by Ani Gonzalez
They wanted the Santelli heiress.
"Liam just left," she explained. "We didn't know the interview was today."
Cassie looked confused. "The interview? What—"
"We're not doing that today," Gus interjected. "Caine wants to do it at the house."
"The Hagen House thing?" Cassie's confusion cleared. "Yes, we're doing that later. Caine has a special task force doing additional research. He wants to find a new angle on the house."
Kat nodded. A new angle on Banshee Creek's answer to Hill House would be good.
"This is just the promotional behind-the-scenes video for the Ghost Festival," Cassie continued. "We go to the different businesses and ask them what they are planning to do to celebrate, and then we post it online. People know what to expect during Halloween, but most of our fans have never been to a Chinese Ghost Festival before, so we want to let them know what to expect. We already did the pizzeria, the bakery, and the library."
"And the lanterns," Gus interrupted with relish. "Don't forget those."
Cassie rolled her eyes. "How could I? We'll be up for hours editing out those explosions."
Kat sighed with relief. They were filming the store, not her. "It's kind of a mess in here."
Cassie nodded. "I saw the tables outside. Maybe you could set them up the way you plan to do it for the festival." She glanced at the amulets. "We could discuss the significance of some of the items as you do that."
Kat winced. "I'm actually not very knowledgeable about some of these. I know jade is for good luck, but that's pretty much it."
Cassie laughed. "Don't worry. That's my field."
"It's more like her obsession," Gus clarified, as he aimed his camera at the dreamcatchers hanging on the window. "Cassie's the reason we're having the festival. She went to one in Hong Kong and fell in love."
"Well, Amy is also interested," Cassie replied, looking sheepish. "It's not just me. Anyway, back to work. Did you get a shot of the boxes? We should do that before we set up the display. Viewers love before-and-afters."
Kat cringed as Gus and the other cameraman aimed their equipment at the half-open boxes and the amulets strewn on the counter. Cassie pointed to a pile of red tablecloths.
"Are these for the tables? Let's put them on." Cassie pasted a broad grin on her face. "On me on five, Gus. Four, three, two ..."
Gus trained the camera on her.
"Hi, guys. Welcome to episode four of our Behind The Scenes of the Chinese Ghost Festival special. We're here in our world famous Banshee Creek Botánica, preparing for the big day. As you can see, the store has received a lot of new merchandise." The camera focused on a pile of books next to the counter. "Including new, hard to find, research materials on Taoist magic, Chinese traditional medicine, and my personal favorite, Chinese astrology." She walked over to the statues. "And, if books aren't your thing, there's also meditative aids and worship items of every kind."
Cassie waved a hand toward a statue of a kind goddess with flowing robes and a peaceful expression on her face. "This lovely lady, for example, is Quan Yi, the Goddess of Mercy and Queen of Heaven. She is the patron of women everywhere, particularly mothers and caretakers. She brings peace and joy to the home." She pointed toward the foo dogs. "These fierce guardians will keep your home safe, which is why they're so popular during the Ghost Festival, when spirits—some of them not so benign—roam the earth."
Cassie wrapped an arm around the largest kirin statue, a horned dragon with flaming hooves. "This is another favorite, a fiery companion that will give you luck in battle or other difficult enterprises. This bad boy is very popular with my PRoVE friends. I know Caine has a statue in his house and Gus here has a tattoo." She winked at the camera. "But we can't show you that. I'm told we need to keep this video PG."
Kat stared, awed, as Cassie walked around the store, chatting easily with the camera. She talked about herbal remedies, the veil between the world of the living and the dead, and the Taoist concept of the afterlife. She even made King Yan, the dreaded Chinese god of the dead pictured as a scowling black-faced bull of a man, sound like a benign entity, a source of purification and new beginnings.
"Remember," Cassie continued. "We don't discriminate here in Banshee Creek, and the botánica serves the needs of practitioners of every kind." She paused. "Cut."
"That was good," Gus admitted in a grudging tone.
