Witch on First: A Jinx Hamilton Mystery Book 4 (The Jinx Hamilton Novels)

by Juliette Harper

  Getting a new wardrobe delighted Glory thoroughly and made us her heroes. She happily ditched the black witch’s robes and currently sported a jaunty red pantsuit. No one had the heart to tell her she looked like the Grinch in a Santa suit.

  With all the pieces of the plan in place, the moms asked if they could go on home. “I don't even want to think what Scrap has done to my kitchen,” Gemma said.

  “Jeff’s not much better,” Mom lamented, “but at least he’s been at the river most of the last three days.”

  “Do you think it's safe for them to go home?” I asked Chase. “The killer is still out there, and we know he's watching us.”

  Chase chewed at his lip. “Can you just put in an appearance and come back here tonight?” he asked. “This guy seems to prefer to work at night.”

  “I think we’re all ignoring a salient point here,” Gemma said. “The killer has been making attacks on the periphery of your world to scare you. Did it ever occur to you that Scrap and Jeff could be in danger as well? They are Jinx and Tori’s fathers, in case you’ve forgotten.”

  Damn.

  I never thought of the dads in relation to magical affairs.

  “We can protect ourselves, honey,” Mom said soothingly. “Remember what you said about choices? This is our choice. We need to go home.”

  After promising to check in via text every hour on the hour, Mom and Gemma headed out. Barnaby and Moira left for The Valley. Tori and I went upstairs to the first floor of the store and were surprised to find out it was 3 o’clock in the afternoon. After spending three days in the basement, we’d lost all sense of time. I ripped three pages off the wall calendar behind the counter and realized it was Friday.

  “I better go upstairs and make nice with the cats for a couple of hours,” I said. “Darby’s been looking after them for me, but they’re still going to be mad at me.”

  Tori yawned. “Good idea,” she said. “I need a nap in my own bed. What time are you and Beau heading out to the cemetery with the orb?”

  “We want to get there just after dark, so probably around 7:30 or 8,” I said.

  “Don’t forget to set an alarm on your phone,” she said, stumbling off to her micro apartment.

  As expected, I was greeted by accusing looks and feline indignation. After a long ear-scratching session, I took a shower only to come out and find all four of the cats lined up in the doorway glaring at me. “Look,” I said, “I’m sorry. Major stuff has been going on. It’s not like you’ve been neglected. You love Darby. He cooks for you for heaven’s sake!”

  Starting with Winston and working down to Zeke, each cat did an abrupt about-face, gave me the tail, and stalked off.

  “The four of you are worse than Festus,” I called after them.

  Which isn’t true, because at least my four can’t talk. Thank God for small favors.

  I was dressed and making a sandwich in the kitchen when I heard furious pounding on the back door downstairs.

  “Now what?” I mumbled, going to peer out the window. To my shock, I saw my father standing on the little back step beating on the door with his fist.

  By the time I rushed downstairs, Tori had already let him in and was trying to get him to calm down.

  “Dad!” I said. “What on earth is wrong?”

  My Dad isn’t a big man. He stands just a little under six feet tall. His hair is brown, like mine, and I have him to thank for my reddish highlights. Normally, he’s easy-going and genial, and “hurry” for him is glacially slow by anyone else’s standards. Now, for the first time in my life, I could only describe him as frantic, and it scared the hell out of me.

  “Is your mother here?” he demanded breathlessly, taking hold of both of my arms and almost shaking me.

  “No,” I said, glancing at the clock, “she left almost three hours ago. Why?”

  “Damn it, Jinx,” he said, “I know she left three hours ago. She sent me a text message. When she didn’t come to the house, I thought I’d just drive over here and find out why your inventory is taking so long. I spotted Gemma’s car on the side of the road. There wasn’t a sign of either one of them and . . .”

  His voice broke. My blood went cold.

  “And what, Dad?” I said in a harsh whisper.

  “All the seats in the car were ripped to shreds.”

  I looked at Tori, whose face had gone white. “Tori . . .” I started.

  “Don’t,” she said, stopping me. “Mom wouldn’t let him take Kelly without a fight. Same way I wouldn’t let him take you. We just have to figure out how to get them back. Together.”

