In the end, I’d almost been killed for those magical powers. And Brad had been taken. He was trapped somewhere in the shadow realm.
So, a ghost in my bedroom hardly seemed out of the norm. Just another night in this midlife curse.
I shuddered as new anxiety mixed with the old. My father was gone. And he was a ghost.
“That’s why I came here,” he said. “They’re going to tell you I died of natural causes. Who knows—a heart attack or something like that.”
“Okay.”
“But it’s not true. I don’t know how I died, Constance. I heard voices. Unnatural voices.”
“Whose?”
“I don’t know who.” His voice was so distant, an echo of what I was used to hearing. Even that started to fade. “Honey, there’s something I’ve been meaning to talk to you about.”
I nodded encouragingly. I wanted him to spit it out. Whatever he wanted to say, we were going to figure this out… together. All of it—who killed him and how.
I had the urge to run to Gran, to see if there was any way of changing him back, although I’d seen Practical Magic enough times to know that probably wasn’t a good idea.
“Your mom,” he began, “she told me something once.” His body started fading. He whispered and it barely reached my ears. “She told me she was a witch.”
“I’m one too.”
“She was working for someone. Working on something. Trying to find something.”
“Dad.”
He waved his phantom arm from in front of his face. “This form doesn’t want to stay here long.”
“What do you need to tell me?” I pressed.
“I think… I think maybe I was killed by magic.”
It made no sense. There was no way he could know that. And yet…
“I have to go,” he said.
“Don’t,” I pleaded. “We can fix this. You just have to stay here. I’ll go get Gran.” If anyone would know how to fix this, it’d be my eighty-something-year-old grandmother.
“I’ll try to come back,” Dad said.
“You will?”
“I’ll try my best.”
“No. What does that even mean?”
He smiled, still fading away. “It means I’ll try my best.”
“No, Dad,” I argued. “It means you’re not going to. You’ve been saying ‘I’ll try my best’ my whole life—your whole life—and its definition is ‘it probably won’t happen.’ I need you to promise me.”
It wasn’t that Dad wasn’t reliable. He was almost too reliable. Always there. Always willing to help. But I’d heard this particular phrase often enough to know its meaning well. His way of saying something isn’t a good idea. And he’s often right.
“What do you want me to say, Constance? I don’t know what’s across that plane. But I do know I want to go there. And I can’t stay here.”
“It’s not what I want you to say. It’s what I want you to do. I want you to come back. We have to finish this conversation. I need to know more about Mom—about what happened to you.”
“I’ll try my best,” he said again.
Then the bright glow dwindled to a dimming ball at the center of his chest. Then the ghostly form of my father winked out of existence. Possibly for good.
Never Been Hexed is available NOW!
Also By Christine Zane Thomas
Witching Hour starring 40 year old witch Constance Campbell
Book 1: Midlife Curses
Book 2: Never Been Hexed
Book 3: Must Love Charms
Book 4: You’ve Got Spells
Witching Hour: Psychics coming early 2021
Book 1: The Scrying Game
Tessa Randolph Cozy Mysteries written with Paula Lester
Grim and Bear It
The Scythe’s Secrets
Reap What She Sows
Foodie File Mysteries starring Allie Treadwell
The Salty Taste of Murder
A Choice Cocktail of Death
A Juicy Morsel of Jealousy
The Bitter Bite of Betrayal
Comics and Coffee Case Files starring Kirby Jackson and Gambit
Book 1: Marvels, Mochas, and Murder
Book 2: Lattes and Lies
Book 3: Cold Brew Catastrophe
Book 4: Decaf Deceit
Box Set: Coffee Shop Capers
About Christine Zane Thomas
Christine Zane Thomas is the pen name of a husband and wife team. A shared love of mystery and sleuths spurred the creation of their own mysterious writer alter-ego.
While not writing, they can be found in northwest Florida with their two children, their dachshund Queenie, and schnauzer Tinker Bell. When not at home, their love of food takes them all around the South. Sometimes they sprinkle in a trip to Disney World. Food and Wine is their favorite season.
Acknowledgments
Thanks to Ellen Campbell who edited this book. To Sara Johnson for proofreading. To Jason and Hillary for beta reads, helping to steer this book in the right direction. And as always to my family and friends who help support my writing pursuits.
Midlife Curses: A Paranormal Women's Fiction Mystery (Witching Hour Book 1) Page 20
