by Elle Adams
After the detective had returned the hat to Mandy’s sister, the two of us left for the cemetery and approached the Reaper’s house. I knocked, once, and he answered, the transparent form of Amanda Dawson hovering behind him.
“Come to collect your ghost?” he asked.
“Pretty much,” I replied. “Mandy… did you see who chased you off?”
She lurked behind him, her head bowed. “I can’t come out, Maura.”
“You have to,” I said softly. “I spoke to your sister—”
Her head shot up and she released a howl, cut off when the Reaper made a threatening movement in her direction.
I glared at him. “I don’t think the tough love approach is going to work here.”
“Then try another angle,” said the Reaper. “She’s your responsibility, not mine.”
“How long has she been here?” I asked. “At least a day, right? You still let her stay, despite claiming not to care.”
“That’s because she’s not making any sense,” he growled. “Seems to think the whole coven is after her.”
My heart sank. “Maybe they are.”
Or they would be, if the truth came out. When the truth came out. No matter how reluctant she might be to talk, I needed to get the answers from her if I was to stand any chance of bringing justice to the victims. Including her.
“Then get her out of here,” he said. “I don’t want to be involved.”
“Because you clearly have so much else going on in your life.” I walked past him towards the ghost, ignoring his grumbling.
The Reaper tried to block my path, only to find his way barred by the detective. I gave Drew a grateful nod, and slipped through the nearest door, finding the ghost hiding in the living room. “Hey, I’m not going to hurt you.”
She shrank back. “It’s not you I’m worried about.”
“I’ll help you stay safe,” I told her. “Your sister would very much like to get justice for your death, and I think I know what happened.”
She didn’t make a sound.
“You were sacrificed,” I said to her. “Weren’t you?”
She made a faint whimpering noise, yet she didn’t say a word.
“Someone killed you in a ritual, the same way they did to Harriet,” I went on. “Why?”
Her voice dropped to a whisper. “To take my magic. Healing magic… it’s the rarest kind, especially within our coven.”
So it’s true. But why would someone use the same method to kill Harriet after such a long time had passed? Cathy had already told me she hadn’t been involved, but she must know something more, even if she wasn’t the killer herself.
One thing was for certain: I needed to take this straight to the coven leader. At least with Drew by my side, I wouldn’t be alone, because this was going to get ugly no matter what.
“Are you absolutely certain you don’t remember anything else?” I asked. “Whereabouts did you die, anyway?”
“In that old house, of course,” she said. “Near the river.”
“You don’t mean Healey House?”
Hang on. The increased reports of ghostly activity had only started within the last two weeks, which coincided with when the position of coven healer had opened up. I’d bet that was what had awakened her. No wonder she’d come after me, since I’d been there that night. It seemed Carey and I had found our ghost after all.
“I didn’t see the killer,” she whispered. “I was walking alone, and I blacked out with no warning. Then I remember floating in the air and seeing my body below me, and there were runes drawn on my hands. I don’t remember anything else. All I know is they wanted my magic.”
I drew in a breath. “Okay. I know only a few people can see you. Can you name anyone in the coven who can see ghosts and who Mina is likely to believe?”
“No!” She shook her head more violently. “She’s dangerous.”
I spotted the Reaper watching me and raised my voice a fraction. “So am I.”
If she didn’t want to leave, I’d have to get the evidence in another way, but at least now I knew where she was hiding out. Even the coven leader would surely hesitate before attacking the Reaper, if just because of the scythe in his hallway and the potential backlash from striking an Angel of Death, even a retired one.
The Reaper scowled at me as I turned in his direction. “You aren’t taking her with you?”
“I have a job to do first,” I said. “I’ll come back.”
He huffed. “I’m not dealing with the coven.”
“Look, can you just sit tight for a minute?” I nodded to Drew. “I think we should head back to the hospital.”
Understanding crossed his expression. “Stay here. We’ll come back.”
The Reaper’s angry mutters pursued us out the door, but he made no move against Mandy’s ghost, for a wonder. Maybe he had something resembling a heart after all. That, or he thought it wasn’t worth arguing with me on this one. Whatever the case, I wasn’t complaining.
As for the killer, though? Cathy stood out as the one unifying factor in both deaths aside from the coven leader, but I couldn’t think who else would have something to gain by this. The coven leader surely didn’t need any more magic than she already had, right?
Cathy could see ghosts and Mina had chosen her as the coven’s healer. That had to mean she was trusted. But if she was the killer—if she’d done the sacrifice in order to gain her powers—then I wasn’t sure who else I might choose to argue Amanda’s case to Mina Devlin and force her to listen. Unless Carey’s microphone suddenly gained the ability to record ghosts, I was stuck.
We reached the hospital and found Cathy in her usual place, surrounded by bubbling potions.
Her eye twitched when she saw us. “What is it this time?”
“Amanda Dawson.”
Her eyes widened. “Oh.”
“Yeah,” I said. “Care to explain?”
Her shoulders slumped. “I don’t think you’re going to believe me, but I didn’t kill her.”
“So you didn’t know someone in the coven has been performing sacrifices?” I said. “Twice, years apart? The same person who then killed your mentor?”
