“When you say it, you have to really mean it,” Mateo answered.
“What is this spell, anyway?” Morgan asked. “Maybe you could just tell us what it is and then if we need to use it we’ll muster up some heartfelt intent.”
Cassiopeia rolled her eyes and looked at Mateo. “I think they will need a guide. Maybe I should stick around.”
“Guide?” Fiona asked.
“Someone more experienced with spells. To help boost the intent. Until you guys learn how.” Mateo turned to Cassiopeia. “I’ll be with them. Tell them the words so at least they'll be armed.”
Cassiopeia sighed. “Fine, but you must be very careful how you use this. These words are powerful:
By Water, Earth, Air and Fire,
I ask thee now grant my desire,
Harming none I now decree
This charm is done, so mote it be.”
“Meow!”
“See, even Belladonna knows how important the words are,” Mateo pointed out amidst laughter from everyone.
“Well, I think I’ve done what I came for and now I will wish you ladies good luck. I need to get back to Freeport,” Cassiopeia said.
Mateo got up from the sofa. “I’ll walk you out, Sis.” He looked back at them, his eyes seeking out Jolene who pretended like she was busy shuffling papers at the desk. “I hardly ever get time to spend with my little sister. You know how it is.”
“Sure, don’t worry about us.” Morgan followed them to the door and shut it behind them.
“Well, that was interesting,” Fiona said.
“Yeah. I didn’t know he had a sister,” Celeste added.
“I meant about the spell,” Fiona said.
“What you think, Jolene?” Morgan asked.
Jolene shrugged. “I doubt a spell is going to help us and I don’t think we need one. We’re pretty powerful now, especially since Fiona has mastered using those pebbles as weapons.”
“Actually, I was talking about Cassiopeia being Mateo’s sister,” Morgan smirked. “That’s the one you keep seeing him with, isn’t it? The one you're jealous of?”
Jolene bristled. “I’m not jealous. I have no claim on Mateo. In fact, I’m not even looking for a boyfriend. He can go off to wherever he goes and we’ll get along perfectly fine without his help.”
“You can argue that until you're blue in the face. None of us believe you." Fiona chuckled. "I think we should get back on track trying to figure out where Sam Gooding hid that crystal ball.” Fiona stood up and walked to her room. “I’ll get my phone and see if I can help Google information. I left it on the charger.”
“I’m more concerned about the person who was in here. Why was he here and what did he want?” Celeste asked.
“Merow!” Belladonna followed Fiona into her room.
“We’ve felt that we’ve been followed all along," Morgan said. "We know there are others looking for the scrying ball. I’m sure they found out we were staying here and decided to break in and see what we have on it.”
“Oh, no!” Fiona shouted in her bedroom.
“Mepow!”
Fiona appeared in the doorway her face white as a sheet. “My crystals are missing. Someone has stolen them!”
16
“Your crystals?” Morgan’s asked with concern.
“Yes, the ones from Mariah Blackmoore.”
Fiona referred to a cache of powerful crystals the sisters had found in the attic of their home. Hidden in a burlap bag with the initials MB on it, they assumed the crystals had once belonged to their ancestor, Mariah Blackmoore.
“It was probably whoever killed Nancy,” Jolene decided. The killer took Opal’s book so he would have known there was a crystal or gemstone that would lead him to the scrying ball. He must have thought it was in with the others.” She frowned at the floor. “Or not. The energy trail is different from the one I saw at Amity Jones’ house.”
Fiona pulled the alexandrite gemstone out of her pocket and held it up. “Well, whoever it was didn’t get it.”
“But whoever it was knows about the link between the stone and the scrying ball,” Celeste pointed out.
“And possibly that we followed the relic trail with the help of a gemstone or crystal from Amity Jones’ collection,” Morgan added.
“Yeah, gee, who do we know that knows about crystals and also knows that we’re looking for the same thing Amity Jones was?” Jolene asked sarcastically.
