by Snow, Raven
I kept my head down and moved through the precinct without Harry catching sight of me. As soon as I was safely inside, Jessica fetched the rock that had been used to kill Helen.
"Here," she said, almost breathless with anticipation. "Try again. It should work this time."
I reached over and took the stone in my hands. Shutting my eyes, I closed my fingers around the stone. I concentrated, trying to feel something.
Warmth. Anything.
I opened my eyes again. "Nothing."
Jessica's face was the picture of disappointment. She groaned. "I thought for sure you had your powers back." She threw her head back and crossed her arms, staring at the ceiling. "What else explains that feeling you got with the piece of wood?"
I had a sudden feeling of dawning realization. I looked down at the rock, which had been so stone cold. Suddenly I gasped. "I told you Jessica!
That stone wasn't cold because I lost my abilities. It was cold because it wasn't used by the killer." I pushed myself away from the bench and ran my fingers through my hair. "Jessica, we need to go back to the house."
***
Jessica was in such a hurry to get the door unlocked that she fumbled with the keys in the lock. "Here," I said, taking them off her. I opened the lock easily and strode into the room.
I'd done this before.
Now, with the realization that my powers were back— that they'd never actually deserted me in the first place—I felt a power and confidence that had been missing. I was back in my element again, doing what I was supposed to do.
I hadn't even realized how much I'd missed it.
The piece of wood was still sitting on the floor where we'd left it.
"There it is," I said, spinning around to face Jessica. "The murder weapon."
She nodded and gulped. "Wel , what are you waiting for?" she asked.
"Nothing at all."
I turned back to the piece of wood that was lying on the floor and walked towards it. Right before I kneeled down, I had a fleeting worry that my power would be gone again. Maybe it wouldn't work this time. I shook my head and shook off the worry as wel .
I reached over and picked up the wood. Hot to the touch. I closed my eyes and wrapped my fingers around it, gently, so that the heat wouldn't burn me.
After a few seconds it came to me. The visions. The old familiar feeling.
"Wel ?" Jessica whispered. "Whose face do you see?"
I kept my eyes shut, waiting for the vision to come into focus.
I gasped and dropped the wood, before I jumped to my feet and staggered backwards. It wasn't the heat that had made me drop it this time.
It was what I had seen.
Yellow eyes, like a cat.
But belonging to a man.
End of Volume 1.
“ONE LAST SPELL”
PARANORMAL WITCH COZY MYSTERY & ROMANCE
Volume 2
Raven Snow
© 2015
Disclaimer
Al rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
Cover images licensed through Dollar Photo Club & Freepik.com.
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Digital Edition v1.02 (2016.01.28)
Chapter One
The vision burned in my mind. "Josh?" I murmured.
I heard Jessica's footsteps as she slowly paced towards me. "Zelda?"
she said gently. "We're supposed to be catching Helen's killer remember, not talking about your boyfriend. I mean, there's a time and a place."
I stared at the piece of wood. Shaking my head, I turned my head and looked up over my shoulder at Jessica. "I think they're the same person."
Jessica pulled a face. "What? Zelda, what are you talking about?"
I turned back to the wood. "I saw Josh's face. When I held the murder weapon and concentrated, that's the face I saw."
Jessica walked around and knelt in front of me. "Zelda, are you being serious right now?"
I nodded. "It was his face."
Jessica brought a hand up to her mouth. "How can Josh be the kil er?
How is that possible?"
I shook my head slowly, still in disbelief over what I'd seen. "Think about it Jessie. He moved to town two weeks ago. Right around the time that Helen was found dead."
"Hardly concrete evidence," she pointed out. "What's the motive? The reason?"
I leaned back on my heels. "Maybe he just hates witches," I muttered.
"But he's been in this house. I can feel it." I frowned and thought for a moment, letting the vision come to me. "He's been here recently as well."
Outside, there was a crackling sound, like footsteps stepping on twigs.
"What was that?" Jessica asked, jumping to her feet and spinning around.
I was stil staring down at the piece of wood I'd dropped. I'd barely even registered the noise that was causing Jessica to edge towards the door with her hand poised above her gun, ready to grab it at any moment.
Something hit against the door with a thud. "Stay where you are!"
Jessica cal ed, grabbing the gun and aiming it at the door. She edged towards the door and, with her other hand, reached for the handle, pul ing it back open in one swift movement while keeping her gun aimed straight ahead at all times.
But there was no one there. After a moment's confusion, Jessica lowered her eyes towards the ground.
Sitting on the doorstep was a tiny black cat.
She let out a sigh mixed with relief and frustration and returned her gun to her holster. "I think I need some rest," she muttered, "if I'm jumping at the sound of cats." She shook her head as she poked it around the door just to make sure the front of the house was actually clear.
Still reeling from my vision, I remained kneeling on the floor. The cat, after surveying me for a few seconds, slowly crept over to me.
"Hey there, little kitty," I said, reaching out to stroke its head.
