A Charmed Cauldron

by Rose Pressey

  “This isn’t the wolf you saw earlier this evening?” Liam asked as we walked by the front steps to the massive front door.

  “No, this werewolf had tan fur with streaks of white.”

  “Well, I hope it’s gone now for Mrs. Whitmore’s sake.” Liam reached out and pushed the doorbell again.

  “Can you imagine if she saw a wolf in her house? The poor dear would probably faint,” I said.

  The bell chimed, playing the entire chorus of a song. Exactly what song I wasn’t sure. Now that would bug me trying to figure out what it was. We waited patiently for someone to come to the door. Apprehension soon took over. It wasn’t like Mrs. Whitmore to go anywhere for this long. I wasn’t sure what my next move would be to find her. I supposed I’d have to call the Enchantment Pointe Police Department so we could file an official missing person report.

  I was just about to suggest we call when the door rattled slightly and then opened. Mrs. Whitmore stood in front of us.

  “Oh, thank goodness,” I said.

  She frowned. Like I said, I’d gotten the impression she wasn’t my biggest fan, so it wouldn’t take much for her to tell me to get lost.

  “I was worried about you,” I said.

  “Why?” she asked, looking at Liam. She immediately smiled at him. Oh, great. Liam had a way with the ladies. They all liked him. “Why are you worried?” she asked again.

  “My mother and I stopped by earlier and you weren’t home,” I said.

  “Well, I do get out occasionally. My grandson took me for lunch.”

  “So he’s okay too?” I asked.

  She frowned. “Yes, he’s fine.”

  “Would it be possible to speak with him?” I wanted to warn him about the werewolf without causing his grandmother to panic.

  “Daniel’s not home right now, but I’ll tell him you stopped by.” She inched the door shut.

  This was my clue to get lost. “Will you please tell him we stopped by?”

  “Yes, I’ll give him the message.” She winked at Liam before shutting the door.

  Liam and I headed for the car.

  “I think she likes you,” I said.

  Liam grinned. “She’s sweet.”

  “Are you kidding? She’s as cranky as can be.”

  “So you said the door was open when you arrived?” Liam asked, changing the subject.

  “Yes, I suppose that was how the wolf got in. I guess it left before they got home. I’d love to talk to Daniel though.”

  “How much do you know about this guy?” Liam asked.

  “Why do you ask?”

  “Just wondering why he thought he needed to come over and say hi,” Liam said.

  “Oh, now you’re being all protective,” I said as we reached the car.

  “That’s not it. I’m just being cautious and making sure he’s an okay guy.”

  We got into the car.

  “What happened?” my mother asked.

  “She was there and seemed perfectly fine,” I said.

  “She didn’t mention anything about a werewolf,” Liam asked.

  “She seemed smitten with Liam,” I said around a laugh.

  He started the car and shook his head. “Not true.”

  “Everyone is smitten with Liam,” my mother said.

  “Did you talk to the hot neighbor?” Annabelle asked.

  Liam looked at me in the rearview mirror. Okay, so I’d left out the part about Daniel being hot when I told Liam about Daniel. Liam didn’t need that bit of info. He’d give me a hard time about the comment later. With one last look back at Mrs. Whitmore’s house, Liam pulled out of the driveway and headed toward the Bubbling Cauldron.

  Chapter 13

  A short time later Liam, my mother, Annabelle and I arrived at the Bubbling Cauldron. It was funny how things changed. At first, Annabelle had never wanted to go to the Bubbling Cauldron, but she actually enjoyed it now. Witches weren’t the only ones dancing the night away at the Bubbling Cauldron. Sure, it was mostly witches, but not all. Mostly the witches just liked to go there and hang out because of the huge cauldron in the middle of the room. Colorful bubbles floated from the giant vessel all the way to the ceiling as if they were dancing along with the witches.

  Though the name Bubbling Cauldron implied there might be witchcraft, that wasn’t the case. No magic spells were allowed inside the club. Imagine if drunk people started trying to cast spells in there. That would cause nothing but chaos—people changed into toads, love spells gone awry, and awkward dance moves frozen in time just to name a few.