“Opal Mines.” Morgan bolted to the door. “We better go pay her a visit.”
It didn’t take long to get to Opal’s shop. Ten minutes later, they were inside Opal’s shop, alone, no Opal Mines in sight.
Morgan called out, “Opal, are you out back!”
No one answered. Just the faint hoot of an owl sounded out on the street.
“This is weird. She wouldn’t just go out and leave the place unlocked, would she?” Celeste asked.
“Maybe that’s what she does when she’s breaking into people’s hotel rooms,” Jolene said.
Morgan shook her head. “No. Something’s not right.”
Jolene felt it, too. The crystal balls in the shop had on an eerie glow. She looked into one of the display cases and saw an image in one of the crystal orbs: a pair of feet—toes up.
“Uh-oh.”
“What?” Morgan looked over Jolene’s shoulder into the display case.
But the image was gone. It had been there long enough, though, for Jolene to determine the floor looked exactly like the one they were now standing on. She turned around and surveyed the room. There was a doorway to the back. A storage room? She made her way over and pulled open the door, her heart twisting when she saw Opal’s body on the floor. She recognized the shoes that she’d seen in the crystal ball.
“Oh, no!” Fiona pushed Jolene out of the way and ran to the body. She dug the carnelian stones out of her pocket, but once again she was too late. Opal was beyond help. “She’s dead! And not by natural causes.” Fiona pointed to the purple marks on Opal’s neck.
“Do you think she was killed by a paranormal? The same person who killed Nancy?” Celeste asked.
“And possibly Amity,” Morgan reminded them.
Jolene turned up her energy awareness and searched the room for an energy trail, but everything was fuzzy. “I think I see a little bit of an energy trail right here in the storeroom. The same one I saw at Amity’s house. But it’s fuzzy. I think the crystal balls are messing with it, so I can’t say that it is the same trail.”
Morgan glanced around the store. “That makes sense. I felt like the crystals diminished my abilities when we were here before.”
Fiona stood up. “Clearly Opal is messed up in this somehow, but if she stole our crystals, I wonder if they’re here.”
They looked around the storeroom, but didn’t see the burlap bag.
“Maybe whoever killed her took them,” Jolene suggested.
“That could be,” Fiona said.
“Yes, but who is it … and what are they going to do next?” Morgan asked.
“There are a lot of unanswered questions.” Celeste turned thoughtful. “Maybe we should use that spell.”
Jolene laughed. “You’re joking, right? That spell isn’t going to help us. Don’t you think Mom would have said something to us if spells could help with our gifts?”
Celeste inclined her head. “You have a point. Mom would’ve let us know. She’s been dealing with her powers a lot longer and knows everything about them. Though she did seem receptive to the idea that witches existed.”
“Yeah, but she never said anything about spells. Besides we can figure this out on our own,” Morgan said.
“Unfortunately, now we’re going to have to call Officer Unpleasant and tell him we found another body,” Fiona added.
“Let’s not tell him about the break in, though,” Morgan said as she pulled out her phone. “I’m not sure we can trust him, or anyone we’ve met in Salem.”
While they waited for the police to
show up, Jolene wandered around the shop, noting the various types of crystal balls. They came in various shapes, sizes and clarity. She peered into each one, but did not see another vision.
A movement outside caught Jolene’s eye. An energy shiver ran up her spine. She looked across the street, her eyes locking with a pair of dark brown ones set wide in a pale face. The face belonged to a woman wearing a long black flowing cape similar to the one she kept seeing bits and pieces of wherever she went.
She sidled over to Morgan and whispered, “I think that woman is the person who’s been following us.”
Morgan’s eyes flicked out onto the street. “I knew someone was following us! Should we chase her?”
Jolene was already sprinting for the door. As soon as she got to the street, the woman pivoted and took off like a racehorse. Jolene ran after her, but the woman was too fast.
The streets were old and narrow, with twists and turns, and the cloaked woman had an advantage. She knew how to navigate the maze of side streets as she turned down one street and then another.