She grimaced. “I didn’t want her to die. And I swear I didn’t kill anyone.”
“You helped the coven leader cover up the murder, though,” I guessed. “Right?”
“I had to,” she said, in defiant tones. “If everyone in town had found out, there’d have been an uproar. They’d have torn the coven to the ground and removed her from her position. We’d have fallen apart. So I did it for her, and—"
“And she repaid your favour later down the line by giving you the position of healer,” I finished.
I doubted Cathy had had the clout to argue with the coven leader, so she’d felt she had no choice in the matter, but she was far from innocent in this.
She dipped her head. “I didn’t get my magic by stealing it from someone else. I never took part in any rituals.”
“Just a cover-up,” said Drew, the hint of a growl to his voice. “So why would someone do the same to Harriet? If they took one witch’s power, that ought to have been enough.”
“Unless it wasn’t,” I said. “Or unless someone found out the truth about Amanda’s death.”
She fidgeted, stirred a potion with one hand. “Got it in one. Harriet was so determined to get the position of healer that she borrowed every book on the subject.”
“Including a book with details of magical rituals to transfer magic from one witch to another,” I said, recalling Mart’s visit to Mina’s office. “And she told Angie in the hopes that she’d help her solve the case. Instead, someone killed her and then poisoned Angie to ensure she didn’t tell anyone else.”
“You suspected,” Drew said to Cathy. “You knew, in fact.”
“Who was I supposed to tell?” she said. “The police? You must know how deadly that magic is. There’s nothing anyone could have done to stop it.”
“I beg to di
ffer,” Drew said. “Whereabouts is this book now?”
She hesitated. “I don’t have it.”
The coven leader does.
She might not be the killer, but she’d helped them cover up by removing the evidence, ensuring that the coven would never be implicated in the dark magic it had unearthed.
But that still left open the question of the killer’s identity. Someone in the coven, evidently, given Mina’s attempts to cover it up… twice.
“Don’t leave,” warned Drew. “I’ll be back for you later.”
As we walked out, he sent a message on his phone.
“Calling backup?” I guessed.
“We might need it.” He led the way out of the hospital. “I suppose you know where the book is?”
“I should go to Mina’s office alone,” I said. “I know what you’re going to say, Drew, but she’s dangerous and I can only guess what else she might be hiding in there. Besides, I have a few skills up my sleeve. She won’t see me.”
“If I hadn’t seen what you did on the bridge, I might have doubts,” he remarked. “But I can’t let you do this alone.”
“Wait here for backup to arrive,” I said. “Don’t let Cathy slip away while my back’s turned. I’ll be back in half an hour.”
He shook his head. “I shouldn’t.”
“But you will.”
Instead of replying, he briefly embraced me. My heart gave an uneven jolt, and I searched his gaze and found nothing there but trust and the knowledge that he believed I could do this.
It was time to find out what the coven leader was really hiding.
Alone, I approached Mina Devlin’s office. Then I used my Reaper abilities and stepped through the shadows, emerging on the other side of the door. I expected to find the book open on the desk, its owner glaring at me and ready to kill.
Instead, the ghost of Angie the healer looked at me from the other side of the coven leader’s desk.
“You,” I said. “What—?”
“Why did you come here?” she said. “Fool.”
“For the book, what else?” I said. “Mina trapped you in here, didn’t she?”
“She had to,” she said. “To stop me from stirring up trouble.”
“Looks like she’s looking for trouble herself,” I said. “Considering she left you here unattended. Where is she?”
“How should I know?” she grumbled. “She left me at least an hour ago.”
“She thought you’d come straight to me,” I surmised. “And then I’d tell the police the truth. Where is the book?”
“Already gone,” she said. “Before she trapped me in here.”
“Then who has it?”
That was the question, wasn’t it? Whoever it was, they’d already chased off Mandy’s ghost once before.
“You’re a Reaper,” she said.
“Half Reaper,” I said. “If I get you out of here, can you tell me everything you know?”
She eyed me. “Very well. Harriet was set on becoming coven healer. She borrowed a large number of books from me to study.”
“The book of rituals?”
“No,” she said. “She got that one from the bookshop.”
“The one where her ex worked.” There was the other connection. “She must have seen Mandy’s body back when she died, or otherwise guessed something was fishy about her death. So she went to you, right?”
“Not at first, but she brought the book to me to ask a few questions,” she said. “The ritual is designed for a witch or wizard to take someone else’s magic. I don’t remember her knowing Mandy particularly well when she was part of the coven, but there were a few rumours at the time, since she’d been the favourite to become coven healer before she died.”
That didn’t explain who’d killed her or why, but I was almost there. I knew it.
A rapping on the door made me jump and spin around.
“It’s me,” Drew said from the other side of the door. “Mina’s on her way back.”
I stepped through the shadows out of the office and emerged at his side. “Angie’s ghost is in there, but not the book of rituals. Someone already removed it.”
The detective released a breath. “Maura, I’m going to gather a team and find a way to handle this which doesn’t involve us going to war with an entire coven. Word seems to have spread fast. Did you tell anyone at the inn about the case?”