  Liam parked the car at the curb along the street across from the club. No, as the leader of the Underworld, I didn’t receive VIP parking. This job had no perks. After crossing the street we headed for the club’s front entrance. Thank goodness it wasn’t a long walk because my feet were already hurting in these heels. I’d wanted to wear tennis shoes, but my mother insisted I dress up.

  I guessed I was always complaining about never having the opportunity to wear a fancy dress or heels. Tonight my outfit choice had been a black sleeveless dress that hit just above the knees and red heels. Annabelle had worn the red dress I’d bought for Valentine’s Day last year. My mother was always dressed for the occasion, so her long black dress was perfect. Dashing as always, Liam wore black slacks and a white button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up on his muscular forearms.

  As I surveyed our surroundings, I realized there wasn’t much of a crowd tonight. Maybe that was a good thing. At least I’d stand a better chance of finding the person who had sent me the text message.

  But exactly how would I locate this mystery messenger? I guessed I would just look for the person who kept staring at me. Not knowing who I was meeting gave me the creeps. As a matter of fact, the person could be watching me now. I glanced around but didn’t notice any suspicious activity. Unless the person was hiding. How would I know?

  The neon sign turned the bouncer’s bald head a glowing red. When we approached he ushered us through the front door. As soon as he saw it was me I didn’t have to show an ID. Although maybe it would be nice if he pretended to go through the motions and ask to see it, claiming that I wasn’t yet twenty-one. Yeah, that ship had sailed a long time ago. Okay, so maybe the job had a few perks. Most times the bad outweighed the good.

  We stepped into the dark space, and just as I suspected, it wasn’t crowded. People were on the dance floor of course, but it wasn’t crammed like on a Friday or Saturday night.

  Waitresses wore short black skirts, tight black tops, and witch hats. They carried glowing trays full of shot glasses as the navigated around the tables. A muscular guy bumped into me as he staggered by. He looked over at me as if I had been the one colliding with him.

  After a couple seconds he realized what he’d done and said, “Excuse me, ma’am.”

  Liam looked like he was ready to toss the guy out the door. I wouldn’t blame him if he did. The guy would probably crash into more people before the night was over.

  “I guess we have our pick of where to sit,” my mother said.

  “How about over there? We can see the entire room from that vantage point.” I pointed.

  We moved over toward a table at the edge of the dance floor. I stood by the table instead of sitting down. Yes, I was on guard, scanning the crowd looking for this mystery person. I didn’t even know if I was looking for a man, woman, tall or short. I had no clue.

  If I saw someone staring at me that would be the person I was looking for, but so far no one had even looked our way. Everyone was too busy dancing to a Bruno Mars song. The bubbles floated toward the ceiling with colors of red, green, purple, and yellow. The disco ball shimmered the same prism of colors across the room. Music bounced off the walls. The people seemed to be having a great time with no signs of unwanted witchcraft.

  “There aren’t a lot of people here tonight,” my mother said. “I wonder why.”

  “That just makes it easier for us to spot this person,” I said ov
er the music.

  Liam stood sentinel in front of us as if trying to shield us from anything that might happen. But if that made him happy then it was fine with me.

  When my phone dinged I looked down to see that I had received a message from Nicolas. Well, it was about time he sent a message today.

  I’ll be in touch soon.

  Everything was so mysterious with him lately. I was getting a bad vibe from his behavior. It just wasn’t like him. Liam glanced back and noticed that I was looking at my phone.

  “Was it him?” he asked.

  I nodded. “Yes, but I didn’t get any information.”

  Liam looked disappointed again. He turned his attention back to the dance floor.

  I wasn’t sure how long I was willing to wait for this person to show up. I had tried to text the number back, but I got no response. I supposed it could’ve been a wrong number. But what were the odds that they would ask me to meet them at the Bubbling Cauldron? I supposed it could be possible. Though I suspected it was highly unlikely.

