by Morgana Best
“What do you mean, a puppet?” I asked her.
“It means… um, okay, let me give you an example. Say I wanted to turn someone into a shifter by this method. After I performed the ritual, the person would be at my beck and call, and they would have to do whatever I said.”
I was shocked. “Do you mean the person who did it could make the shifter murder for them?”
Linda bit her lip and thought for a moment. “No, nothing like that. I’d say it would be more like hypnosis, that it couldn’t really make someone do things they wouldn’t normally do. I’ve heard of it used for spying.”
“How would it be any use for spying?” Aunt Maude asked her.
Linda turned one of the bottles around. “Well, imagine if you turned somebody into a cute puppy and gave the puppy to a family. The shifter puppy could report back everything about the family.”
“But when did Breena have the opportunity to report to Gorgona?” I asked.
Aunt Agnes shrugged. “Maybe Gorgona hadn’t wanted her to yet. Maybe she was only going to get reports from Breena every five years or so.”
Linda nodded and continued to speak, explaining in more detail, but I was only half listening. Aloud, I said, “Gorgona turned Breena into a shifter cat and sent her to spy on you. Gorgona must have been working for The Other.”
“But we didn’t see anything in her house pertaining to The Other,” Aunt Maude said.
I shook my head. “Jezabeth must have got in first and taken any incriminating evidence.”
“But she said she didn’t have a key,” Agnes protested.
“Obviously, she was lying,” I said. “Think about it. If Jezabeth wasn’t working for The Other, then why would she kidnap Breena? And she and her mother didn’t get on at all, and her mother didn’t leave her as much in the will as you would expect. Still, it seems Jezabeth was protecting The Other, rather than her mother.”
“Yes, what you say makes sense,” Aunt Agnes said.
I pushed on. “That explains the cat food cans,” I said. “And that explains why Jezabeth kept asking you whether we had a pet cat.”
“So Breena was spying on us all this time!” Aunt Dorothy said. “I’m so upset.”
“It was clearly against her will,” I said. “Breena wouldn’t harm any of us, and she did know about…” I caught myself before I blurted out about my parents and instead added, “about certain matters. We didn’t want anyone else to know and she didn’t tell anyone.”
“Yes, you’re right,” Aunt Agnes said. “We can’t speak of such things in this house, because it is not secure. Breena was certainly party to some things we need to keep private. Clearly, she is to be trusted.”
“It also explains why Breena has started acting like a person to a rather large degree ever since Gorgona was murdered,” I said. “Does that fit with what you know about these made shifters, Linda?”
Linda nodded. “Definitely. When the person who turns them dies, they regain their control and the spell is broken.”
“But Breena still has cat mannerisms and acts like a cat from time to time,” Aunt Maude protested. “And she’s not speaking fully like a person yet.”
“But that is to be understood,” Linda said. “There’s nothing supernatural about that at all. She lived as a cat for so long that it would be hard for her to adjust to being human. It’s entirely natural.”
I nodded slowly. “Yes, that makes sense. Now, where would Jezabeth take Breena?” Something occurred to me. Before anyone had a chance to respond, I added, “Can Breena still shift into a cat?”
Linda looked surprised. “Yes.”
“But didn’t you say the spell was broken?” Aunt Maude asked.
“Yes, but she’s still a shifter. It’s just that the spell forcing her to become a shifter has broken off her.”
“I’m not sure I understand,” Aunt Maude said.
Aunt Agnes sighed. “Honestly, Maude! It’s quite clear.”
“It isn’t clear if I don’t understand it,” Maude protested.
Aunt Agnes held up one hand for silence. “What Linda means is that Breena is still a shifter. However, Gorgona no longer controls her. Gorgona forced Breena to become a cat against her will. It was only our spell that broke Gorgona’s spell and allowed Breena to shift back into a human.”
“That’s right,” Linda said.
Aunt Agnes continued. “However, Breena is now permanently a shifter and can turn into a cat at will. Still, I think it is clear that she was turned into a shifter cat initially against her will. Is that right, Linda?”
