by Rose Pressey
She waved her hand. “I tried this new recipe with chickpeas.”
Just as I had suspected. Trying not to cringe, I grabbed a cookie and took a little nibble. I attempted a smile while chewing. They tasted like sawdust with a smidgen of sugar added. Holding my breath, I swallowed and then said, “Yummy.”
I wondered if she knew I wasn’t being honest. The other ladies coughed and I spotted Ellen spitting hers into a napkin.
I wiped my mouth with the napkin and then said, “Okay, ladies, I’ll see everyone next week at my place.”
I’d have chocolate cake too. I headed toward the door when Agatha stopped me again. What had I forgotten this time?
“Cece, I don’t often have these feelings, but this time I felt compelled to warn you. I just have this sense of dread.”
It wasn’t like I wasn’t nervous enough already. “I’m fine, Agatha. There’s nothing to worry about.”
“It’s just that your work is dangerous. With that murder case and all.”
“How did you know about that?” I hadn’t told her anything about the case. I didn’t want her to worry.
She stared for a moment and then said, “I’m not sure how I heard. I can’t remember. Just the same, I want you to be careful.”
Agatha had become more and more forgetful.
I tried to sound nonchalant. “Agatha, I appreciate the concern. I’ll be fine. Don’t worry.”
She sighed and said, “Fine, but call if you ever need anything.”
I left the coven members behind and hurried to my car. When I looked back, they were all at the windows peering out at me. I wasn’t sure why they were so concerned about me. Not much had changed. Well, other than the little murder case. That was just part of my job now.
I pulled away from the curb and headed back to my place. As much as I tried to tell myself not to worry, I couldn’t help but glance in the rear-view mirror every few seconds to make sure that Jaguar wasn’t behind me again. I still didn’t think that was a coincidence.
Chapter 21
We still hadn’t figured out who had been by the office. The only description George had given was the man was large with muscles and dark hair, which sounded just like Steve.
“George, do you think you could point out this guy if you saw him?" I asked.
Derek looked at me and mouthed, “What are you doing?”
I shrugged. “Well, we might as will take him by the gym.”
"I have photographic memory. I never forget a face,” George said as he puffed out his chest.
I laughed. “Great. You want to go for a ride?”
“Can we stop for ice cream?” George asked.
Derek chuckled. “I think we can arrange that.”
We piled into Derek’s SUV and headed over to the gym. Unfortunately, Steve wasn’t there again. I didn’t recognize anyone working this shift. That was a good thing because I was sure they were starting to be suspicious of us.
As we pulled away from the parking lot, Derek said, “How about we go over to the house?"
It was a risky move, but I was sure that was the only option we had left.
“Let’s do it,” I said.
“Don’t forget the ice cream,” George reminded us.
After the short drive and a stop at the ice cream shop, we pulled up in front of the house. Steve’s Corvette was parked in the driveway.
Now what do we do?”
Seems like my plans were more spur of the moment, which couldn’t considered plans at all.
George opened the car door. “I’ll go up and knock on the door.”
“George, he’s a very big man,” I said.
George puffed out his chest. “I’m not afraid.”
“What are you going to say?” Derek asked.
“I won’t say anything. When he answers the door I’ll see if it’s him. He’ll just think I’m some senile old man.” George smiled and walked away from the car.
We watched as George marched up the sidewalk and to the front porch. He rang the doorbell, then turned and gave us the thumbs up.
“What are the odds this is going to turn out badly?” I asked.
Derek said, “I give it fifty-fifty. If Steve gets mad he’ll snap us all like toothpicks.”
“After he picks his teeth with us,” I said.
“That’s kind of a disgusting image, Cece.”
The door opened. Steve stood in front of George. His body took up practically the entire door frame. Steve's lips moved, but of course I couldn’t hear what they were saying. I didn’t know if George was actually saying anything. A second later George turned and hurried down the steps. Steve looked a little confused at first, and then stepped out onto the porch to watch George. I was afraid he was going to see us in the car and completely flip his lid. Derek started the car and had it ready to pull away when George climbed in. When I glanced at the door, I realized that Steve had spotted us.
“Go, go,” George said as he jumped in.
I think George was secretly getting excitement out of this.
“You know, I used to have my share of fun back in the day,” George said.
Steve was probably furious.
“Was that the man you saw?” I asked.
“Oh, that was him, all right. I’d recognize that mean face anywhere.”
“Maybe he just wanted us to sign papers for the gym,” Derek said.
“That’s doubtful.” I kept my eye on Steve’s house as we drove away.
“What’s he doing?” Derek asked as we made the next left turn onto Porter Street.
“The last time I saw him he was walking toward his car,” I said.
“Walking or running?” Derek asked.
“Why do you ask?”
“If he was running then that means he was coming after us. If he just walked, then he’s just going out.”
“Well, I guess we’re in luck then because he was just walking.”
Derek made another left. “Good. That means we can go back.”
“Why would we go back?” I asked.
Derek clearly had lost his mind.