Rounding a corner, Jolene skidded to a stop. The woman was gone, as if she’d simply disappeared into thin air.
When Jolene got back to Opal’s shop, Detective Peterson was there with his entourage who were already dusting for fingerprints and putting out little yellow placards where they found something of interest. Peterson was scowling at her sisters.
“Should I be suspicious that you ladies found another dead body?” Peterson turned as Jolene entered the shop. “And where were you?”
“Someone was outside staring into the shop.” Jolene bent over, her hands on her knees trying to catch her breath. “She looked suspicious, so I gave chase. Maybe you should be looking for her instead of questioning us. She looked like the person we saw in the woods by Amity Jones’ cottage.”
Peterson frowned. “And just what did this suspicious woman look like?”
“Long dark hair, brown eyes, pale face and she was wearing a long black top that flowed out behind her.”
“Like a witch’s cape?” The corners of Peterson’s mouth ticked up in amusement.
Jolene shrugged. “Yeah, I guess so.”
“And where did she go?”
Jolene glanced back out toward the street. “Well, I couldn’t really follow her. She was fast and she went off that way down the street but then she kind of … disappeared and I lost her trail.”
“Disappeared? Or maybe she flew off on her broomstick.” Peterson said.
“I’m just telling you I saw someone acting suspiciously.”
Peterson sighed and scrubbed his hand across his face. “Sure, I get that. But how many people do you think there are who look like a witch here in Salem?”
“I get your point,” Morgan said. “But if we were the killers, do you really think we would keep calling you about finding the bodies?”
Peterson’s eyes narrowed. “Probably not. But you have to admit, it is a little suspicious that you keep finding them. It can’t be a coincidence. Just what is it that you’re after, anyway?”
“Research project,” Jolene said innocently.
“Uh-huh. So that’s why you were at Amity Jones’ cottage and why you’re now here in the crystal ball shop.”
Fiona waved her hands to indicate the shop, making the crystals throbbed and Peterson’s eyes narrow in surprise. “I have my own crystal shop at home. I create healing jewelry. We figured while we were here we’d connect with others in the business. Check out their wares and so on.”
“So you’re just unlucky and everyone you visit ends up dead?” Peterson asked.
Fiona shrugged. “Very unlucky.”
Peterson nodded. “Okay, so then why were you skulking around the Rebecca Nurse house after hours?”
“As we told you before, that was one of the tourist attractions that we planned to visit while we were in town,” Jolene answered.
“Surely, that’s not out of the ordinary?” Morgan added.
“Not at all.” Peterson turned to Jolene. “And what about your research project?”
“Huh?”
“You said you were researching something … is that for a university class or are you some kind of research scientist?”
“University,” Jolene said.
“And what’s that about?” Peterson persisted.
“Sam Gooding. One of the people involved in the witch trials.”
Peterson’s brow creased. “I don’t think I’ve heard of him. I’ve become somewhat of an expert on this Salem witch business. That’s why this case has me so bothered. There are some elements that are … well, just let me say otherworldly.”
Fiona arched a brow. “Oh, really? Like what?”
Peterson shifted his position and lowered his voice. “Well, I can’t really say much. I don’t really believe in witchcraft and all that, but Amity Jones was rumored to be involved with the paranormal, as was Opal. And now you’re saying you saw a witch outside looking into the shop. There’s something funny going on here. Something dangerous. You ladies might be smart to stick to the more prominent tourist sites while you’re in town.”
Jolene thought he almost sounded sincere. Was he actually concerned for their safety? Is that why he was asking so many questions? She amped up her energy to try to read his aura. She’d be able to tell by the color if he was actually trying to help them or if he was pulling a fast one. But the crystal balls in the shop interfered with her gift and she couldn’t get a good reading.
“I think we’ve been to the most interesting museums in Salem,” Celeste said.