“Yes, you explained it well,” Linda said.
“Should we be standing around here talking or should we be looking for Breena?” Maude said.
“Where do we start?” I said. “We don’t know where Jezabeth would take her. Obviously, she hasn’t taken her back to the cottage and she can’t book a motel room and take her there, because someone would see Breena struggling.”
“Maybe she’s just going to drive around the bush and find somewhere private to force her to talk,” Agnes said.
“But she doesn’t know Breena can shift into a cat,” I said.
They all looked at me. Aunt Agnes smiled. “Valkyrie, you’re right!”
“Then could someone explain it to me?” Maude said more than a hint of disgust in her voice. She glared at Aunt Agnes.
Agnes nodded. “Sure. I doubt Jezabeth knows the circumstances of the spell. She wasn’t close with her mother, and all her moves seem to be to help The Other. She knew her mother turned Breena into a cat, but I doubt she knows the intricacies of shifter spells. After all, I don’t even know them and I’m much older than Jezabeth.”
“Much older,” Aunt Maude said with a snicker.
Aunt Agnes ignored her. “And Linda is the expert on this, and as we know, agents of The Other do not speak with shifters. No offence, Linda.”
“None taken,” Linda said. “We don’t know how far away she’ll take Breena before she turns into a shifter cat, and I’m assuming Breena doesn’t have a phone?”
We all shook our heads.
“Then I assume Breena will turn into a cat at the first opportunity and make her way back to Mugwort Manor,” Linda said. “We should all go there now and wait for Breena to turn up.”
“We could always capture Hemlock and hold her for ransom—you know, make Jezabeth swap them,” I said hopefully.
“I doubt Jezabeth will answer her phone to make such an arrangement,” Agnes said.
“Then what do we do with Hemlock? What if she’s working for The Other too?”
“We should take Hemlock back to the manor and keep an eye on her until we find out what Jezabeth is doing,” Agnes said.
Just then we heard an angry voice yelling from downstairs. “What are youse still doing here?”
Chapter 20
We hurried down the stairs. I was at a loss as to what to do, but Aunt Agnes took charge. “Hemlock, your mother was just here looking for you. We’re all having a big dinner tonight at the manor and she wants you to come with us now.”
“I’ll come later,” Hemlock said. Her tone was belligerent.
“Your mother specifically asked you to come with us now,” Agnes said. “She will meet you at the manor. She’s got a surprise for you.”
Hemlock’s eyes narrowed. “What sort of a surprise?”
Aunt Agnes shrugged. “She didn’t tell me. I’m just the messenger. Your mother asked me to take you back to Mugwort Manor because she is bringing a surprise for you. And then tonight, we are all having dinner together.”
Hemlock pulled her phone out of her handbag and tapped away at the keys. “She’s not answering,” she said.
“No, because she’s organising the surprise,” Agnes said. “Okay then, you stay here if you don’t want to come with us, but make sure you tell your mother that we gave you the message correctly.”
“Oh, there’s no need to make such a fuss,” Hemlock said. “I’ll come with youse
. I just have to get something from my room.” She hurried off into her room.
“Quick, grab her laptop,” Aunt Agnes said to Linda. “It will fit in your briefcase.”
Linda ran over to the coffee table in front of the huge television. Half-eaten cakes and packets of chips were strewn all over the table and scattered on the floor under it. Linda shut the laptop and shoved it into her briefcase. She had only just shut her briefcase when Hemlock came back. Luckily, Hemlock didn’t look over in the direction of the coffee table.
“Okay, let’s go.” Agnes hurried everybody out the door.
When we reached the cars, Aunt Agnes said to Dorothy, “Why don’t you go with Linda so there’s room for Hemlock to come with us?”
Aunt Dorothy did as she asked, and soon we were all speeding to Mugwort Manor. I was terribly worried about Breena. What if Jezabeth had driven her away a fair distance before she had time to shift? Breena didn’t have a phone, and I doubted she knew how to use one.
I hoped that Jezabeth had taken her to some isolated sand dunes close to the manor. After all, everyone was staying away from the beaches at the moment because of all the shark warnings.
