by Maeve Hart
I got out of the search results and left the emails on the screen, as I’d found them.
Then I opened the filing cabinets and shuffled around Granny’s papers. There was nothing there.
I didn’t know how long Granny would be at her cards night. All I knew was that she went every Tuesday night to play bridge at her friend’s house. I closed the door behind me and as I was halfway through the house, I heard a key enter the lock, which sent me scrambling into the nearest room—Granny’s spell room. I listened at the door, hoping Granny would go to have a shower or go to the kitchen. Either way, I could slip out of the house without being seen.
Unfortunately, I heard two voices and that meant Granny had someone with her.
Listening hard to their muffled voices, I heard the word ‘spell.’ Had she brought a customer home with her? And would she bring him into her spell room? I hid behind the long counter that ran along the center of the room. When I heard nothing more after five minutes, I went back to the door to see if the coast was clear for me to leave. Just as I reached the door, it was pushed open. I jumped behind it, hoping like hell that she wouldn’t close it behind her.
“And this is my spell room,” Granny said.
“It’s very impressive,” a voice belonging to an elderly male responded.
Was Granny on a date? Surely not! She hated men—at least that’s what she told everyone.
They walked to the far end of the room and she was showing him her altar with all the ongoing spells from her paying customers.
“And this is where I do all my spells. Most of them, anyway.”
I looked out and saw they had their backs to me; I had to make a move. There was a chance they could turn around and see me, but I figured it was my best chance. If I stayed there, they might see me anyway. Quietly, I stepped out of the room. Their buzz of conversation never stopped and soon I was at the front door. I opened it and then closed it quietly behind me before I hurried down the street, my heart thumping in my ears all the way.
When I got to the corner I looked back at the house, relieved no one was looking out the front door and no one was chasing me. I had gotten away with it. After I had wandered a little further away, I called a taxi. While I was waiting, I searched the Internet from my phone, looking for information about the name I had seen. Sure enough, it was the snake man who had just been killed. There were a couple of small articles about the man being killed by one of his own snakes.
When I got home, I was pleased to find Jacques there and I told him everything that had happened. He managed to calm me down. It was disturbing that I’d found Granny had been looking Milton Franklin up on the computer before Don had died. It couldn’t have been a coincidence.
The next morning, I was woken from a deep sleep when my phone rang. The caller ID said it was Granny. My heart thumped. I was sure she’d seen me the night before in her house. I sat up and took a deep breath, ready to face the music.
“Hello.”
“Hello, Destiny?”
It wasn’t my grandmother’s voice; it was Flora. “Yes?”
“Your grandmother is all right, but she’s had a nasty fall.”
“A fall?”
“Yes. She fell over when she was watering her garden early this morning. The paramedics have come and said she’s okay. She hit her head and has got some cuts and scrapes, but they said she’d be all right. She’s just shaken.”
“Oh, that’s awful. I’m glad she’s all right. Thanks for letting me know.”
“Your mother and I were wondering if you could come and stay a couple of days with her just to make sure she’s okay?”
I was put on the spot. I wondered why one of them couldn’t do it. “Okay, sure. I’ll be there soon.”
“No need to hurry. I’ll wait with her until you get here. She’s all right; don’t panic.”
I ended the call and tried to think straight.
“Trouble?” Jacques said as he slowly opened his eyes.
“My grandmother has had a fall and Flora wants me to stay with her for a couple of days. I said I would.”
“How did she fall?”
“I don’t know. She didn’t say.”
“Do you think it’s anything to do with that man you saw there last night?”
“Why? Do you think the man hit her or something?”
“It seems odd that she would have a fall. Has she ever had one before?”
“No, but it’s dangerous for old people to fall. She’s got to be…” I trailed off.
“Don’t you know how old she is?”
“No, I don’t. I don’t even know how old my mother is. I know she had me at around eighteen. I don’t even know where my birth certificate is.”
“Have you ever seen it?”
“Yes, I had it at some stage and now it’s gone missing. I remember it said ‘father unknown.’ My father wasn’t even named on my birth certificate.” I pouted, recalling the man who’d come to the house late one night when I was seven. He’d said he was my father and my mother appeared angry with him.
“We’ve got more worries than that at the moment, Destiny.” Jacques seemed dismissive, but he’d had his own parents die when he was young. “Why don’t you jump in the shower and I’ll make you coffee and breakfast? That way you’ll be able to think a lot clearer.”
“Yes, thanks. I need coffee to clear my head. I knew it was bad news even before I answered the phone.”
I jumped in the shower, worried that the male guest I’d seen at Granny’s the night before could have harmed her and she might have covered it up by pretending she’d fallen.
After I had dried myself off, I towel-dried my hair and then pulled on jeans and a T-shirt. It was convenient that I was no longer working because if I had been, who would’ve looked after Granny? Mom had her gallery that kept her busy seven days a week, and Flora had her pottery making that kept her busy. They didn’t even know that I’d given up my business since I’d met Jacques. It seemed they thought my business wasn’t as important as theirs. Aunt Flora hadn’t even asked me if I was working. They just assumed that I could drop everything and be there.
