by Morgana Best
“Was that it?” I asked hopefully.
Aunt Agnes shook her head. “That was just the beginning. Valkyrie, you feed the cat, and Maude and Dorothy and I will fetch the supplies. Meet us back in the foyer.”
I did as I was told. When I went back to the foyer, Dorothy was muttering something to the big gilt mirror on one of the walls.
Aunt Agnes followed my gaze, and chuckled. “Don’t worry, Valkyrie. Dorothy isn’t having a problem with her eyesight again. She’s just refreshing the protection spell on the mirror. Now we are all going to do a binding spell and then after that, we’ll all have to have cleansing baths.”
Aunt Agnes walked into the living room and I followed her. Aunt Maude appeared to be cleaning the fireplace. Agnes turned to me. “Valkyrie, it is imperative you don’t look into the mirror. If you look into the mirror, please tell me, because it will have to be replaced. That would be a nuisance, so I caution you not to look in the mirror.”
“Sure,” I said. “I won’t look in the mirror.”
Aunt Agnes smiled. “Maude, do you have the dolly baby?”
Maude waved a little wooden figure at her. I had seen them in craft shops, but I didn’t know what they were used for. “Since we don’t know the name of the murderer, we will just write The Murderer on a piece of paper, like this,” Aunt Agnes said. She wrote the words on a piece of paper and then tied them with a black string around the wooden figure. “Valkyrie, this is a binding work. We are binding the murderer. Normally, if we know the name of the person we are binding, we write their name on the name paper, and we dress the dolly baby to look like the person. As we don’t know who the murderer is, in this case we will just write the words, The Murderer. Does that make sense?”
I said that it did.
Aunt Maude interrupted her. “Now we tie that dolly baby’s hands behind its back, and we tie a piece of string around its mouth and put a piece of tape across its eyes. This means that the murderer won’t be able to see or hear what’s really going on and their hands are tied behind their back, figuratively speaking.”
“That’s right,” Aunt Agnes said. “I’ve also written the words, The Murderer, on this name paper, and I’m going to burn an upside down black candle on it along with sulphur, black pepper, red pepper, copper, and salt. We will put that on top of a mirror, so this is when you have to make sure you won’t look in the mirror.”
Aunt Agnes sure was worried about me looking in the mirror. “I won’t look in the mirror,” I said again.
I watched with fascination as Aunt Agnes set a small mirror tile in the fireplace and heaped the sulphur, black pepper, red pepper, copper, and salt on top. Aunt Maude handed her a black candle. She pulled off the little metal piece at the bottom of the candle, and then pulled the wick through. She placed the name paper on top of the black salt mixture, which in turn was on top of the mirror tile, and then placed the upside down black candle on top of that.
“Now see that box there?” Aunt Agnes indicated a rectangular cardboard box on the coffee table. “We’re going to put the dolly baby in that box, with the ritual remains of the candle in the morning. We’ll let the candle burn all night. It will be safe in the fireplace, because I’ll put the fireguard around it. In the morning, I’ll put the ritual remains and the dolly baby in that box. The box has a piece of mirror tile glued to the bottom and to the lid of the box.”
“Let me guess,” I said. “I’m not allowed to look in the mirrors.”
“That’s right,” Aunt Agnes said firmly. “This is known as a binding work, and it will prevent the murderer from harming any one of us.”
The aunts set about saying words over the candle, and then lighting it. Finally, they all stood up, stretched, and rubbed their backs. “That’s done,” Aunt Agnes said. “Now we all need to have cleansing baths.”
“Why is that?” I asked her.
“It’s just routine after doing a binding work,” she explained. “Look in the bathroom cupboard for a glass jar labelled, Hyssop. There are plenty of ways to do these cleansing baths, but put some hyssop in your bath, and light two white candles at either side of the bath. Traditionally, you would not towel yourself dry; you would air dry yourself and then wear white clothes and sleep between white sheets, but that idea doesn’t usually work for our climate, and to tell you the truth, I usually don’t bother with it. Valkyrie, you can have your cleansing bath now, and we’ll do the same, and then I’ll make dinner.”