Cassie smiled. "I'm in the zone. Let's get this done before I crash. Bring the trinkets, Gus. Kat, let's see your stuff."
Kat followed her outside, carrying the tablecloth. Gus threw the amulets and jewelry into the shipping box and trailed behind them.
"Put the box here and pick a filming spot," Cassie commanded, grabbing a corner of the tablecloth. "We are going to stand here around the table. Kat will put together the display while I talk." She glanced around. "Do you think it's too shady?"
Gus shook his head. "It's fine. We can adjust the color during edits. Ready? Five, four ..."
Cassie's grin reappeared. "We are putting together the botánica's outdoor stand. We chose a bright red color for the tablecloth, because it represents life and fire."
Cassie went on to explain about the hell money and the joss sticks and their different meanings while she secured the tablecloths to the table. Then she took the paper templates and expertly folded them into houses, cars, and even Louis Vuitton bags, all offerings that would be burnt during the festival to appease the ancestor spirits.
Impressed, Kat reached into the box, took out the baskets and placed them on top of the table. Then she sorted the amulets and put them in the colorful containers. She looked up to see that Cassie had taken a wooden sword out of the box and was brandishing it proudly.
"The pearwoood sword is both decorative and useful," Cassie clarified with relish. "It drives away bad luck and evil spirits. A jade sword would be even better, but those are pricey. Jade is a rare and precious stone with purifying and protective qualities." She reached for a jade amulet. "This, for example, may be more practical, as well as more affordable. All of the benefits of the powerful gemstones in a more accessible form. We also don't live in an era where you can just walk around with a big sword."
"If only," Gus breathed loudly.
"I heard that," Cassie laughed. "Well, you can always wear this one, Gus."
Kat held her breath as Cassie held up a delicate multi-strand gold necklace with a milky white stone shaped like a tiny sword. The piece was elegant and feminine and quite unlike the other jewelry on display.
It was hers, one of the designs she'd brought to the store. Gus must have mixed up her pieces with the Chinese-made souvenirs.
Cassie must have read Kat's thoughts because she raised a brow and glanced at the necklace thoughtfully. "This is very special. White jade has psychic protective qualities, particularly useful for ghost hunters. I may keep this beauty for myself. I think the botánica's resident designer made this one. Am I right, Kat?"
Kat swallowed hard as Gus focused his camera on her. "I did, yes."
She didn't explain that she hadn't known about the festival or the significance of the stone or the sword shape when she'd crafted the piece. She'd just thought, instinctively, that the elements fit together.
Cassie put on the necklace and looked straight at the camera, the white stone sparkling around her neck. "So there you have it, guys. Everything you need for a perfect Chinese Ghost Festival, even custom jewelry crafted by our very own Banshee Creek witch, Kat Ramos Santelli." She smiled. "Yes, that Santelli."
Kat froze.
"That's all for now. Make sure you check out our next video on the Po Songling restaurant and their new dish, Ghost Pepper General Tso's Chicken. It's so spicy that Fire and Rescue made us put a warning on it."
Another pause.
"Cut."
Kat cleared her throat. "Er, that's not exactly true."
Cassie nodded. "I know, even Fire and Rescue isn't that silly, but I needed a funny line for the end of the video a
nd our viewers love it when we joke about the firefighters."
"No, I mean the witch thing. I'm not a witch."
Cassie stared at her, fingering the necklace. "Really? That's interesting."
"I'm just a jewelry designer. You probably know a lot more than I do about this stuff."
Cassie raised a brow. "I have a PhD, but that won't even get me a basic shielding spell. Knowledge doesn't mean much if you don't have power. With proper research you can identify the correct elements, but someone with the right skills has to put them together."
"Oh."
Cassie's words reminded her of what Yolanda had said. Now it's up to you to do the rest. You have to learn for yourself.
Darn. They'd gotten married—they'd even had sex—and the house was still active. Was there something else she had to do?
Maybe there was.
Cassie looked down at the stone around her neck. Kat had to admit that the necklace looked beautiful on the PRoVE folklorist, the white stone now had a tinge of purple just like her hair. It was as if Kat had designed it for Cassie specifically.
