Doom and Broom

by Sara Bourgeois

  Doom and Broom

  by

  Sara Bourgeois

  Chapter One

  Noises waking me up from a dead sleep had become a normal occurrence at Hangman’s House, but the one that had pulled me from my sleep on that occasion was different. It sounded a lot less like the ghosts who liked to disturb my slumber and more like the times Hattie Driggs broke in to steal my books. I sat up in bed and looked around the room to confirm that I was alone. I was, other than Meri still sleeping next to me.

  Hattie was in jail awaiting trial, so I knew it couldn’t be her. Or could it? Had she tricked the guards at the jail the same way she’d tricked everyone in Coventry? Perhaps she’d come back to exact her revenge.

  I heard the hall closet on the first floor close and eased out of bed as quietly as I could. Seconds later the back door slammed, and I ran down the stairs to find that the intruder had escaped. I hurried to the back door and looked outside, but all I saw was the blur of someone running away. Then they were gone. At that point I couldn’t even have told you if it was a man or a woman. Just a blur.

  I guess I should have been grateful that they didn’t murder me in my sleep, but when I remembered that they’d been in the hall closet, my heart sank. There was no way that it was just a coincidence they’d been going through that closet. Some of my most valuable craft tools and relics were kept in there.

  After retrieving my phone and calling Thorn, I opened the closet door to find out what the intruder had taken. It wasn’t hard to figure out. The little wooden box I used to keep a protection amulet Meri helped me make was placed on the floor right inside the door. They’d left it there for me to find.

  When I opened it, the amulet was gone and there was a note written on a scrap of white paper in its place. I took the little sheet of paper out of the box and my blood began to boil as I read it.

  Tuttlesmiths are not welcome in Coventry. We don’t want your kind here – Langoria Skeenbauer

  She’d even signed it. I couldn’t believe she’d had the audacity to put her name on it, but I quickly discovered why she’d been so bold. Thorn arrived and I gave him a recounting of the morning’s events before I found the note. I handed it to him and waited for him to say that he would arrest her at once.

  “Brighton, I know this is scary, and I will talk to Langoria, but you know that you need to improve the security around this place. You’ve had multiple break-ins. Why don’t you have better locks yet? Where are your security cameras?”

  “I thought people in small towns didn’t need stuff like that,” I said.

  “They usually don’t, but your house and whatever you’ve got in here seems to be valuable and of particular interest to a lot of people. I’m not sure why people started breaking in after you moved in when the place was vacant forever, but they have. I told you before to improve the locks. I hope you’ll listen to me this time.”

  He was lecturing me. I’d been the victim of another crime, and Sheriff Thorn Wilson was lecturing me again. I didn’t know what was up with him. I hadn’t seen him much lately, but it felt like our acquaintance had become far more adversarial.

  “Are you going to arrest her?” I asked as I planted my fists on my hips. “And you’re lecturing me. I know it’s the middle of the night and I’m tired, but it feels like you’re talking down to me. I don’t appreciate it.”

  He pressed his lips together in a line before speaking, and I knew I wasn’t going to like what he said before the words even came out of his mouth. I could just feel it.

  “I said I’ll talk to her, but that note isn’t enough evidence for me to arrest her, Brighton. A lot of people around here consider Langoria a pillar of the community. She’s on the town council, you know. It’s possible that someone doesn’t like you being here and doesn’t like her leadership. She can be strict on things because she wants Coventry to stay a nice place to live. It’s possible that someone was just trying to kill two birds with one stone.”

  “First of all, it sounds like you’ve already made up your mind that she’s not guilty,” I said with an exhausted huff. “Secondly, are you trying to say someone might have set her up? Like, they didn’t like her ruling on the price of a dog license in Coventry and decided to frame her for burglary?”

  “I will talk to her,” he said. “If it was her, you can rest assured that I will arrest her.”

  “I don’t feel assured,” I said.

  “What’s going on, Brighton?” His eyes softened. “It almost feels like you’re more upset with me than you are about the break-in.”

  He was right, but I didn’t want to admit it. While the amulet had meant a lot to me, and I wasn’t sure I could afford to replace the items I’d used to make it, I was more upset about him. He’d been practically ignoring me since the night he’d almost kissed me on the porch. I thought there would be some kind of follow-up. Like maybe he’d come back and try the kiss again or ask me out on a date. But there had been absolutely nothing. Thorn had ghosted me.

  I had been spending time with Remy as we tried to figure out the secrets of the cemetery across the road from my house, but that hadn’t stopped me from wondering why Thorn had gotten so close and then completely withdrawn. As much as I’d tried to forget him, I couldn’t. And that made me wish I could hate him, but I couldn’t do that either. It sucked.

  “I think if you have to ask that, then I probably never had any reason to be upset,” I said.

  “What is that supposed to mean?” The edge returned to his demeanor.

  “It means that you run too hot and too cold for my blood, Thorn Wilson. I don’t know what kind of game you were playing when you almost kissed me, but I don’t appreciate people playing with my emotions.”

  “Playing with your emotions? Brighton, I’ve seen how much time you spend with Remy. It’s a good thing I didn’t kiss you or I’m the one who would have ended up looking like a fool. I’ll let you know what I find out about the investigation,” Thorn said coldly over his shoulder as he turned to leave.

  “That’s what you’re worried about? You’re worried about what people think? That’s what’s kept you from me?” I called after him.

  But he’d already shut the door by the time I got the rest out. I was pretty sure he didn’t even hear it. If he did, he’d kept walking away anyway. I didn’t need a man like that in my life.