  It was just a glimpse. Maybe my eyes were playing tricks on me, but I thought I saw Daniel. That couldn’t be him. Why would he be here?

  “What’s wrong?” Annabelle asked.

  “I just thought I saw the hot neighbor.”

  “Oh, where is he?” Annabelle perked up.

  “Why would he be here? Is he paranormal?” my mother asked.

  “He didn’t mention it,” I said.

  Non-paranormal people like Annabelle came to the Bubbling Cauldron, but not as much. I supposed they didn’t like the giant cauldron in the middle of the dance floor. Or maybe the thought that the witches would cast spells on them.

  “I think maybe he went to the restroom,” I said.

  “We should go find him,” Annabelle said.

  If it was him then it would be nice to speak to him about the werewolf.

  I tapped Liam on the shoulder. He jumped, which was unlike him.

  “Why are you so on edge?” I asked.

  “I guess I was daydreaming. Sorry.”

  “I thought I saw the neighbor. Mrs. Whitmore’s grandson. We’re going to look for him.”

  “Oh, the hot neighbor?” Liam said with a straight face.

  I grabbed his arm. “Come on.”

  The four of us headed across the room. A small hallway led back to the restrooms and an exit door beyond that.

  “I can go in after him,” Liam said.

  “That would just be weird,” I said.

  Rather than go into the restrooms looking for him, we waited at the entrance to the hallway.

  After a couple minutes, I glanced at the time on my phone. “What’s taking him so long?”

  “When he stopped by the manor, are you sure you didn’t cook for him?” my mother asked with a chuckle.

  Liam and Annabelle laughed.

  “Very funny, y’all.”

  “Maybe he went out the back door.” Annabelle pointed.

  I peered down the hallway. “I suppose that’s possible, but that door is usually locked.”

  “Someone could have let him out,” Liam said.

  “We’ll ask the guy,” I said.

  One of the security guards stood close to us. He stared straight ahead as if any facial expression would break his air of toughness.

  “Excuse me. Did you let someone out the back door?” I gestured.

  “Yes, ma’am.” He nodded. “He went out the door.”

  “Why?” I asked.

  The security guard’s eyes widened. “He said some woman was stalking him and he needed to get out of here.”

  Liam and I exchanged a look. How odd. Maybe if we went out the door we could catch him.

  “We need to find him,” I said.

  Surely the security guard wouldn’t tell me he couldn’t open it for me. I stared at him, but he hesitated. After a few seconds he turned toward the door. He shut off the alarm so we could go out the door without setting off chaos in the club.

  Liam, my mother, Annabelle, and I stepped out into the warm night air. The door led to the side parking lot. There was no sign of Daniel. I peered around to see if a car was leaving, but the parking lot was quiet.

  “I guess we lost him,” I said around a sigh.

  “We’ll catch up with him eventually,” Liam said.

  “Too bad. I wanted to see the hot guy,” Annabelle said.

  My mother laughed. “Annabelle, you crack me up.”

  I was ready to go back inside when I spotted the silhouette of a man as he stepped out from the shadows. Was that Daniel? I squinted as if that would make him clearer. It was too dark to see. He just stood there with his arms at his sides. Since he wasn’t under the light, I couldn’t make out his features. The man looked too tall to be Daniel. Though Daniel was tall, this man had at least six inches on him.

  “Is that him?” my mother whispered.

  “I don’t think so.” I said.

  “Why is he standing there like that? He’s creepy,” Annabelle said.

  A few more seconds passed and the man stepped out from the shadows and into the light. He was watching us. It definitely wasn’t Daniel. I’d never seen this man before. His weather-beaten and wrinkled face looked like the roadmap to hell. He wore a black fedora and black overcoat. It was as if he was trying to dress like the grim reaper. His eyes were as dark as the night sky.

  “Hey, buddy, what are you doing?” Liam asked.

  The man didn’t answer. After another few seconds he turned and walked away, heading down the sidewalk in the opposite direction of the club.

  “What was that all about?” Annabelle asked.

