by Jane Hinchey
For Petrina,
thank you for letting me use your name.
About this book
Tick Tock. Time is running out.
My parents are missing in outback Australia. Only they’ve left me clues. Clues that tell me they were close to a significant discovery—the location of a copper scroll that leads to untold treasures. A scroll that treasure hunters would kill for.
Now I’m in a race against time. Together with my Gran, best friend Jenna, my familiar Archie, and bad boy lawyer Blake Tennant, we head to an outback town called Arrowstrand, where the locals are hiding their own secrets, and I must rely on my magic and blind faith to venture into the unknown.
The stakes have never been higher; can I reach my parents before it’s too late or will they be lost forever?
Author’s Note
Hey! Welcome to the weird and wacky world of my imagination. I hope you enjoy your time here.
If you love anything supernatural as much as I do, then you’re going to enjoy the journey ahead - at least I think you will.
Witch Way Down Under is the third book in my Witch Way Paranormal Cozy Mystery series, with more to come, so make sure you sign up for my newsletter to receive my free starter library AND get notifications on when the next book is ready.
I also write paranormal romance, so by joining my newsletter you’ll receive a free book in each genre.
You can sign up for my starter library here:
Janehinchey.com/StarterLibrary
Okay, ready to weave some magic and solve some mysteries?
I’ll see you on the other side!
Jane Hinchey
Chapter One
“Oh, good grief.” Jenna pinched her nose and waved her hand in front of her face. “Who farted? Archie? Was that you?”
Archie lifted his orange head, twitched an ear, and eyeballed Jenna with such a look of disdain that I couldn't contain a snort of amusement. “More likely it was Gran,” I said.
We both looked at Gran, who was dozing in her seat, head lolling against the travel pillow around her neck. We were in a private jet, headed to Australia. I was still in a state of shock. Not only because my parents were missing, but also that Blake had procured the use of a private jet to transport not only me, but my cat, my Gran, and one of my best friends to the other side of the world to search for them. Blake was still a mystery to me. A very distracting, very hot mystery. He was Gran's lawyer. My dad had called him when she'd been arrested for Bonnie Emerson's murder. Yet despite the endless questions I'd thrown at him, he'd yet to reveal exactly how he knew my dad.
Jenna, being a journalist for the Whitefall Cove Tribune, always had a nose for a story and she'd immediately dug into the man who was Blake Tennant. He was a partner at the law firm, Richards, Jones and Tennant, and Jenna had yet to uncover who the Jones was in that partnership. Speculation was rife it was my father—although he was a professor and an archaeologist, not a lawyer. Blake had remained tight-lipped each time we'd brought it up, which was a lot. He'd simply say Dad was a friend and change the subject.
“What has she been eating?” Jenna grumbled, still waving her hand to dispel the smell.
“I don't know,” I replied. “Could be anything really.” Even as I spoke a little prft of sound came from Gran and I bit back another laugh. “Brace yourself,” I said to Jenna. “Incoming.”
“Oh my God!” Jenna wailed, loud enough that Gran stirred, cracked open an eye, then slipped back into slumber.
Archie, who'd been curled up on the seat next to me lifted his head and sniffed the air, then promptly jumped down and headed toward the back of the jet. We'd set up a tray for him in the bathroom, along with a bowl of water and some dry food. I watched until he disappeared into the bathroom, his tail twitching.
It was surreal we were on our way to Australia. I shuddered to think how much this little expedition was costing—and I sincerely hoped I would not be presented with a bill at the end. I'd asked Blake, and he'd told me not to worry about it, that it was taken care of. Still, I couldn't help but feel a little uneasy about the whole situation. I didn't like to think of myself as a charity case; I liked to pay my own way, but getting Archie on a commercial flight all the way to Australia just would not happen. Somehow Blake had circumnavigated quarantine requirements and Archie had a special dispensation to enter any country I cared to take him to. That told me that Blake was a powerful man. Or he had powerful connections, because really, who could do that?