I was glad Aunt Agnes had managed to get Hemlock to come with us peaceably. I was certain the girl would be a handful if she was forced to do something against her will.
Hemlock was chattering away about people she did not like, which turned out to be most of the world’s population. She complained incessantly about everything. It only served to make me more stressed. When we got to the manor, I looked around for Breena in her cat form, but she was nowhere to be seen.
Aunt Agnes ushered Hemlock inside. I figured if it came to it, the aunts could overpower her and lock her in the spelled crate in their altar room. When I had first arrived in Mugwort Manor, they had kept a rogue shifter trapped in there, so I knew they would be able to imprison Hemlock without any trouble.
I hadn’t had a chance to ask the aunts if they thought Hemlock was involved in any way with Jezabeth in Gorgona’s murder. Still, it was good that we had her with us so we could keep a close eye on her.
We all walked into the kitchen and Aunt Agnes wasted no time pouring a glass of witches’ brew for everyone. “When is my mother coming?” Hemlock asked Aunt Agnes.
“I have no idea,” she said. “Why don’t you try calling her again?”
Hemlock did as she asked. “It’s gone straight to voicemail again,” Hemlock said. “This surprise had better be good.”
“I’m sure it is a big surprise,” Aunt Agnes said. “Well, she could be another hour or so away. What do you want to do in the meantime, Hemlock? Do you want to watch Netflix or something?”
“I suppose. There’s nothing else to do.”
“Maude, you said you were keen to watch some Netflix,” Aunt Agnes said.
Aunt Maude looked up from fussing over Cary, who had just woken up. At first, she looked blank but then said, “Oh yes, I did. I’ll go with Hemlock and we can find something to watch.”
The two of them walked off, Hemlock looking none too pleased.
Moments later, there was a scratching sound at the back door. “Breena!” Agnes said. We both raced for the door, but Agnes beat me to it. She flung open the door.
There was a small black cat. She immediately morphed into a human. Aunt Agnes took off her coat and threw it around her.
I hugged Breena. “We’ve been terribly worried about you. Did Jezabeth hurt you?” I asked her.
“I’m remembering more now,” Breena said, in what I was sure was the longest sentence she had uttered since she had been turned into a cat. “Gorgona tried to make me spy on all of you.”
We all stood there with our mouths open, surprised that Breena had said so much.
Aunt Agnes came to her senses first. “Where’s Jezabeth?”
Breena shook her head. “Don’t know.”
“Did she see you shift?” Aunt Agnes asked.
Breena shook her head. “No.”
“Are you certain?”
Breena nodded.
“Did she try to make you talk? Did she ask you any questions?” Aunt Agnes said.
Breena shook her head. “She tied me up. Locked the car. She left. The car window was down this much.” She showed us the dimension with her hands. “I got out the window.”
I mentally filled in the gaps. When Jezabeth left, Breena must have shifted into a cat and then climbed through the gap in the car window.
“Oh dear, why didn’t we think of that?” Aunt Agnes said.
Before anyone could ask her what she meant, she pushed on. “Jezabeth obviously came back here. She must have driven as close as she could to her cottage. She would have taken the back road to the beach and then cut across the sand dunes to the cottage to fetch her stuff. Of course, she would have done that! How silly of me. Obviously, once she got her hands on Breena, she intended to leave town.”
She looked at Breena. “Were you near here? Did Jezabeth take the back road to the beach?”
Breena nodded.
“Then she will search for you,” Aunt Agnes said. “Everyone, be on your guard.”
“But what will she do?” I said. “She’s outnumbered.”
Aunt Agnes was silent.
“Why didn’t she call Hemlock?” I asked them.
Aunt Agnes shrugged. “No idea. Maybe she thought we’d be with Hemlock and didn’t want to tip us off. Who knows?”
“You think she intends to leave town without Hemlock?” I asked.
“Perhaps. And now we have another problem—what to do with Hemlock?”
My thoughts went to the inheritance. “Jezabeth won’t be able to get the inheritance because she murdered Gorgona.”
