “Let me go,” she cried, fighting with him. “Damn it, let me go!”

  Finias laid his hand over hers and shook his head. “It’s not him,” he said with quiet assurance. “Donovan’s not speaking to you. His body has become a conduit for the demon. Which is why I needed more help to heal him.”

  He placed his other hand on Donovan’s face and gently closed his eyes. Cat’s arm was immediately released, and Donovan moaned in agony. Looking down at her arm, she saw a red welt where Donovan’s hand had been.

  “Allow me,” Finias said, placing his hand on Cat’s arm.

  She could feel the healing warmth not only repair the damage on her arm, but she felt reassurance fill her heart. Eyes brimming with tears, she looked up at him. “Why?” she asked.

  He smiled tenderly. “We cannot always choose the direction of our hearts,” he replied. “And I do not think we should be punished for loving too much.”

  She nodded, her throat too constricted with tears to speak.

  He gently released her arm and then sat back against the wall of the ambulance. “Do you know Katie, the owner of the Bed and Breakfast?” he asked casually.

  Cat nodded and cleared her throat. “I do,” she finally replied.

  “Good, because I’ll need you to distract her somehow while we get Donovan up to the second floor,” he said.

  She felt the ambulance turning into the parking lot, grabbed hold of the stabilizing bar, and stood up. “Let me go in first,” she said. “Then give me a couple of minutes before you bring him up.”

  “Thank you,” Finias said.

  She shook her head. “No, thank you,” she replied. “For understanding.”

  She slipped out the back of the ambulance and jogged toward the front door of the B and B.

  “I understand far more than you realize,” Finias said under his breath. Then he looked down at the unconscious Donovan. “And now, young man, you need to fight with everything you’ve got because this isn’t going to be easy.”

  Chapter Twenty-five

  Cat opened the door to the B and B and quickly glanced around. The front lobby, the sitting room, and the dining room were all empty. Could they have been lucky enough to find the place empty? Then she noticed a light in the back of the house, pooling out from underneath the swinging door to the kitchen. She hurried in that direction.

  “Katie,” she called, keeping her voice friendly and neutral. “Katie, are you back here?”

  She pushed the door open and found Katie at the kitchen counter, watching a Youtube video on cooking and trying to emulate the steps. Katie glanced over her shoulder and smiled at Cat. “Cat! Hi,” she said, her hands caked in dough. “This is a nice surprise.”

  Cat let the door close behind her and then with a quick spell, sealed the kitchen in a sound-proof barrier. “I was in town on some other errands, and I wanted to stop by and see if there was anything you needed from the store,” Cat said. “I didn’t mean to disturb you.”

  Katie shook her head and then blew a random piece of hair off her face. “No, not a problem,” she said. “As a matter of fact, I was going to call you and place an order. My guests can’t live without your family’s jams and preserves.”

  Cat smiled and tried to relax. “That’s wonderful to hear,” she replied. “What are you making?”

  “Oh, it’s brioche,” Katie replied. “I wanted to make French Toast for breakfast.”

  “That sounds amazing,” Cat said. “I’m sure your guests will love it.”

  Katie sighed. “I sure hope so,” she said. “And I hope they remember it when they write their reviews.”

  Cat nodded sympathetically. “It’s all about the reviews, isn’t it?” she asked as she glanced out the window just in time to see the ambulance disappear. With a relieved exhale, she turned back to Katie. “I just remembered another errand I have. Would you mind if I called you for that list?”

  “Oh, actually, that would be great,” Katie said. “I still have to knead the dough for a while.”

  Cat backed up towards the door. “Well, let me know how your brioche turns out,” she said.

  “If you’d like, you can stop by tomorrow morning and have some,” Katie offered. “I know I’ll make more than enough.”

  Cat nodded and smiled. “I might take you up on that. Have a good night.”

  She quickly slipped out of the room, ensuring that the barrier was still intact, and hurried to the staircase. Just as she stepped onto the first step, the door opened behind her. She turned, poised to fight, and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw it was Rowan and Henry.

  “We came…” Rowan started in her normal tone.

  “Shhhh!” Cat cautioned, glancing back toward the kitchen to make sure the door didn’t open.

  “Sorry,” Rowan replied, lowering her voice. “We came as quickly as we could.”

  “They’re upstairs,” Rowan whispered back. “Donovan…” She stopped, tamped down the emotion, and tried again. “Donovan tried to shoot us.”

  “What?” Henry exclaimed softly.

  “Hazel put up a barrier, and the bullet ricocheted back into Donovan,” Cat continu
ed. “Ellis tried to heal him…”

  “Ellis?” Rowan asked.

  “My blind date,” Cat replied. “But he said he needed more help. Come on; I was causing a distraction for them with Katie, so I haven’t been upstairs yet.”

  Cat went up the stairs, followed closely by Rowan and Henry.

  “Is it just a bullet wound?” Henry whispered.

  Cat shook her head. “No, Ellis feels that Donovan is some kind of conduit for the demon,” she replied. “He said he needed more help.”

  “So, he’s possessed?” Henry asked.

  Cat froze on the stairs, and the other two nearly walked into her. She turned, her eyes wide with fear. “Possessed?” she asked, her voice thick with terror. “Do you really think…”

  Rowan shook her head and stepped up to place her arm around her sister’s waist. “We have no idea what’s wrong yet,” she said in placating voice. “So, it does us no good to speculate. Henry just does that because he’s a professor and they have to create hypotheses and presumptions. It’s how his mind works.”

  She shot an apologetic glance over her shoulder at her fiancé, and he winked back.

  “But… if he’s possessed,” Cat stammered as they reach the second floor.

  “Then we’ll just have to unpossess him,” Henry said, stepping over to the other side of Cat and placing his hand on her shoulder. “Don’t worry. We’ll save your Donovan.”

  Cat smiled up at him. “Thank you,” she said. She stepped away from them and walked through the slightly ajar door.

  Rowan put her hand on Henry’s chest before he could follow Cat. “Can we save him?” she asked. “Are you sure?”

  Henry shook his head. “I really hope so.”

  Chapter Twenty-six

  Agnes Willoughby stood in front of the sink in the kitchen, looking out the window at the backyard. She tapped her fingers impatiently against the soapstone farmhouse sink as she gazed outside, hoping that one of her children would either return home or call her and let her know what the hell was going on!