“I want to see if we can follow him.”
I shook my head. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
Derek had already made it back to Steve’s street. My anxiety increased substantially.
Derek peered in the rearview mirror. “You okay back there, George?”
“Doing fine. I’m doing fine.”
I hoped he was being honest. We’d made it back to Steve’s house. Actually, I still wasn’t sure if Morgan and Steve had been living together. Now that Morgan was gone Steve looked as if he’d made himself right at home without her. Steve’s car wasn’t there. I glanced in the side mirror to see if maybe he’d swung around and was now behind us. So far, he was nowhere in sight.
“He’s not here, so we can’t follow him. Now let’s get out of here,” I said.
Derek came to a stop a few houses down from Steve’s place.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
Derek tapped his fingers against the steering wheel. “Planning our next move.”
That was what I was afraid of.
“Care to share your ideas?” I asked.
“We should talk to the neighbors. See what they can tell us.”
“What if he comes back before we’re finished?”
Derek opened his door. “We’ll be at the neighbors. He’ll never know what we’re doing.”
I sighed. A little voice in the back of my head told me this was a bad idea.
“I’m sure it’ll be okay,” George said as he opened his door.
It looked as if I was outnumbered. I got out of the car and hurried over to Derek and George. They were already halfway to the house next door by now. I hoped the neighbors didn’t think we were strange for asking questions. What if they were friendly with Steve? If so then they surely wouldn’t give us any details.
The garage door was up on the two-story brick house, so I assumed that
someone was home. Derek and George had already made it to the door and rang the doorbell.
“I don’t think anyone’s home, guys.”
"The garage door is open.” George pointed.
When I peeked over toward the garage I spotted a woman looking out the window. Then the curtains moved back. I guess someone was home after all. A couple seconds later the door opened slightly and a middle-aged woman peeked out.
“May I help you?” she asked.
“Yes, ma’am.” Derek flashed a smile at her and then his wallet, as if he had some kind of official badge in there. All he had were business cards. “We’d like to ask some questions about your neighbor.”
She looked from Derek to George. Then she turned her attention to me. "Is this about the murder?”
I knew by her tone that the subject made her uneasy.
“Yes, it is about the murder,” Derek said.
Had the police already talked with her? Of course they had. That would be one of the first things they’d do. Obviously we were a little behind in the investigation. Perhaps the police had missed crucial information. What was I thinking? What made us think we’d discover something that the police hadn’t?
“What would you like to know?” She opened the door wider.
At least it seemed as if she was willing to talk. Derek looked back at me.
Oh great, now he didn’t have a plan.
I stepped forward. “Did you notice anything unusual at the house?”
“I suppose nothing too unusual. They were kind of quiet. The other day I heard that Morgan was missing. Tabitha and Steve seem cozier than ever with each other.”
“What do you mean?” Derek asked.
She crossed her arms in front of her waist. “Let’s just say they didn’t look as if they were upset that Morgan was gone.”
Just as I had suspected. Unfortunately, that didn’t tell us anything we didn’t already know.
“Is there anything else you can think of?” I asked.
She shook her head. “No, I told the officer who was here the other day that I didn’t have any other details.”
“Thanks for the info,” I said.
Derek glared at me as if to say he couldn’t believe I’d given up that easily.
If she didn’t know anything else then it was pointless to stay around? As I turned to leave and she called out to us.
“Wait.”
I spun around.
“There was one thing that I just remembered.”
“What’s that?” I asked as moved closer.
“I saw in the paper the night that the murdered woman went missing…” She brushed the hair out of her eyes. “I can’t believe that I didn’t remember this sooner.”
My heart sped up.
“The poor girl who was murdered had been over there that night.”
“At their house on the night she was murdered?” I asked.
“Yes, but Morgan hadn’t been there all day.”
How did she know? She couldn’t possibly watch the house the whole time.
“As a matter of fact, she hadn’t been around for a couple days before that.”
Paige never mentioned that Morgan hadn’t been home for days. Was there a reason Paige hadn’t told us?
She waved her hand. “Anyway, that night I saw the two of them leave together. But I never saw the young woman leave.”
“The murdered woman?” Derek asked.
She nodded.
“I guess you must have missed her,” I said.
She sighed. “I suppose.”
“Will you contact us if you think of anything else?” I handed her my business card.
She studied the card for a moment. “So you’re not the police?” She looked as if she regretted talking to us now.
“We’ve been hired to find Morgan,” I said.
She paused and then said, “Oh, well, I hope you find her safely. She was a very nice lady.”
“We hope so too,” I said.
We’d made it halfway across the yard when someone yelled. Steve had returned. He’d spotted us and was now on his way toward us. He was like a bull and we were the matadors waving red capes.
“Run,” Derek yelled.
Had Derek forgotten that George was with us?
“I don’t think he can run that fast, Derek. We’ll just have to talk with Steve.”
Fury covered Steve’s face. Maybe we should carry George if he couldn’t run fast enough.