The chirping of my laptop interrupted my train of thought. Monica was face timing me. Hitting connect, I smiled at the dark-haired beauty on my screen.
“How's it going, Mon?”
“All good this end. Wendy is doing just fine at the bookstore. Bruce is helping too.”
“Excellent, thank you.” The Dusty Attic was the bookstore I'd recently purchased in Whitefall Cove. I'd considered closing it while I was away, but Wendy had convinced me to let her run it in my absence. Despite being heavily pregnant, she'd been positive she could manage, provided I was okay with her soon-to-be husband Bruce helping.
“You nearly there?” Monica asked.
I nodded. “I think we've only got a couple of hours to go. It's been a long trip. We’ve only had to refuel once, but I gotta say, flying in a private jet is the way to go, it's so darn comfortable.”
Monica frowned. “Don't tell me. I don't want to hear it.” She grumbled, “If it weren't for the fact that the Australian sun would surely fry me in two seconds flat, I'd be there with you.”
“I know you would. But you're still helping. Keeping an eye on the store for me. I appreciate it.” Monica was a vampire, and while she could tolerate short bursts of sunlight, extended periods would burn her to a crisp. And where we were going, the Australian outback, just would not work for her. Not this time anyway.
After chatting with Monica for a few more minutes, I hung up just as Blake walked through the cabin. “Everything okay?” he asked, pausing by my seat. He looked as delicious as always, snug jeans hugging his thighs, dark T-shirt clinging to rock-hard abs. He carried that bad boy vibe with him, and as much as it attracted me, I was cautious at the same time. After the kiss we'd shared on my doorstep before he'd dropped the bombshell of my parents’ disappearance, we hadn't had a chance to be alone—or talk about what that kiss had meant. If anything.
“Sure.” I shrugged. “Why wouldn't it be?”
He opened his mouth to reply only to be interrupted by Gran, who woke with a yawn, a stretch, and a loud fart. “We there yet?” she asked, unclipping her seat belt and swinging her legs from the reclining seat.
“Nearly,” Blake told her. “Another hour.”
“Sweet. Got time for a shower then.” And off she shuffled to the bathroom that, yes, came equipped with a shower. A loud fart accompanied each step she took, as if she were gas propelled, and I giggled, more at the wide-eyed expression on Blake's face than Gran's stutter farting efforts.
“Does she always…?”
“Pretty much.” I nodded.
He shook his head, a dimple showing as he smiled, then he patted my shoulder. “The pilot will let you know when to stop using electronics. Our satellite is okay until we get within Adelaide's airspace. Then we must shut it off.”
That was another thing. A private jet with its own satellite, which meant I not only had phone reception the entire way, but internet too. Despite the journey around the globe taking us almost twenty-four hours, it was in absolute comfort. Being able to sleep horizontally was a plus, with the big leather chairs reclining so we could get a decent rest.
“And then what?” I asked. “What happens when we get to Adelaide?” All I knew was that my parents had booked tickets to come home, but they'd never made their flight. The archaeological dig they were on was near a small township several hundred miles from the city of Adelaide itself.
“I've got a car waiting and we head out to Arrowstrand.”
Arrowstrand was in the Flinders Ranges,
about four hundred miles from the city of Adelaide. Population? Around three hundred. I'd Googled what I could about my parents’ last known location, and I knew what had attracted them to the area. A fabled copper pyramid located within Grid Point 44 in the Flinders Ranges—and the whole region is a vortex zone. It had Mom and Dad's names written all over it.
Australia was not what I’d been expecting. To be honest, I don’t know what I was expecting. Kangaroos hopping down the street, perhaps. But there were none. In fact, Adelaide looked very civilized, very… normal. Busy. Cars, buses, trains, traffic.
The heat had been a surprise. It was fall yet it was already eighty-two degrees—and it was an intense, dry heat, the sun searing. I’d exited the jet, sunglasses in place, but still I’d had to raise my arm to shield my face from the glare.