“Except for Allie and Carey?” Wait, I’d also told Hayley.
Hayley, who’d known more about the circumstances of Mandy’s death than I’d expected. Who’d left the coven herself.
And who I’d also told about the identity of the ghost next door to my room.
I had to get back to the inn. If I wasn’t already too late, that is.
15
I ran back to the hotel, my feet hardly touching the ground. My Reaper speed kicked into gear, and I didn’t stop until I skidded to a halt at the front door.
The lobby was deserted. That wasn’t a good sign. I pushed the door open and entered the restaurant. Equally empty. Even Allie had disappeared.
“Where is everyone?” I remarked aloud. “Carey? Allie?”
A meow sounded, and Casper stuck his head out from under the table.
“Where is she?”
He gave another pitiful meow. I looked around for any signs of life—or ghosts—and spotted one of the regular spirits hovering in the lobby, a teenage boy who usually haunted the restaurant.
“Whereabouts did everyone go?” I asked the ghost.
“They left,” he said in a mournful voice. “Allie closed up the place.”
“What?” I rotated on my heel, scanning the restaurant. “Carey wouldn’t leave her familiar behind. And Allie wouldn’t abandon the restaurant.”
“Allie told them to leave,” said the ghost of a teenage girl, floating up to join him. “She went to find her daughter. Carey left earlier, with—”
“Hayley.”
My heart lurched. Where had they gone? Nobody was in the lobby, not in the games room or the restaurant. I ran for the stairs and pelted up to the first floor, but the door to Mandy’s room stood ajar. The ghost was nowhere to be seen, of course.
My own room was equally empty. I turned everything over in search of clues and found the notebook I’d taken from Angie’s shop lying on the bedside table. Other than that, nothing remained. Where had Hayley taken Carey—and why? To lure me after her, maybe. Or because she’d come to the same conclusion I had. Her mother probably had, too. So where…?
“Healey House.” I swore. “I was supposed to be going there with Carey tonight anyway.”
Casper meowed plaintively from beside my ankle. I leaned down to give him a stroke behind the ears. “Will you be okay staying here?”
He shook his head, his whiskers twitching, and trailed after me downstairs and into the lobby. I stepped out of doors and headed towards the bridge over the river, Carey’s familiar glued to my side. My heartbeat quickened at the sight of the water surging below, a reminder of my last brush with death. Casper padded alongside me across the bridge, his fur standing on end.
“Don’t worry,” I murmured to him. “I’ll keep you safe.”
I hope. Mart was nowhere to be seen either, but there wasn’t much he could have done to help me in this scenario. It wasn’t a ghost we faced, not this time.
I descended the slope to Healey House, where Hayley paced in front of the door, her wand in her hand.
“Took you long enough,” she said. “Now, are you going to get rid of that ghost or not?”
I stiffened. “What did you do to Carey?”
“She’s fine for now,” she said. “I only brought her here to make sure you do as I ask.”
“That’s not going to work,” I said. “Mandy’s ghost isn’t even here. You know she isn’t.”
“You’re a Reaper,” she said. “I’m sure you can change that.”
I shook my head. “That’s not all you want from me. You wouldn’t have gone to
the trouble of covering your tracks twice in a row if you didn’t care whether or not I told anyone you killed her.”
“You won’t tell anyone.” She jerked her head towards the house. “Come in. Carey’s waiting for you.”
“What is the matter with you?” I hissed at her. “She’s a kid. You worked with her for years.”
Her mouth twisted. “I had no choice. My mother’s death left me with nothing, and the coven didn’t want me around. Look, just come in here and I won’t have to hurt anyone.”
Except for me, I’d wager. I glanced to the side, but Casper was nowhere to be seen. I didn’t blame him a bit, but I was fresh out of allies and I didn’t dare risk Carey’s safety now Hayley had come utterly unhinged.
I followed Hayley into the house, which was as quiet and damp as ever.
“Why’d you sacrifice Harriet?” I asked her. “Why’d you kill her in the exact same way as you did to Mandy? Were you that certain Mina would cover up for you a second time?”
She didn’t meet my eyes. “She doesn’t care about anything but the coven’s reputation, and she won’t have word spreading that anyone inside the coven is practising illegal sacrifices. Besides, I knew nobody else would recognise the markings.”
Except for Harriet. She put two and two together and paid the price with her life. “What did you need Mandy’s magic for in the first place?”
“To save my mother’s life,” she said. “I needed the position of coven healer if we were to gain any chance of stopping the cancer from killing her, but by the time I figured out how to get her magic, it was too late.”
“You didn’t get Mandy’s healing magic,” I said, the truth dawning on me. “The ritual didn’t work, did it? That’s why you left the coven and blamed Mina and the others for your own failures.”
“The coven did nothing for me.” Tears glittered in her eyes, but her jaw was set in defiance. “I tried to go on and put the past behind me, but Harriet insisted on dragging up the case again. When she realised she was sitting on evidence of an unsolved murder, she refused to let it go. It’s lucky she only told one person about her discoveries.”