Although the tiny creature wasn't emaciated, I could feel the bones poking through a little as I ran my hand down its back. "Poor little darling," I said as I picked it up. I was surprised the cat let me cradle it in my arms, considering that we'd just met.
Jessica turned around and raised an eyebrow. "You know that cat?"
I shook my head. "First time I've ever seen..." I looked down and saw that the cat was wearing a pink collar around its neck. "her, I think she is."
The cat purred into me as she buried deeper into my lap.
Jessica tilted her head as she looked down at us. "I wonder if that cat belonged to Helen."
I looked up at her with raised eyebrows. "You think just because this is a black cat she must have belonged to Helen?"
Jessica shrugged. "Well, it fits, doesn't it?"
"Helen was trying to dispel the rumours about her, not encourage them."
Jessica nodded. "That's true. Plus, I've never seen that cat before today. If she belonged to Helen she probably would have been around before now."
I looked down at the cat's thin frame. "Hmm. It does seem like she's not been fed for a while. And she seems comfortable in this house." And with me, I thought, but I didn't say it out loud. "Maybe she was Helen's." I stood up with the cat still in my arms. "I think we should take her with us."
Jessica looked startled at the suggestion. "No, Zelda, you can't do that."
I looked down at the cat. "Well, I can't just leave her here with no one to look after her."
&nbs
p; "What if she belongs to one of the neighbours?"
"You're the one who suggested she was Helen's cat in the first place,"
I pointed out. "I don't see why you're getting so worked up about it, Jessica.
I'll take her back to my place. You don't even have to worry about it."
"Fine," Jessica said in frustration. "We need to get out of here, Zelda.
Before anything else happens."
"Anything else?"
"Just…just get in the car."
I pulled a face at her as I pushed past her to get through the front door with the cat, whom I'd decided to call Milly, still tight in my arms. I reached the police car and looked back at Jessica, who was shaking her head and muttering to herself as she struggled to shut the front door. I looked down at Milly and gave her a gentle pat. "I don't know what's got Jessica so worked up. If this is about Josh, I'm the one who should be losing it." I raised my eyebrow. "He was my boyfriend, after all."
***
Jessica pulled right up in front of the police station for a change. I reached out for the door handle, but Jessica stopped me. "You wait here,"
she said.
"What? Why can't I come in? I'm the one who had the vision."
Jessica leaned her head back against the car seat as she gripped the steering wheel, even though the car had stopped. "That's precisely why you can't come in. I believe in your visions, Zelda, but they can hardly be used as evidence. I've got to go speak to Josh myself."
"So, what, you're just going to confront him on your own?"
"Just...Just let me handle it," Jessica snapped, climbing out of the car.
She slammed the door shut behind her and paced towards the station, leaving me and Milly to sit alone in the car.
"What was all that about?" I muttered stroking Milly's back as she purred. "She seems to be taking this Josh thing awfully personal y."
There was a rapping at my window and I jumped as I turned my head to the right to see him standing right there, staring at me.
Harry.
I groaned and turned my head back so I was facing straight ahead.
"Zelda." I heard him cal ing through the glass. "Wind the window down."
I let out a sigh and wound it down, the cold air hitting my face as the glass disappeared. "Hi, Harry," I said.
His response was even colder than the icy frost blowing through the car. "What are you doing here, Zelda?"
I raised my eyebrows. "Not looking for you if that's any consolation."
He took a step back. "Is this Jessica's squad car? You're not...you're working with her again are you? You're not allowed back here after what happened last time."
"You don't need to remind me about last time," I snapped.
I was quiet for a second, trying to think up a good excuse for why I was in her car. "She's just giving me a lift." I thought for a second and then added, with emphasis, "I'm going on a date, actually."
I checked out the corner of my eye for Harry's reaction. "A date?" he asked quietly. "Who with?"
"Josh Morrison," I said, before common sense could stop me. "You might know the name. He's a cop at this station."
Harry took a step backwards. "Yes, I know that." He took his eyes away from me and stared at the ground, his hands buried in his pockets.
Looking at Harry's face I almost felt bad for the guy. Then I reminded myself what he did to me. I started to wind the window up. "Have a good afternoon, Harry.”"
As I watched him walk back into the station I threw my head back and groaned. "Well, that's great, Milly, isn't it? I try to make my ex jealous by telling him I am dating a killer!"
I closed my eyes and Milly started to purr, but whether it was in support or laughter, I wasn't sure. I looked down at her. "Who needs men anyway, when you've got cats to keep you company, huh?"
Chapter Two
Jessica pulled the car up in front of my house and turned off the engine. "Do you want to come inside?" I asked. "I mean, the place is a mess, but if you can excuse that, I can make you a pot of tea..."
She shook her head. "It's been a long day. I real y need to be going."
I sighed. "Jessica, are you going to tel me what's up?"
She looked down at the steering wheel. "Nothing," she said quietly.