Until my caffeine levels were balanced, I couldn’t even begin to think of what I’d need to pack for the stay. That meant I needed two cups of coffee, and in a hurry.
When I staggered out to the kitchen, Jacques put a cup of coffee in my hand, gave me a kiss on the forehead, and then led me to the seat behind the counter. He knew I was useless and groggy of a morning.
“I didn’t even ask if it’s all right with you if I stayed with Granny for a couple of days.”
“You don’t need my permission to do things. Just be careful while you’re there.”
“I know that, but I didn’t know what your plans were for the next few days.”
“Same old, same old. Just a few meetings with the accountants and various business managers.”
“Can you drive me to Granny’s?”
“Of course, and then call me when you think your grandma will be okay to be alone. Didn’t Flora say you’d need to be there for a few days?”
“You heard the conversation?” I knew his hearing was acute, but I thought he’d been asleep.
“Just a little bit. I was barely awake.”
“I don’t know how badly hurt she is, but they said I would only need to stay there a couple of days.”
“It’s a terrible thing to get old. Something you and I will never have to worry about.”
I wasn’t sure how I felt about that. I mean, it was good not to die, but that meant I would watch all my friends and relations die before me.
Jacques continued, “There are only a handful of ways we can die.”
“Don’t tell me about them right now.” I shuddered. I hated talking about anything gory, especially at that time of morning. “I hope that man she had there last night didn’t hurt her,” I said, thinking about him again.
“Would you recognize him if you saw him again?”
; “I only saw him from behind.”
“Anyway, you should be able to tell from her injuries if she fell or was pushed. Ask her exactly how it happened and where it happened. Have her show you where she fell. I’m sure you’ll soon know if she’s giving you a story or not.”
“I guess so. The man was a little taller than Granny and he was wearing a navy blue suit, like a business suit, and he had gray hair cut short.”
“How old would you say he was?”
“Maybe in his seventies or somewhere thereabouts,” I said.
“Just be sure you don’t do or say anything to get your grandma suspicious about what you are.” He stared at me, warning me once again that I couldn’t let her suspect I was a shifter.
“I won’t.”
“I’m not sure I like the sound of this. I hope it isn’t a trap.”
“What do you mean?”
“She could have seen you and she might know that you found out about the snake venom.”
I took my cup of coffee, and then said, “No, Granny wouldn’t do anything to harm me, and if she did, she would do something with her magic. She wouldn’t need me to be under the same roof as her.”
“I suppose, but she must have been there to administer the venom to Don.”
“That’s what we think, but there’s only circumstantial evidence to support that. Just because she’d been looking up the man on the computer doesn’t mean she’d purchased anything from him.”
“Very strong circumstantial evidence,” he corrected.
I drank my coffee and felt more human. Then I sat next to Jacques and we ate breakfast together just like a regular couple.
“What are you thinking about?” he asked.
I giggled. “I was just thinking I hope we can do more things like a normal couple, like how we had dinner with Abbie and Steve.”
Jacques nodded slowly. “You never know.” He bounded to his feet and took his plate over to the sink.
Chapter 21
Jacques let me out a couple of streets away from Granny’s house.
Aunt Flora stared at me when I knocked on the door. “How did you get here?”
“I got a taxi.” I changed the subject quickly. “Where’s Mom? I thought she was here with you.”
“She had to go to work.”
“How’s Granny?”
“The paramedics said she doesn’t need to go to the hospital. You might get a fright when you see her. She’s got a few scratches on her head.”
“Exactly what did the paramedics say?”
“They said it doesn’t look like she has a concussion, but if she starts feeling dizzy or starts vomiting then she should go right to the hospital.”
Flora took my small overnight bag from me and led me into the living room where Granny was sitting. I gasped when I saw her with red grazes on her face.
As usual, her face was made up and she was beautifully attired in one of her flowing dresses. There wasn’t a hair out of place on her heavily lacquered blonde wig.
“She looks a lot worse than I thought,” I said to Flora.
“It’s never good when they start talking about you as though you’re not here,” Granny said to no one in particular.
“I’m sorry, Granny. I’d give you a kiss, but I can’t see where I can.”
Granny had a graze under one eye, a bruise over the other, and a large indentation and large red mark over one eyebrow.
She pointed to the indentation. “My sunglasses stuck into me here.”
“You were lucky you weren’t more badly hurt,” Flora said.
“When did it happen? I asked.
“Early this morning when I was watering the garden. I knew it was going to be a hot day so I wanted to water the plants before it got too hot.”
I knew Granny was an avid gardener and that sounded reasonable to me.
I looked back at Flora. “Are they sure she shouldn’t go to the hospital?”
“Quite sure.”
Granny grabbed my hand. “I feel dreadful for you having to come here, Destiny. I’ll be fine on my own.”
“It’s no problem. It gives us a chance to spend some time together.”
“Yes, that’s true. You haven’t stayed here since you were a girl.”