  Dad dropped my arms and stepped back. “Oh God,” he said. “You know everything, don’t you? You have your powers. You’re witches.”

  My jaw dropped.

  “You know about magic?” I gasped.

  “Of course I know about the damned stuff,” he said miserably. “I lost my only son because of magic.”

  That one pretty much knocked the wind out of me.

  “I had a brother?” I whispered.

  “No,” Dad said in an anguished voice, “you have a brother. We had to send him to The Valley because the father of those girls who died in the car accident cursed your mother. The boy doesn’t know anything about us. His name is Connor.”

  The world started to reel around me. I think I might have actually dropped to the floor if Tori hadn’t put her arm around my waist to steady me.

  “Calm down, Jeff,” she ordered. “You’re not making any sense. If we’re going to find Mom and Kelly, we need some straight answers. And besides that, you’re scaring Jinx half to death.”

  “Don’t tell me I’m the one not making sense,” Dad said. “This doesn’t make sense.”

  He pulled a crumpled sheet of paper out of his shirt pocket and held it out. Tori took the wadded mass and smoothed it flat.

  Cats have nine lives. Humans don’t. Ready to lose two? Midnight. The mouth of the pass. Tick tock. Tick tock.

  24

  Boyfriend-father introductions are iffy at best. When you have to explain to your father that his wife has just been kidnapped because you’re dating a werecat, things can go south fast. Just as dad started to bristle and get up in Chase’s face, Festus ambled into the lair.

  “Hey, Jeff,” he said conversationally, jumping up on the hearth and stretching in front of the fire. “Sounds like you’re still the same blowhard you always were.”

  I watched in amazement as my normally non-confrontational father turned almost purple with rage. “Festus McGregor,” he snarled, “turn your smart ass human and say that to me.”

  “If I didn’t have better manners than to get naked in front of the ladies,” Festus purred amiably, “I’d be more than happy to kick your ass again.”

  Again?

  “Dad,” Chase said, “stop helping.”

  My father turned to me. “Of all the guys in the world,” he said, “did you just have to take up with Festus McGregor’s son?”

  Apparently, I inherited my temper from dad, and at that moment it flared. That phrase “take up with” did not sit well with me.

  “For your information,” I snapped, “I didn’t know Chase’s father was an alley cat or that I was a witch because nobody in my life ever thought enough of me to tell me the damned truth!”

  “Hey!” Festus cried indignantly. “Who are you calling an alley cat?”

  At the same time, Dad, Chase, and I all wheeled around to the ginger tomcat and said, “Shut up!”

  Holding up one paw as if to push us back, Festus said, “Geez, did you three miss your worming this month? What’s all the commotion about, anyway?”

  “What it’s about,” Dad said, “is that Kelly and Gemma have been kidnapped.”

  Festus’ ears went flat. He glared at Dad and me. “You two zip it,” he commanded. Then turning to Chase, he added, “Boy, talk to me.”

  Chase gave Festus a terse description of the condition of Gemma’s car and the contents of the note. Festus lis
tened, flicking his tail angrily. “So, he wants us in the pass,” the old cat said at the end of the account. “That can only mean he’s looking to get into The Valley.”

  If Chase had been in feline form, I have no doubt his tail would have been lashing back and forth as well.

  “He can look all he wants to,” he said. “I have had enough. This guy is going down tonight.”

  “Agreed,” Festus said. “How do we do it?”

  “Hold on,” I interrupted. “Shouldn’t we contact Barnaby and Moira and get their input?”

  At that suggestion, Dad threw up his hands. “Barnaby and Moira? Them too?” he ranted. “Hail, hail, the gang’s all here!”

  “Deal with it,” I said. “Oh, and by the way, Aunt Fiona’s alive.”

  He plopped sullenly into one of the chairs. “Of course, she is. Where is the old bat?”

  “Dad, really!” I said in exasperation. “You’re not the only one here who’s worried. Aunt Fiona went back to The Valley early this morning, and she is not an old bat.”