I bounded up the stairway, fuelled by a fresh burst of energy—a nice bath, dinner, and then bed beckoning to me.
I lay in the bath, trying to relax. Normally, I found baths relaxing, but all I could think about was Lucas. Was he in fact drugged? Had we packed enough bubble wrap around the bottle when we had sent it to the lab? I’m sure Australia Post would be none too thrilled if wine leaked out of the package.
Or was I simply being too hopeful? My parents had always said I was a super optimist, so did I instead need to face facts? I thought Lucas was a completely different person. Had I been wrong? Was this the real Lucas; had he dropped his guard and was now showing his true self?
I got out of the bath, wrapped a towel around me, and went to the bedroom to peek behind the curtains at Lucas’s cottage. The lights were on. He hadn’t texted me for hours—was he having one of his memory lapses? Or was he lying about the memory lapses? I couldn’t be sure, and not knowing was driving me crazy.
“It’s me,” said Aunt Dorothy’s voice, preceded by a loud knock. “I bought this for you earlier today.”
I opened the door and Aunt Dorothy handed me a big shopping bag. “I know you fetched some clothes from your cottage, but I figured you hadn’t brought a bathrobe. I felt bad for you having to wear that awful bathrobe of Agnes’s, so I bought you some lovely nightwear and a nice bathrobe, to cheer you up.”
I was touched. “Thank you! That’s so kind and thoughtful of you, Aunt Dorothy.”
She beamed, and kissed me on the cheek. “I like to buy myself nice lingerie every time a man dumps me, so I thought I should do the same for you.” She smiled broadly once more, and then shut the door.
I reached into the shopping bag and pulled out a flimsy item and a silky kimono. I looked in the bag for more but that was it. I figured the kimono was meant to be worn as a bathrobe. It was very nice, gorgeous in fact, but awfully short. I held the flimsy item up to the light. It was black lace, and there wasn’t much of it. It had a plunging neckline, and an even more plunging back.
I had to wear both items to dinner. After all, I couldn’t offend Aunt Dorothy. It wasn’t that I didn’t like them—they were beautiful—it’s just that they were a little too revealing. They would have been ideal for a night with Lucas.
I slumped onto the edge of the bed as a wave of sadness hit me. What was going on with the man? I would just have to get over him. There was no point trying to look for the good in him, or hoping he had been drugged, as that would provide an excuse for his actions. I would have to put Lucas behind me, and move on.
CHAPTER 19
Despite being emotionally drained and distraught, I had slept soundly the previous night. I awoke early. I got up and peeped through the curtains and then tried to get back to sleep. My attempts to sleep were futile, so I went back to the curtains to sneak another look at Lucas’s cottage. This time, I saw Lucas leaving, walking towards the parking area. He hadn’t texted me the previous night, so things were now pretty clear. Whatever there had been between us was now over.
I staggered downstairs to the coffee machine and switched it on. While it was heating, I remembered the black candle in the fireplace, so I walked into the living room to check it out. It was still burning, but only just. I was careful not to look in the mirror under the candle.
Hecate was staring with disdain at her nearly full bowl of dry cat food. I put some more cat food onto the top of it, and she pounced on it and ate it greedily. I slowly ate a slice of vegemite toast and drank some coffee. There was no sign of
the aunts—perhaps they had been more tired than I was. I was glad of that, in a way, because I didn’t want any more teasing about the kimono. “Now you look like a lady of the night, and I don’t mean a vampire,” Aunt Agnes had said over dinner when Aunt Dorothy was out of earshot. Aunt Agnes and Aunt Maude had evidently thought my short kimono was hilarious, but they had been careful to curb their mirth when Aunt Dorothy was within earshot. Luckily they hadn’t seen what was under it.
I had no intention of getting dressed until I’d had sufficient caffeine to function normally. Although I had slept soundly, I felt drained. No doubt, it was the heartbreak over Lucas, and the worry over the murders. There had been no word from the police, so clearly they had not made any progress. And why would they? The police were not in possession of all the facts, namely, that this was all about succession to the vampire Council.