George took off in a sprint. “Don’t worry about me. I used to run track, and I was in the army.”
I had no idea that George could move that fast. Derek and I ran after George. Steve was running full speed toward us. I hoped he didn’t realize that we had been talking with his neighbor.
“Stay off my property,” Steve yelled.
We jumped into the SUV and Derek pulled away just as Steve caught us. He pounded on the hood as the tires squealed. Luckily, we got away before Steve got to us. I looked back in the mirror. Steve was standing in the middle of the road. At least he didn’t come after us now.
“Whew. That was a close one. George, are you okay?” I turned around in the seat.
George smiled. “Never better. Nothing like a good jog to get the body flowing.”
“Derek, why didn’t you confront Steve?” I asked. “You were all ready to beat him up the other day.”
“I didn’t want to put you in that situation.”
Now that I thought about it I was glad that he hadn’t.
Chapter 22
The sun had finally set on the hot day. I needed to cast a spell for my latest case. This wouldn’t be like the other spells though. This was much more serious. Where would I start? Of course Aunt Barb had left me all her herbs, spices, and other witchcraft paraphernalia. Now it was up to me to select the right ingredients and words. That was a lot of pressure. Not only for Paige, Amber and Morgan, but I wanted to show the coven members that I knew what I was doing. Something big like this would really impress them. At least I hoped it would.
I needed to keep my spellcasting a secret though. If everyone knew I might scare off customers. Maybe they would think my spells were nothing more than crazy hocus-pocus. That couldn’t be further from the truth though.
I walked over to the giant wood armoire and opened the doors, revealing shelf after shelf of bottles of herbs and potions. The cabinet wasn’t full of weird things like toad legs or bat fur. I tapped my finger against my chin while trying to decide which ones to use. Cinnamon would help with clarity. I certainly needed that. Sage would help with protection. From what I’d seen so far, I would definitely need that too. I pulled out a bottle of rose water and placed it on the dining room table. Tonight I would slip outside under the cover of darkness, under the expanse of the universe, and cast the spell.
After straightening the bottles on the shelves, I closed the cabinet door. I liked to make sure I kept the area tidy just as Aunt Barb had done. Now I just had to wait for nightfall. Maybe I’d watch TV until it was time to go.
I sat on the sofa and leafed through the Glamour that Derek had perused when he was here. I couldn’t believe he’d seen the answers to my questions for the love quiz. Yes, not telling him that I was a witch was the right thing to do. I was just glad that my family hadn’t let the secret slip years ago. It was a good thing they hadn’t told George either. Like I said, he wouldn’t be able to keep a secret. I flipped through the channels, but my thoughts were too messed up to concentrate on Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.
The moon had now appeared in the sky. It was time for me to cast the spell. I gathered the items and placed them in my tote bag. I’d cast the spell in the back yard under the trees with nature surrounding me. Stars twinkled in the night sky. This was the time I felt more connected with earth. My mind was clearer, something that was almost impossible during the day. It seemed as if the dark allowed for some of the racing thoughts to slow down. Though they would always be there.
I stepped out t
he back door and inhaled the fresh night air. I loved being outside at night. It brought peace and relaxation. The sweltering sun wasn’t an issue and the stars shone beautifully against the black sky. For a moment, I paused and peered up at the stars. A shooting star streaked across the sky. I took that as a good sign. The spell would probably work really well tonight. I closed my eyes and made a wish. Was it bad that my wish was to solve this case? I wanted the killer to be caught before someone else was hurt. At that moment Derek flashed through my mind.
A strange feeling overcame me, as if someone was watching me. I looked around but saw no one. It was probably one of the neighbors watching me.
It was time to start the spell. I pulled the items from my bag and placed them in the bowl. One thing I had that would help with this spell was the receipt from the ATM. I might not have solved the case with it, but adding it to the spell would help. That would be a key in bringing this spell together. It was like having a personal item of Morgan’s, although not too personal.
I stirred them together and then recited the words. The air always felt heavier when I cast a spell, but I took that as a good sign. I finished reciting the words and wrapped up the spell. It felt as if it had been a success. My attitude had to remain positive if I wanted my spells to work.
I stuffed my items back into the bag. I stared up at the sky one last time and inhaled. It felt good to cast another spell. I turned to go back inside when a rustling noise sounded from somewhere behind me. I spun around, but no one was there… at least not that I could see. I paused and listened. I figured one of the neighbors had been out here again. It wasn’t the first time they had spied on me. Aunt Barb had warned me about that. The noise came again and I thought it had come from a group of trees in the backyard.
I decided to go over and check it out. Maybe it was just a stray cat. I wouldn’t be totally shocked to find one of my neighbors hiding behind the trees. “Is anyone there?” I called out. Not that I expected an answer. Especially if it was a cat.
I stepped a little closer to the trees. As I neared I thought I spotted something back there. It looked like an arm wearing a white shirt sleeve. Whoever was attached was hiding behind the tree. Maybe it was one of my neighbors and they needed help.