I tapped on Granny’s hand. “And that was a long time ago.”
“I’ll go now that you’re here,” Flora said.
“I’ll walk out with you.” When we got to the front door, I said, “I thought you were in Brazil looking at temples.”
“We got back yesterday.”
“So, you don’t hate men anymore?”
A smile broke out on Flora’s face. “He’s not like other men. He’s a free thinker.”
He’d want to be because he doesn’t have anything else going for him, I thought. “That’s good. I’m happy for you.”
“Good luck with Granny.” She hurried out to her car.
I watched her drive away before I went back to Granny and sat down next to her. “It must’ve shaken you up.”
“I just need to sit here for a while and then I’ll probably be okay and you can go home.”
“That’s nonsense. I’ll stay with you for a couple of days to make sure you’re okay.”
“Thank you, Destiny. You always were a nice girl.”
“Can I make you a cup of tea?”
“That sounds divine.”
I headed to the kitchen, remembering the teapot I’d used last time I was there. I noticed the kettle was hot, so it wouldn’t take long to boil.
Once I’d poured the hot water into the teapot, I took the tray of tea items out to Granny and placed them on the low table in front of her. I remembered to let the tea steep for a moment before I poured. I didn’t need another monotonous lecture on how to make tea from Granny.
“Did you go to your card game last night, Granny?”
“Yes I did, and I met a very nice man.”
I smiled at her, raising my eyebrows slightly.
“It’s not what you think. He wanted me to do a spell for him to get his wife back. She suddenly ran off with another man and he didn’t have a clue. He didn’t even see it coming. She’s a TV presenter.”
If he was the same man she brought back with her last night then he would have to be very much older than his wife because I didn’t know many TV presenters in their 70s or even 60s.
“Shall I pour the tea now?”
“Yes, now would be about right.”
As I poured the tea, Granny launched into the long tale about her new friend. “She’s a TV presenter, his wife is, and she has a lot of high-profile single women friends and now she’s off cavorting with them. As I said, he was blindsided by her telling him she wants a divorce.”
“That’s rather sad,” I said, passing Granny a cup of tea.
“They’d just bought a new home and it’s worth a lot of money. I don’t know what’s to become of that now.” Granny took a sip of tea. “He’s just been cast aside without a care. He raised their two children and stayed at home looking after everything so she could have her career. Now he’s cast aside like an old second hand vehicle.”
“That’s very sad,” I repeated. “And he still wants her back?”
“Yes. The man’s in love.”
“Couldn’t you talk him out of that, Granny?”
Granny stared at me with her piercing green eyes. “There’s nothing wrong with love, Destiny.”
“What about the ‘men are no good’ thing that you, Mom, and Flora always carry on about?”
“Most men aren’t worth anything, that’s quite true.” Granny sighed. “I didn’t feel like talking the man out of that woman. All she wants to do is spend her weekends drinking champagne on million-dollar yachts without two thoughts for him.”
“Why didn’t you talk him out of it?”
“How do you think this house gets paid for and my overseas trips twice a year?”
“He’s paying you? I didn’t realize he was paying you for a spell
to get his wife back.”
“Maybe I didn’t make that clear to you. I don’t do spells for free anymore. He was a friend of a friend who came to the bridge night and then afterward we all heard his sorry tale. One of the girls told him what I do for a living and then things went from there.” She looked at my face, which must’ve been blank. “And then someone told him I might do a spell for him. You should’ve seen how his face lit up. I didn’t have the heart to tell him that he should forget about the horrible woman and move on.”
I was seeing the softer side of Granny—or was she interested in this man for herself? “What do you need me to do for you today?”
“I have spells that have to be performed today. I work every day, you know.”
“I don’t see how I can help you with those.”
“I can’t let my customers down. They pay me every week like clockwork and I need to do it. Stop looking so worried, Destiny. I’ll show you what to do. It’s not hard. You look like I’ve just asked you to stick your arm in a fire.”
“Okay, but I don’t have any skills along the magical lines.”
“It will still work because it’s my intention that’ll make the spells work, not whatever small part you’ll have to play in them. It won’t have anything to do with you. All you’ll be doing is the mixing up and dropping oil on the candles.”
“When I asked you if there was anything I could do, I was thinking about mopping the floors or putting some washing on. I wasn’t thinking of spells.”
“Spells will be a lot more fun for you.”
I drank a little bit more of my tea. “Fine. I suppose I’ll have to help you.”
“It’ll be enjoyable. Brighten up a bit.”
“When do you want to start?”
“Whenever you’re ready. Put your things in the spare room and then we shall begin.”
I drank my tea and then wondered why I drank it at all because I’d never really liked tea. While Granny was still sitting, I picked up my bag and headed to the spare room.
The room hadn’t changed since I was a girl. A row of porcelain-faced dolls sitting on a shelf lined one wall of the room. Under that shelf was a shelf filled with clown dolls, all of which looked particularly evil. Now I recalled the reason I hadn’t stayed overnight with Granny much. The dolls, coupled with the scratching noises in the roof, were too much for me.