  He passed a tired hand over his eyes. “I’m sorry, Norma Jean,” he said finally. “I shouldn’t have said that. Look, I really don’t care if you have to drag the Mother Tree herself through the portal. Just find Kelly and Gemma and get them home safe.”

  The portal? The Mother Tree? There was only one way he could know about those things.

  “You’ve been to Shevington?” I asked, feeling every bit as astonished as I sounded.

  “Many times,” Dad said. “Barnaby and I used to fly fish together. Catch and release. Damned trout up there critique everything you throw at them.”

  Dear God. When this was all over, I was going to have to have a long talk with the parents. Enough already with the edited family history.

  Beau had listened to all of this in silence. As I watched, he went over and sat down beside my father. Dad looked at him with a puzzled expression. “Who are you again?” Dad asked.

  “Colonel Beauregard T. Longworth, late of the Army of Northern Virginia,” Beau replied.

  Dad thought about that for a minute. “Ghost?” he asked.

  “Newly corporeal thanks to a magical artifact,” Beau said.

  “Lucky break.”

  “Quite,” Beau agreed. Then he added, “Sir, I was once a married man, and I can well appreciate the torment you must be feeling. I do not fully comprehend the personal sacrifices you have made in association with the magical community, but please accept my assurances that your daughter is a practitioner of considerable skill and genuinely pure intent. Jinx will find a way to rescue her mother unharmed.”

  Tears brimmed in my father’s eyes. “How long have you been dead, sir?” he asked Beau.

  “Since 1864,” Beau answered.

  “Do you still miss your wife?”

  Beau nodded. “Deeply,” he said.

  “Mine’s been missing three hours,” Dad said, his voice breaking, “and I can’t breathe.”

  Festus got up and walked over to sit beside Beau. When he spoke to my father, there wasn’t a hint of sarcasm in his voice. “Jeff,” he said, “I’m going with Chase to the pass tonight. If you don’t believe anything else, believe that I will lay down my life if that’s what it takes to get Kelly home.”

  “I do believe that Festus,” Dad said, “but I’m coming, too.”

  Chase opened his mouth to speak, but I shook my head. Festus had this one.

  “You can’t do that, Jeff,” Festus said quietly. “You’re the only human in the bunch. The werecat who has Kelly and Gemma will sense that. You go up there with us, and you’re instantly our Achilles heel. I don’t take any pleasure saying this, but you’ll just put the rest of us, Kelly included, in more danger.”

  As I watched, all the fight bled out of my father. “Then you swear to me, Festus McGregor, on your honor,” Dad said, “that you will bring Kelly home.”

  “I will bring her home,” Festus said. “I swear.”

  While Dad stared helplessly into the fire, we revised the plan for the evening. Beau and I still had to take the orb to the cemetery. In fact, we needed to leave in about half an hour. Festus, Chase, and Tori would take Chase’s car and wait for us at the head of the trail leading up to the pass.

  Even though he seemed distracted, Dad was listening.

  “What about me?” he asked. “Am I supposed to just sit here alone and wait?”

  There were two reasons I wasn’t going to let that happen. I knew Dad was genuinely beside himself with worry, and I didn’t trust him not to get it in his head to come up the mountain after us.

  “You won’t be alone,” I said.

  Looking toward the stacks, I called out, “Darby?”

  The brownie appeared instantly. “Yes, Mistress?” he said.

  “Darby,” I said, “I’d like to introduce you to my father, Jeff Hamilton.”

  With wide eyes, Darby said, “Oh, sir! This is a very special honor. I am delighted to meet you.”

  Moving in front of dad’s chair, Darby bowed at the waist. Even seated, my father towered over him.

  “None of that bowing stuff,” Dad said, holding out his hand. “Pleased to meet you, Shorty.”

  Darby rewarded the new nickname with an enormous smile as his tiny hand disappeared into my father’s massive paw. I knew my soft-hearted father would find it impossible not to be kind to Darby, whose simple innocence seems to exert a calming influence on us all.

  “You heard what’s happening?” I asked Darby.

  “Yes, Mistress,” the brownie said. “How may I help?”