“She doesn’t need anything from the inheritance,” Aunt Agnes said. “She is a very wealthy woman already, as I keep saying. The inheritance would be just a pittance to her. Actually, now that I think about it, I very much doubt she will come here. Once she snatched Breena, she knew the game was up. I think Jezabeth will leave town as fast as possible.” She turned to Breena. “Are you sure you’re all right, dear?”
Breena nodded. “I’m cold and hungry.”
“We can’t risk you going upstairs to your room to get changed, because we don’t want Hemlock to know you’re here. Valkyrie, you and Breena are about the same size. Take her back to your cottage and get her some clothes and something to eat. Keep your eye out for Jezabeth, but I think you will be quite safe.”
“Okay.”
“And take Hemlock’s laptop.”
“When are you going to give it back to her?” I asked.
“I was about to ask you to copy all the files in it, just in case she is involved in it all with her mother. Just copy all the files; don’t bother to look at them first. Do you have enough USBs?”
I nodded. “I think so. I have quite a few.”
“Then when you copy all the files, bring the laptop back here.”
I nodded and Linda handed me her briefcase. “Keep the laptop in here. That way if Hemlock comes out, she won’t see it.”
I took the briefcase from Linda. “Come on,” I said to Breena as we ducked out the kitchen door.
Once I was outside, I realised the weather had cooled somewhat, although it was only mid-afternoon. A strong wind had sprung up, blowing leaves across our path. I let Breena into my cottage and gave her some of my clothes.
When she came out of my bedroom, I handed her a cup of tea. “Here, drink this. I put a lot of sugar in it,” I said.
She thanked me and took her tea to the sofa, where she perched on it like a cat would. I opened Hemlock’s laptop and then went to fetch my USBs.
“Gosh, she has a lot of files on her computer,” I said to Breena, who simply nodded and continued to sip her tea. “Are you hungry?” I asked her.
She nodded again, so I looked in the fridge. “I have some chocolate cake?”
Breena seemed happy with that, so I took her over a slice. I went back to the
laptop and spent the next few minutes copying files. “I don’t have as many USBs as I thought I did,” I said. “I’ll have to go back and ask Aunt Agnes for some more.”
“I’ll get them,” Breena said.
“Breena, I know it’s a bit chilly out there, but would you mind going as a cat? I don’t want you to go alone in case Jezabeth is hanging around and sees you. It wouldn’t be safe.”
Breena turned into a cat by way of response. “And bring Aunt Agnes with you when you bring the USBs back—don’t come alone.”
Breena meowed and slipped through the cat door at the back of the house.
I copied as many files as I could onto my remaining USB and then put all the USBs in a container. While I was waiting for Aunt Agnes and Breena to return, I flipped through Hemlock’s mail. She seemed to have a lot of emails with someone I suspected was her drug dealer, and she had plenty of eBay purchases. I idly flipped through those, but one brought me up short.
“Castor beans!” I exclaimed aloud. “Twenty-nine dollars? You can buy half a kilogram of castor beans for twenty-nine dollars, and it’s legal to sell them?” I scratched my head and peered at the screen. Sure enough, Hemlock had bought a bag of castor beans on eBay.
So Hemlock was the killer, after all?
But why? I ran through the facts. She was a horrible person. I knew she didn’t have a job. Could the motive have been financial? I figured it must have been. Hemlock had thought she was going to get even more in the will than the one hundred and ten thousand dollars that her grandmother had left her. Her mother had stopped giving her money. She had expensive tastes and appeared to be an addict. The more I thought about it, the more I figured that money was the motive.
I reached for my phone to call Aunt Agnes when the door opened a crack. “Aunt Agnes,” I said. “You’ll never guess who the murderer is!”
The door opened wide. Hemlock was standing there. “I have a good idea,” she said. She was holding a big knife.
I jumped to my feet and moved to my right, keeping the kitchen table between us. I looked around the room for something to use as a weapon. I knew Breena would bring Aunt Agnes back at any minute, so I had to keep Hemlock talking.