"And are you ever going to tel me what happened down at the station?"
"I told you. Josh wasn't there. I'm going to do some digging and come up with the hard evidence to put him away. I trust what you saw, now I just have to build a case around it." She lifted her head up and looked at me.
"You know that's how we always do it, Zelda."
I reached my hand out for the door and then stopped. "This isn't how we always do it, though, isn't it? Jessica, I feel like you don't trust what I saw. Believe me, I don't want it to be Josh any more than you do."
"I believe you," she said quietly. "It's just been a long day. Please, let me handle it."
***
I put a dish down and filled it with dry treats. Milly looked at it for a few moments and then looked up at me, almost as though she were asking for permission, before she gingerly crept towards it. After a few cautious nibbles she started to eat hungrily, and she gobbled up the entire plate before looking up at me, meowing for more.
I knelt down and patted her on the head. "In a little while." I didn't want to overfeed her and risk giving her a stomach ache if she hadn't been fed in a while.
I could have sworn she gave me a little pout, but after a few seconds she walked to the makeshift bed I'd made for her out of blankets and curled up into it. Within a few minutes, she was fast asleep.
Standing up, I sighed. Not that Milly wasn't sweet, but I'd never wanted a pet. And I had to think about the publicity— a suspected witch living with a black cat? People would talk.
Still, it was nice to have the company.
I walked to the pantry and got the ingredients together for one of my special brews. Then, lighting the stove, I filled the pot with water and watched, waiting for it to bubble.
As I stared into the liquid, adding herbs and cloves to the concoction, I wondered: if my visions were back, did that mean I could start using my other powers again? I stared down into the tea as the spicy aroma hit my nostrils. Visions were one thing; spells were quite another.
Milly came up to my feet and started twisting herself around my ankles, snuggling into them. Here I was, a witch, leaning over a cauldron, with a black cat at my feet.
I sighed and picked Milly up. "Oh, wel , there's not much to lose now, is there, if my secret gets out? The man I was dating is a killer. If anyone should get judged in this relationship, it is him."
Still, it wasn't very safe for me in this town if the fate of Helen Blackmore was anything to go by. Maybe I'd be better off leaving. Especially now that Jessica was acting so weird.
I slumped down at my kitchen table and placed Mil y down on the floor. She scampered off to explore, cautiously making her way around the room, sniffing at everything and reaching her front paws out to gently tap on objects as she went.
What a day, I thought, shaking my head. I should have known Josh wouldn't be any different to Harry. He was a whole lot worse, in fact, if he really had killed Helen.
I stopped myself and sat up. I realized something. I was questioning my own visions. I'd never done that before. For witches, visions are as a normal as any of the five regular senses mere mortals have. If you see something with your eyes, plain as day, standing right in front of you, you don't question whether or not you saw it. You know it's there; it's just a fact.
Well, not unless you suspect yourself of going crazy.
Was I going crazy? Maybe my visions were wonky since I was out of practise.
I shook my head. The truth was as plain and obvious as my vision: I just didn't want it to be true. I didn't want Josh to be guilty. So I was trying to think of any other explanation for what I'd seen.
I tapped my fingers on the table and sat up, looking at my laptop si
tting on the kitchen counter. Slowly, I stood up and walked over to it, flipping the screen open.
I typed the name of Mr Beasley's organization into it. "Castlerock Citizens' Brigade."
They had a website, which took a while to load, but once it was up it was full of pages and pages of dense information. The organization was more like a cult, masquerading as a local community group. It was full of superstitious people who wanted Castlerock to return to the so-cal ed good old days.
"I wonder if those good old days include burning witches at the stake,"
I murmured, scrolling down the page.
There was a photo of Mr Beasley, a professional portrait of him that showed him as the perfect picture of wholesomeness. He smiled a toothy smile, which distracted from the crazed look in his eyes. Below the picture was a message from him. The message, which outlined his vision for a perfect Castlerock, was filled with nothing but so-cal ed “perfect morals” and “upright citizens” who believed in "casting evil spirits out of this town." I shook my head. I couldn't believe this guy was al owed to operate, al under the guise of "goodness."
Maybe I'd never been able to prove what he'd done to me—or make the police care—but if I could prove somehow that he'd hurt Helen, that would be just as good. Justice would final y be done.
After a few more minutes of scrolling, I noticed a search box and hovered over it before I typed in the word "witch".
There were twelve results on the website. I quickly looked through them before I found one that caught my eye. Clicking the link, I read the full text and then sat back in my chair before slowly reaching for my phone.
She picked up on the second ring. "Jessica. It's me. I've found something."
Chapter Three
I left Milly with enough food and water to last the day before hurrying out the door to where Jessica's car was waiting with the engine running.
I climbed in the passenger side. "Thanks for picking me up."
"You know you real y ought to get a car of your own." Jessica pulled out of my driveway and pul ed the car out onto the road, hitting the accelerator as we began our descent down the mountainside.