But she'd never met Caine's second-in-command before.
Curiouser and curiouser.
"So," Cassie drawled. "How much do you want for this?"
Kat blushed. "Oh, you don't have to buy it. I know you just said that for the sake of the video."
"You're wrong about that." Cassie looked her right in the eye, her face serious. "I meant every word I said. Thanks to these guys," she nodded toward her PRoVE crew, "I go into a lot of strange places. I've been looking for a good protective charm for a long time, but nothing felt right." She glanced down at the stone around her neck.
"So let's talk price."
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
"DO WE look like a moving company to you?" Caine asked, glowering.
Liam aimed a meaningful glance at the table the PRoVE leader was carrying. A paranormie behind him was holding a stained glass lamp. "You could have fooled me."
They were in the Banshee Creek library, a small colonial brick building that was now a bustle of activity. The librarians, along with a couple of PRoVE staffers, were putting together exhibits related to the Chinese Ghost Festival. An entire table was devoted to the works of Pu Songling and included graceful ink drawings of weretigers and fox spirits.
Caine looked down, frowned, and dropped the table. "This is different. This is a bona fide paranormal remediation operation."
"Oh, good," the guy with the lamp interjected. "I was afraid we were starting a side business, a 'Ghost Hunting Hunks Hauling Junk' kind of thing."
Caine glared at him, but Lamp Guy just shrugged.
"Well, you keep complaining about the budget, Caine," Lamp Guy said. "I figured maybe you'd decided to do something about it."
Caine rolled his eyes. "I have enough trouble with the authorities as it is. I don't need to get sued for false advertising."
"Ouch, boss." Lamp Guy mimed a shot to the heart. "That hurts."
Caine turned to Liam. "The library's Class Two paranormal manifestation, the venerable Sergeant Atwell, has been acting up, so Yolanda advised the staff to take away the chairs from his corner and create a new Civil War section to appease him. It's turned into a bit of a Jeff Shaara shrine, but it seems to have worked."
Liam nodded. The library's resident ghost was a curmudgeonly Confederate soldier with a penchant for throwing books around. Liam wasn't surprised to hear that the head librarian had brought in Yolanda to manage the disturbances.
Maybe they'd have better luck than him. So far, Yolanda's advice regarding the Hagen House had been disappointing, to say the least.
He eyed the chairs. Hadn't Kat said something about finding more seating? "What are you going to do with these?"
Caine shrugged. "We're putting everything outside on the curb. Yolanda said someone would come and pick them up."
Liam laughed. Yolanda claimed that she wasn't a real clairvoyant, but she still got things right. "That, I think, would be me."
Caine raised a questioning brow.
"Kat needs these for the botánica," Liam explained. He was looking forward to bringing Kat her longed-for furniture. She seemed to be really into rearranging the store. He didn't know exactly why, but he didn't want to look a gift horse in the mouth. The more she focused on the store, the less she'd worry about the curse.
The PRoVE leader sighed. "Figures. Bring your truck up to the front and we'll bring down the chairs."
"Yay," Lamp Guy muttered. "I love haunted furniture. Not." He put down the light fixture and they headed up the stairs.
Liam turned to exit the library, but someone grabbed his arm. He turned to greet Holly, who looked less than happy.
"You know, if the house is spelling things out," she said, "maybe you should pay attention. My offer still stands. Kat can have the guest bedroom and you can take the couch. You know how much Ben likes having you around."
"Your guest bed is currently occupied by a plastic brick replica of Banshee Creek." Liam knew this because he'd built the wood platform with his own two hands. Holly's son was currently going through a building tow phase, and every surface of her house was covered with some kind of colorful plastic contraption. "Ben even reproduced the PRoVE headquarters. If you try to break that up, he'll go ballistic."
"Then Kat can take the couch and you can sleep on the floor. The point is that you two should get out of the house."
"We can't," Liam said. "Not yet."