“Yeah, it’s too bad that most of the old houses and buildings are gone, replaced by modern buildings,” Fiona added.
“It is a shame a lot of the old buildings were lost,” Peterson agreed. “But there are still quite a few buildings left standing. People get confused because Salem Village, where the witch trials took place, is not the same geographical location as modern day Salem. And, of course, not all the witches were from Salem, anyway. So there are plenty of historical places left standing if you know where to look.”
“Wait, you mean the streets listed in the old records that have to do with the witch trials wouldn’t necessarily correlate to streets here in Salem?” Morgan asked.
“Right,” Peterson nodded. “Most of them would be over in Danvers. That’s where the village was in 1692. You know, where I caught you at the Rebecca Nurse house.”
A flash of hope coursed through Jolene. Maybe Sam Gooding’s house really did still stand, just not in the location they thought it was.
“ Well, if you’re done with us …” Jolene gestured toward the door.
“Yeah I’m done with you. Remember what I said, though. And ladies …”
“Yes?” Jolene turned back to him as she pushed the door open.
“Don’t let me catch you bending over another dead body.”
17
The sisters made it back to their hotel in record time.
“I can’t believe we didn’t think of that.” Morgan tapped the map. “The original map was here the whole time.”
Fiona looked at the map over her sister's shoulder. “Yeah, all we had to do was look at the streets and realize they didn’t match up with present-day Salem.”
“Meow!”
“That’s why Belladonna kept pushing the map off the desk the other day.” Jolene squinted at the small map. “But I don’t see any Great River Road here.”
“Let me see” Fiona pulled a small round loupe used for magnifying gemstones out of her pocket and bent over the paper, meticulously going over every line. She sighed and straightened. “She’s right. It’s not on there.”
“There’s a lot of blank area on the map. Maybe all the streets aren’t filled in,” Celeste suggested.
“Good thinking.” Jolene opened her laptop and her fingers flew over the keyboard.
Morgan, Fiona and Celeste watched with rapt attention. Even Belladonna sat quietly on the side of the desk, he
r tail twitching back and forth in time with Jolene’s key tapping.
“There’s nothing. Nothing about a Great River Road in Salem Village or in Danvers,” Jolene said after a few minutes. “The street names could have changed over the years, though. If that happened hundreds of years ago, I doubt there would be a record online.”
“So, we need an older source of information. Older than the Internet,” Morgan said.
Jolene flattened her palms on the desk and pushed herself out of the chair. “That’s right, and we know exactly where to get that, don’t we?”
Ten minutes later they were piling out of the SUV in front of the Ephemera Museum. Henry was behind the desk, his eyebrows barely lifting as the four of them entered the alcove of the musty museum.
“You ladies are getting to be regulars.” His eyes sparkled.
“We have some more research to do,” Jolene said. “We have a map of old Salem Village, but we don’t think all the streets are marked on it. Do you have anything that might list more streets?”
Henry thought a minute and then nodded. “Yep. I do. Is this related to the Sam Gooding fellow you were asking about? I thought his house was where that pharmacy is now.”
“We made the mistake of thinking the address was in Salem when it’s really in Danvers. That’s where Salem Village was. But Danvers doesn’t have any such street and the old map doesn’t show where it is, so we're having a hard time correlating it to a modern street.”
Henry shuffled into the back then came out a few seconds later with a cardboard tube. He pried the plastic end off the tube and slid a map out. He unfurled on top of a glass case. The map was similar to the 1692 Salem map the girls had but much more detailed.
“What was the street name?” he asked as they all bent over the map.
“West Great River Road.” Morgan stabbed her finger at the map. “Here it is, right here!”
“Next to this river. What is this river?” Jolene asked, running her finger along the blue line that ran parallel to the road.
“Ah, yes. That makes sense,” Henry said. “That’s the Ipswich River now. Back then they called it the Great River. But I don’t think you want that road.”
Spell Found (Blackmoore Sisters Cozy Mysteries Book 7) Page 9