After my second cup of coffee, there was still no sign of the aunts, so I decided to go back to my room to get dressed. I couldn’t resist another peek out of the window, despite silently scolding myself. I was turning into a stalker. There was no sign of Lucas—after all, I had seen him leave earlier—but there was Bella Barker, going into Lucas’s cottage. It must have been her day to clean the cottages.
How could we have forgotten? It was imperative that Bella not clean Barnabas’s cottage, because the police had not informed us that they had finished with it yet. There was no time to get dressed; I would have to run over and tell her not to clean Barnabas’s cottage. I didn’t mind Bella seeing me in my skimpy clothing, so I hurried back down the stairs. I slipped on my socks and runners at the back door, chuckling at the sight I must look, and jogged over to Lucas’s cottage.
I slowed down once I reached the open gate, and walked up the path to Lucas’s door. I stopped, frozen to the spot, when I heard yelling. Who was Bella speaking to? Had Lucas returned? Or was there someone else inside the cottage?
Bella rushed out, slamming the door behind her. She stopped and gasped when she saw me. “Valkyrie!”
“Bella, I came over to tell you not to clean Barnabas’s cottage. The police haven’t given it the all clear yet.”
“Sorry, what did you say?”
I repeated myself, more loudly this time.
“Sure.” She made to push past me, but I stepped in front of her.
“Is Lucas home?”
Bella shook her head. “I finished with his cottage. Do you want me to clean any of the other cottages?”
I shook my head. “No, that’s fine. Lucas’s is the only one. Is there anyone in there? I heard speaking.”
“That was just the TV. I like to have the TV on when I clean.”
I knew she was lying, and I didn’t know what to do. She stood there, watching me. I nodded. “Okay. Sorry to get you out here for just one cottage.”
Bella shrugged. I walked back with her in the direction of the manor, and said goodbye when she veered off towards the car park. I pretended to go inside the manor, but doubled back and hid behind the jasmine, waiting for her to drive away.
When I saw her drive off, I was filled with resolve. I was going to get to the bottom of this once and for all. I ducked into the kitchen to see if the aunts were up yet, but there was still no sign of them. I grabbed my phone from the kitchen table in case they called, and headed back to Lucas’s cottage.
I knocked, but there was no response. After the fifth time I knocked, I called out, “I know you’re in there, Lucas! I heard you talking to Bella. We need to talk. I’m not going to go away until you let me in.”
I heard footsteps, and then the door opened. Lucas pulled the baseball cap down over his forehead so far that it nearly dislodged his sunglasses. “Valkyrie, I mean Pepper, what do you want?” Lucas’s tone was curt, bordering on rude, and that made me furious.
I pushed past him and stalked into his cottage. “How dare you speak to me like that, Lucas! I can’t believe how badly you’ve treated me. You led me on, and all the while you knew I had feelings for you. You’re nothing but a, a…” I couldn’t find the words to finish my sentence, not polite words, anyway. To my dismay, I burst into tears.
The next thing I knew, Lucas’s arms were around me. He held me to him. At first I struggled, but he held me tightly and stroked my hair, murmuring soothing words. When his hands began to wander a little, I pulled away from him. “Lucas!”
“What?” he said, casting an appreciative glance over me. “You can’t come here dressed like that, and expect me not to react. We both know what you want, so don’t play hard to get.” He took a step towards me, and I took a step back.
I couldn’t believe the way he was acting. Right then, my phone rang. “The aunts,” I said aloud.
I swiped my finger across the phone and set it to Loud automatically, as I always did. “Hello.”
“Pepper, we need to talk.”
I nearly dropped the phone. I stared at it in alarm. The Caller ID said Lucas.
CHAPTER 20
“How are you doing that?” I said to Lucas, the Lucas in front of me.
“Doing what?” the Lucas on the phone said.
My head spun. This was all too surreal; none of it made any sense. “Lucas?” I squeaked into the phone.
“Pepper, what’s happening?”
The man in front of me snatched the phone from me and took it off Loud. “I’m what’s happening, baby brother.” He laughed roughly at something Lucas said. “I won’t harm her if you keep out of the way until I tie up some loose ends. I came here to drug your wine with some sleeping tablets, but now it looks as if I have a better way to keep you out of my hair.”