  “I want you to keep my dad company,” I said. “If you get worried, or think anything is wrong, take him to the portal. Understand?”

  Darby nodded. “I will guard him with my life.”

  Those weren’t idle words. Brownies are small, but they are fiercely loyal.

  “Oh, and introduce Dad to Rodney,” I said.

  “Who’s Rodney?” Dad asked suspiciously.

  “Rodney is our rat friend,” Darby said brightly. “He’s black and white, very handsome, and ever so clever. Last month he was almost completely responsible for destroying the evil sorceress Brenna Sinclair.”

  “Was he now,” Dad said, looking at me with raised eyebrows. “Why don’t you tell me that story, Shorty? In fact, why don’t you tell me everything that’s been going on around here.”

  Uh-oh.

  Not what I had anticipated, but at least pumping Darby for information would keep Dad’s mind occupied.

  I watched as my father followed the talkative brownie upstairs for a formal rodent introduction.

  Before I could resume my conversation with Chase and Festus, a hissing sound from the direction of the roll top desk caught my attention. I walked over to find Glory camped out in one corner under the cubby holes. Tori had created a tiny “apartment” for the new team member using stacked books for walls. To furnish the temporary accommodations, Tori duct-taped an LED flashlight to the desk for a lamp, made up a piece of packing foam for a bed, and partially unstuffed a stress ball to create a miniature bean bag chair.

  “Nice digs, Glory,” I said. “Are you comfortable?”

  “I am in heaven,” she enthused. “You try sleeping on the side of a cup and tell me how comfortable it is.”

  There was no arguing with that.

  “We’ll get you fixed up with some real furniture and stuff as soon as things calm down around here,” I said. “I’m sure we can find some miniatures that will work for you. Did you need something?”

  “No,” Glory said. “I just heard about your mama and that other lady, and I wanted you to know I’ll be praying real hard for them to get home safe.”

  “Thank you, Glory,” I said, touched.

  “Also,” she said, “I think maybe you better push those books a little closer to hide me in here. Your Daddy has had enough to deal with for one day. I don’t want him seeing me and having himself a heart attack.”

  Good point.

  “
Are you sure?” I asked.

  “I’ll be just fine,” she said. “But you need to tell that good-looking boyfriend of yours that at some point Darby needs to get your father out of the way. I have to send tonight’s message to that awful Mr. Chesterfield. I thought Chase could handle all that.”

  “Why can’t Tori handle it?” I asked mischievously.

  Glory feigned innocence. “We wouldn’t want to overwork Tori, now would we?” she said.

  “Of course not,” I agreed.

  If I’d been shrunk down to three inches, turned green, and plastered on the side of a coffee cup, I might be looking for a hunky guy to tote me around, too. The suggestion seemed like a reasonable consolation prize given Glory’s predicament.

  “Okay,” I said, “I’m going to shove the books in place now. I’ll have Chase tap on the desk before he opens them again.”

  Glory sighed with gratitude. “You are so sweet respecting my privacy like that,” she said. “I’m gonna pray extra hard for your mama.”

  Thanking her again, I shoved the books in place hiding her from sight.

  “What was that all about?” Tori asked when I returned to the table.

  “Glory didn’t want Dad catching sight of her and having a stroke or something,” I said, “and she specifically requested Chase take her upstairs later so she can send tonight’s fake message to Chesterfield.”

  Chase frowned. “Why me?”

  “She thinks you’re a hunk, “ I replied with a grin.

  “Oh Lord,” Chase said, rolling his eyes. “Okay. She’s had a tough time of it. I can fill in as her transportation.”

  “Okay,” I said, “so are we all set? We all know what we’re doing?”

  Tori eyed me closely. “We’re set as soon as you and I take a little walk,” she said.

  I followed her into the stacks. When we’d gone several rows, she turned to me and said, “Talk to me.”

  “About what?” I hedged.

  “Oh, I don’t know,” Tori said, cocking an eyebrow at me. “In the space of the last hour you’ve seen your father almost hysterical for the first time in your life, you’ve found out our moms have been kidnapped by a shapeshifting psychopath, and you have a brother you never knew existed.”