  “Should I go after him?” Liam asked.

  I thought maybe this was the guy who had texted me. But why would he leave without speaking to me? It must have just been a strange man who’d happened to appear just as we’d walked outside. Sure, it was a bit weird and creepy, but probably just a coincidence.

  “I don’t think it’s necessary to go after him,” I said.

  Liam had one foot forward as if he was ready to chase the guy down. When I said no he seemed a bit disappointed.

  “If you’re sure,” he said.

  I nodded. “I’m positive. Let’s go back into the club and see if the person has arrived.”

  Since the back door was locked we needed to go around to the front. I felt like going home and forgetting about this whole ridiculous thing. I glanced back to see if the man had returned to the parking lot. He was nowhere in sight. Thank goodness. He’d definitely put off a creepy vibe.

  As we headed down the sidewalk toward the front door of the club, Annabelle said, “This is exhausting.”

  “It’s my bedtime,” my mother said around a yawn.

  I wished she hadn’t insisted on coming. I’d known she’d rather be home.

  “We’ll give one quick look around and then leave,” I said.

  “Sounds like a good plan to me,” my mother said.

  “I agree,” Annabelle said.

  When Liam didn’t respond I glanced back at him. He was looking over his shoulder.

  “Liam?” I called out.

  He was still distracted.

  I touched his arm. “Hello?”

  He snapped to attention. “Oh, sorry. What did you say?”

  Why was he so distracted? Was he looking for the weird guy from the parking lot?

  “I said we’ll just take a quick look around and then leave.”

  Liam nodded. “Right. Sounds good.”

  As we approached I spotted a couple of guys standing outside by the door smoking cigarettes.

  Once next to them I waved the smoke out of my face and asked the tallest one, “Did you see a guy dressed all in black come around here?”

  He took another drag from his cigarette and said, “I didn’t see anyone specifically, but a lot of people around here are wearing black.”

  Unfortunately, he was right about that. Plus, I didn’t exactly have a great description to g
ive out.

  “Thanks anyway,” I said.

  The men went back to their cigarettes and we headed back into the Bubbling Cauldron. Even fewer people were inside the club now. Surely if someone was there to meet me they would have arrived by now. Plus, I’d be able to spot them. I looked at the time on my phone. It was now eleven, an hour after the time I was supposed to meet this person. It looked as if this was just a trick. But why? Then it hit me. What if the person just wanted to get me out of the manor? Now we were all out of the house. Well played, stranger, well played.

  They would be in for a surprise though if they thought they were getting the Book of Mystics. That thing was locked up tighter than Fort Knox.

  “It looks like you’ve been stood up,” my mother said.

  Liam chuckled. He thought my mother’s bluntness was adorable.

  I narrowed my eyes. “I was probably stood up by a serial killer, so it’s just as well.”

  “Don’t say that like it’s a good thing. It’s like saying even a serial killer doesn’t want to date you,” Annabelle said.

  “How are we even discussing this bizarre scenario? Let’s get out of here. Obviously, no one was here.” I motioned for everyone to walk with me.

  Liam scanned the room one last time. He was acting odd tonight.

  I pulled on his arm. “Come on, we need to leave.”

  After a few more seconds he snapped to attention.

  “Why are you so distracted tonight?” I asked as we made our way to the door.

  “Me? Distracted? Whatever gave you that idea?” He looked over his shoulder again.

  “Oh, I don’t know, the fact that you’re extremely distracted.”

  “There’s nothing wrong with me. I promise.” He winked.

  “Okay, if you’re sure.” I eyed him for a second.

  As we headed for the exit, I said, “This was a strange trip.”

  Liam and my mother walked in front of me. Annabelle didn’t answer. I looked to my left and then to my right. She wasn’t beside me. I turned around, but she wasn’t behind me either. Okay, now I was beginning to freak out. I didn’t want to leave her alone in here, not with the strange things that had been happening.

  I grabbed Liam and my mother before they walked out the door. “Annabelle’s not with us.”