I couldn’t hear what Lucas was saying, but his brother said, “Language, Lucas, language! You’re making my ears burn.” He laughed again, hung up, and then threw my phone across the room. “You won’t need your phone where you’re going.” He grabbed my elbow and then twisted my arm behind my back. “Don’t make a sound, if you know what’s good for you.”
I was deathly afraid. I was hoping he would take me back in the direction of the manor, where I had a chance of the aunts seeing us, but no such luck. He pushed me towards the sand dunes, and in no time at all, we were out of sight of the manor. We were travelling fast, and every time I tripped, he pulled my arm so roughly that a searing pain shot through my shoulders.
How could Lucas have such a brother? This man was the very antithesis to Lucas. Where Lucas was kind, this man was cruel. How could I have ever mistaken him for Lucas? I was ashamed of all the terrible things I had thought about Lucas.
When we reached the prickly undergrowth at the edge of the sand dunes, I was glad I was wearing my runners. We soon reached a car on an old sandy track. I at once recognised it as the white car with the Victorian plates that had followed us to Bulahdelah and back. Lucas’s brother opened the door and pushed me roughly into the passenger seat. As he walked around to get in the driver’s seat, I considered making a run for it, but I was too far from the manor, and I was certain he could outrun me.
“Now play nice, and it will go the better for you,” he said. “My name is Lorcan, Lorcan O’Callaghan.” He started the engine. “Did you really think I was Lucas?” He chuckled to himself.
“Yes, I did,” I admitted.
“You never suspected that we were twins?” His tone was hard, unfeeling, cold.
I shook my head. “It seems obvious now. I don’t know how I didn’t suspect it, as I watch The Property Brothers on Foxtel every night. What are you going to do to me?” I don’t know why asked—I really didn’t want to know. I feared the worst. After all, he had already killed two people, possibly more, for all I knew. I always talk too much when I’m nervous or scared.
“That entirely depends on my brother,” he said. “For now, I’m going to lock you up somewhere nice and safe.” He accelerated, and steered the car away from Lighthouse Bay, on the remote track that led to another coastal town. I had heard of the track, but I had never been out this way before.
“Ar
e you next in line to Barnabas?” I was disturbed to hear that my voice was trembling.
Lorcan looked across at me. “What do you mean?”
“Are you Barnabas’s heir?”
Lorcan seemed to think my remark rather funny. “No, I’m not.”
“Then why did you kill Collier and Barnabas?” I remembered Collier’s last words. He must have been trying to say, “Beware of Lucas’s brother.”
Lorcan laughed roughly. “I didn’t.”
I was relieved by his response. Maybe he didn’t intend to kill me, since he hadn’t admitted to his crimes. Surely if he intended to kill me, he wouldn’t need to keep his misdeeds from me. I studied him carefully. He was still wearing the cap and sunglasses, but now I could see he did not look like Lucas. Sure, they were identical twins, but his jawline was not as strong, his posture not as good. He did not look as fit.
It was not a well travelled track, and I hoped the car would run into difficulty, but it was apparent to me that Lorcan had been out this way before. He knew where he was going, and he was clearly familiar with the road. I hoped he wasn’t going to lock me in a dark room with bats, or worse still, spiders or snakes. We were in heavy bushland now, and this was Eastern Brown snake country.
I was glad he had kidnapped me after I’d had my coffee, and then I considered that was a strange thing to think. Nevertheless, I felt I was more able to cope. If only I had been more appropriately dressed.
The bushland track soon gave way to a clearing. We passed some ramshackle buildings, and then Lorcan pulled up next to a shearing shed. He opened the door and dragged me over to the old wooden building. I was terrified, so terrified that I could barely get my legs to move. I thought he intended to kill me right then and there, because I knew he could not lock me securely in a shearing shed. After all, there are always open pens and sheep chutes inside such buildings.
He dragged me past a canvas swag and clothes flung over a wool sorting table. A coffee mug, thermos, and a half-eaten sandwich lay next to the swag, which was rolled up. A laptop sat nearby. This must be where he had been hiding out.