“Seriously, what do you have in here? Rocks?” Blake grumbled as he heaved my floral suitcase into the back of a gunmetal gray Land Rover that could, quite frankly, use a good wash. It was big and square and could have served time as an army vehicle. Robust was a word that came to mind. I hoped it had cushioned seats.
“Shoes,” I joked, sliding my backpack off my shoulders.
Blake paused, wiping an arm across his forehead that glistened in sweat. We'd disembarked onto the tarmac and the Land Rover had been sitting waiting, a shimmer of mirage reflecting the heat.
“Holy schamoly,” Gran exclaimed, fanning her face. “Sure is hot here.”
“Come on.” Jenna grasped her elbow and led her toward the car. “Let's jump in and get out of the sun. I hope you packed sunscreen, Gran.”
Gran was nodding. “Packed my bikini too.” I held open the rear door for them, chuckling when Archie streaked ahead of them and jumped onto the back seat. The rear of the Land Rover was full of our luggage plus metal boxes with padlocks.
“Whose car is this again?” I asked, moving to the front passenger side and opening the door, only to be confronted with a steering wheel.
“Right-hand drive in Australia,” Blake pointed out.
“Thank you, Captain Obvious,” I muttered under my breath, slamming the door and making my way to the passenger side.
“It’s mine.” A woman’s voice startled me, and I swiveled. “Or rather, it belongs to the Bureau of Occult Research and Defense, but I drive it.”
“Who are you?” I eyed her up and down. She looked like a female Indiana Jones with khaki green pants, a white tank, with a beige button-down shirt over the top, unbuttoned and tied at the waist with the sleeves rolled up. Around her neck looped a dark green cotton scarf. A canvas satchel hung off one shoulder, and a straw panama hat, with one long braid hanging over one shoulder completed the outfit. Oh, let’s not forget the sturdy boots. She looked like she was ready for the Australian outback.
I, on the other hand, felt maybe I’d gotten the dress code wrong. Despite traveling with my parents as a child, it was a lifetime ago and apparently, I’d forgotten a lot. Like how to dress for an expedition. I stood in my black and white polka dot shorts, white flip-flops, a white halter top and a high ponytail. Had I even packed a hat? Or sunscreen?
“I’m Remy Leigh.” She smiled and held out her hand. She indicated the black and white dog sitting patiently at her heels. “And this is Bandit.”
Bandit had one ear sticking straight up, the other flopped over, but his most stunning feature was that his eyes were different colors. One brown, one a startling blue.
I shook her hand. “Harper Jones. So… this is your car? You’re joining us?”
She nodded. “I’m a field agent for the Bureau. Blake asked for our help on this case.”
“There you are!” Blake strode around from the rear of the car and wrapped Remy in a bear hug, squeezing her tight and making her laugh.
“How are you, big fella?” she joked. “Seb sends his regards.”
“I’m good.” Blake gave her the full wattage of his smile before turning it my way and I practically melted on the spot. “You two met?” he asked. I nodded, watching as Blake greeted Bandit with a ruffle of his ears.
“This is all Remy’s doing.” Blake waved at the Land Rover. “We’re hitching a ride with her.”
“Right.” I guess having another person help us search for them couldn’t hurt. And Remy looked like she knew what she was doing. At least she dressed the part.
“Ummm. Is Bandit going to be okay with Archie?” I glanced into the back seat where Archie sat.
“Who is Archie?” Remy asked.
“My cat.”
“Oh, he’ll be fine. Bandit loves cats.”
“Not to eat I hope,” I muttered under my breath, but Remy heard me and laid a hand on my arm.
“Seriously, he won’t hurt your cat. In fact, he’ll probably become best friends with him. Bandit has a habit of becoming best friends with every creature he meets.”
Before I could stop her, she opened the back door and emitted a shrill whistle. Bandit leaped inside, sniffed at Archie, then lay down on the floor. Remy walked around to the driver’s side and climbed in. Blake took the passenger seat, leaving me the back seat with our respective pets, and Gran and Jenna.
“So far I'm loving Australia!” Gran grinned, patting my knee. I grinned. So far all we’d seen was the airport!