His sister looked at him strangely, but didn't pursue the subject. Good, because he wasn't sure he could explain what he felt. This was the last chance for the Hagens. If the curse wasn't broken now, it never would be.
"Then let me show you something," Holly said. "Caine asked us to do a Hagen House display for the new PRoVE special."
She pulled him toward a low table next to the local history section. He let himself be led with a sense of dread.
Yep, there it was. The library had used a black and white tablecloth in a checkerboard pattern, similar to the marble floor in the foyer of the Hagen House. A large crimson stain covered the squares, and the ensemble was topped by an ominous-looking, sepia-colored photograph of the Hagen House. Books on hauntings and murders were propped up around the display, including an illustrated version of The Dunwich Horror and the library's prized first edition of The Haunting of Hill House.
He sighed. Holly had even come up with William Hagen's mug shot and a copy of the police report detailing his death at the hand of his prospective brother-in-law. The Irish gangster looked young and cocky in his picture, a far cry from the bloody corpse described in the autopsy report.
The mugshot looked eerily like his own driving license picture. Funny, he'd never noticed the family resemblance before.
"What do you think?" Holly asked. "We're still missing the Santelli apothecary guide—someone seems to have checked it out—but we have everything else. Even this." She grabbed an old-fashioned daguerreotype of a pair of young women. "Guess who this is?"
He peered at the grainy picture. The girls were dark-haired with black eyes and sharp features. Although they were dressed in lace and taffeta, these were no shrinking violets. They looked like they were not to be trifled with.
"Those are the Santelli sisters." Holly pointed at the younger girl. "That's Violetta. Her sister, Guilia, was the brains of the operation, but Violetta was the heart. They came up with the potions and medicines and their brother and father marketed them."
Interesting. He examined the face of the doomed Santelli sister. Was there a tinge of vulnerability to her gaze? He couldn't quite tell. But he could see a bit of Violetta in Kat. It was there in the level steadiness of her eyes and the jaunty tilt of her ribbons, a mix of creativity and willpower.
"It's something." He replied, trying to think of something to say. "It doesn't really scream Chinese Ghost Festival, though. Does it?"
Holly nodded, looking concerned. "Actually, it does, even if we didn't realize it at first.
In fact, I was a little peeved when Caine asked for a display because I thought it would spoil the theme. But then we realized that what you're doing fits right in."
"It does?" He didn't bother hiding his confusion. What did breaking a curse have to do with Chinese folk magic?
On second thought, did he really want to know?
"Yes, you're trying to appease a vengeful spirit, Violetta Santelli. That's exactly what people try to do during the Ghost Festival."
"Not you too. You're starting to sound like Caine."
"He isn't always wrong, you know. Apparently, appeasement is a big part of the festival. King Yama lets all the spirits out of the underworld and they get to roam the earth and express their displeasure with the way things are being handled."
"So the hell money and food are..."
"Bribes." Holly explained. "In case you haven't done things exactly the way they wanted them."
Oh, boy. "Maybe holding the Ghost Festival in Banshee Creek wasn't such a good idea."
Their little town made pretty much everything go haywire. Magic, hauntings, whatever. Add ornery ghosts to the mix and who knew what would happen.
"Exactly," Holly said. "That's my point. You two should be careful."
Liam stared at the picture of the flint-eyed beauty with the pretty neck-ribbon, considering Holly's words. Maybe the Ghost Festival was interfering with the breaking of the curse. Stranger things had happened in Banshee Creek.
"Yo, Liam," Caine shouted from the stairwell, holding the business end of a plush armchair. "Are you getting that truck or what?"
"Good Lord, Caine." Holly frowned. "What part of 'Quiet, Please' are you unable to understand?"
"The part where it gets me a truck in front of the library," he replied as they got the chair down to the first floor. "Step on it, Hagen."
"Calm down," Liam replied, taking his keys out. "It's not like Sergeant Atwell will punish you for messing up his space."
"He already dropped a stack of bodice rippers on my head," Caine replied, setting the chair down. "Let's get out of here before he gets creative."