“Which way are you going?” Blake asked Remy as she gunned the engine. “Highway One to Port Augusta and then up?”
She shook her head. “We’ll take the B80 most of the way, then it’ll be dirt roads to Arrowstrand.” She turned to look at me over her shoulder. “We’ll go past Chambers Gorge and Sacred Canyon, both sites of significance and places your parents stayed before moving on to Arrowstrand.”
Sites of significance. Those were the types of words Mom and Dad used to throw around.
“Do you know what my parents were working on?” I asked after Remy had pulled out into the flow of traffic leaving the airport. “All I could work out from Google was that the area they were staying is famous for a mythical copper pyramid.”
“Have you heard of the treasure of the Copper Scroll?” she asked, moving into the left lane before stopping at the lights. I was glad she was driving; everything was backward in Australia. Not only was she on the wrong side of the vehicle, but the cars were traveling on the wrong side of the road!
“It’s a scroll, made of copper, with a list of locations where treasure—gold and silver—had been hidden,” Blake answered for me. “Discovered in 1952, although the scroll itself is said to have dated back to 30 BCE.”
“You’ve done your homework.” Remy cut him a glance before turning her attention back to the road. “Rumor has it there is another scroll. An actual map. With far more—or maybe just undiscovered—treasures,” she said.
“And my parents are searching for it? In Australia? Is that where the first scroll was found?” I asked.
“No, they found the first scroll in some caves near a town called Kalya in Israel.”
“Wait, now I’m really confused.” I scratched my head. “So you’re telling me one scroll, made of copper, was found in Israel and my parents think there is a second copper scroll in Australia? That makes no sense.”
“You were right when you mentioned that within the Flinders Ranges there is supposedly a Copper Pyramid, and that within that Pyramid the remaining copper scroll is hidden. Grid points are the connection between dimensions and your father had a theory—that Grid Point 44 created an artificial time warp where travelers from ancient civilizations used it to travel to a far-off secret land.”
“Australia?” I said incredulously.
“Exactly.” She nodded. “It makes perfect sense. Australia was so remote, unreachable by any other means. So, if you wanted to hide something…”
“You’d get yourself to a grid point and use it like a wormhole,” Blake cut in.
“Yes, but a copper pyramid isn’t something you could easily hide,” I pointed out. “I mean that sucker would be visible for miles.”
“And yet it hasn
’t been discovered,” Remy said.
“Maybe that’s because it’s a story that someone made up?”
“Could be.” Remy agreed, expertly maneuvering us through the traffic as she spoke. “But your dad shared his theory with me, and I figured if he was going to invest time and money into searching for it, then there has to be some merit behind it. Your dad is a smart man. Wives’ tales wouldn't fool him.”
“How do you know him?” I asked.
She adjusted the rear-view mirror and met my eyes. “He used to be my professor, back in the day. He’s the one that got me interested in archeology, artifacts, and the paranormal.”
“Right. And you kept in touch?”
She shrugged. “Sure. I’ve met your dad and mom several times when they came into Adelaide from time to time. We’d have lunch or dinner; they’d share what they were up to with their dig.”
“For a mythical pyramid made from copper. Wait a minute—you don’t think they could have been sucked through this worm hole, do you?” I leaned forward and grabbed the back of Blake’s seat.
Remy and Blake exchanged a look. My head swiveled between them.
“You do think that!” I exclaimed, my heart thundering in my chest and my panic level rising. “So, they could have been dragged into the past?”
“Harper,” Blake said, tone soothing, “take a breath.”
“All we know is that your parents are not responding. We’ve lost communication with them,” Remy said soothingly. “They may not be missing at all.”
I flopped back against my seat. She had a point. We knew nothing for sure. They missed a flight. A flight they’d booked in a hurry. Maybe they hadn’t allowed themselves enough time to get back to Adelaide? Maybe they had broken down? Or maybe they’d changed their minds? Figured Blake was on hand to take care of Gran’s murder charge and had stayed put.