  So why did my stomach ache so much after our spat?

  I’d thought about going back to bed, but I was too wound up. Instead, I waited until the courthouse was about to open and headed down to the town square to make bad decisions. The town council would be heading into their offices, and I wanted to be there when Langoria Skeenbauer arrived for work.

  I knew I’d never be able to see her once she was in her office, but I could confront her if I waited outside. So that’s what I did.

  Not knowing exactly what time Langoria would get to work meant that I had to stand outside the courthouse for a while. The morning was chilly, and I kept my back to the building. A shiver ran down my spine, and I wasn’t quite sure if it was because of the nip in the air or my memory of the white ghoulish figure I’d seen in the upstairs window.

  The basement of the courthouse where Remy worked in the archives didn’t bother me. But there was always a bit of apprehension when I took the elevator that it would mistakenly take me to the top floor, and I’d be face to face with the thing I’d seen. The only thing worse would be if it showed up at my house.

  When I was just about to give up because I assumed that Langoria had gone in a back entrance and I’d missed her, a black Lincoln pulled into one of the reserved parking spaces in front of the courthouse. A woman in a navy-blue skirt suit with her hair in a precise updo stepped out. She had a briefcase in one hand a
nd a coffee in the other.

  I’d never met Langoria in person, but I’d seen her once before. Remy and I had stopped into Mann’s to get diet soda and frozen pizza one evening before we headed over to the cemetery. It had become somewhat of a traditional post “poking around in the graveyard” meal.

  Langoria was at the small butcher counter scolding the embarrassed teenager behind the glass about the lack of good steak in Coventry. I was shocked at how harsh she was being over something the teenage clerk couldn’t control.

  Remy had said the woman was his Aunt Langoria and that was just her personality. He said that she was probably top five of his least favorite aunts. I’d asked him how many aunts he had, and he just shook his head and kept going to the frozen food section.

  The woman who’d exited the Lincoln was the same one I’d seen in Mann’s Gas and Grocery that day. The smug expression on her face was unmistakable, as was her thin, upturned nose and high, stenciled-on eyebrows.

  If I’d been a more experienced witch, I might have felt the power coming off her. I certainly would have felt it increase as she got closer to the node in the ley line that I was standing on.

  Both fortunately and unfortunately, the town square was busy at that time. People were coming and going from the courthouse, library, and the assorted shops. It was fortunate because it meant that Langoria couldn’t destroy me with her magic. It was unfortunate because it meant there were quite a few witnesses to my confrontation with one of the most powerful women and witches in Coventry.

  “Can I speak to you for a moment?” I said as I stepped out from behind the memorial statue into Langoria’s path.

  “Absolutely not,” she said and moved to step around me, but I moved with her and cut her off.

  “Please, just for a moment. I think we can work this out between us,” I said quietly.

  “I think I made my opinion clear. Please move.”

  Her voice dripped with venom, and I knew then if there weren’t people around watching, she would have done something terrible to me. If I were smarter, I would have been afraid that she’d come back later to exact her revenge. Langoria had already proven she wasn’t afraid to break into my house. And the long arm of the law in Coventry had proven that he was too eager to overlook her offenses.

  “You didn’t think your little stunt would actually make me leave town, did you?” I asked loudly. “Joke’s on you, Langoria. I’ve got nowhere else to go.”

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about, young lady,” she said with a nervous giggle. “I’m just trying to get to work.”

  I wondered what had caused the sudden change in her demeanor, but one look around answered that question. People were close by, and she didn’t want anyone to know that she’d stolen my amulet and left a note telling me to leave town. Langoria was putting on a show for those watching our exchange. She was trying to make me look like an aggressive bully. I didn’t do anything to help myself with that.

  “You’re a liar. You know exactly what I’m talking about, Langoria. You left that note to threaten me. I should probably be afraid of you, but I’m not. I’m not leaving Hangman’s House or Coventry. This is my home, and it’s going to take a lot more than some idle threats to drive me out.”

  “Brighton, while I maintain that I don’t know what you’re talking about, I would caution you to watch yourself. For one thing, I doubt you’re going to be in Hangman’s House long-term, but not because someone has threatened you,” she said with a sneer. “My first order of business this morning was to get a tax lien ready to file for Hangman’s House. You see, your family, and now you, are several years in arrears on the property taxes on that house. I suppose no one told you. Pity. You see, as soon as I get the lien, I’m going to file for foreclosure to sell the house to pay the lien immediately. The court will most likely give you a month at most to pay up before your house is sold to settle the debt to the city.”

  “The taxes?” I asked as the wind left my sails. “That doesn’t make any sense. My family was supposed to take care of that for Maude.”

  “Yes. With the taxes, fines, and legal fees, you’re looking at around ten thousand dollars,” she said and a wide, sinister smile spread across her face. “Good luck coming up with the money.”

  All I could do was stand there with my mouth hanging open as Langoria stepped around me and continued into the courthouse. I had found a lot of money hidden in Hangman’s House, but I doubted I’d find an extra ten grand stuffed in a coffee can.

  I waited a few minutes after Langoria went inside to go in myself. There were still people around, and I didn’t want anyone to think I was following her. I’d thought about going across the street to the Bubble & Brew Coffeehouse, but since it was the morning rush, people were lined up practically out the door. So I decided to just hang out on the square and mill around for a few minutes.

  When I was certain she was gone and people had begun to move on with their day, I went inside the courthouse and took the elevator down to the basement. Part of me expected to see Langoria when the doors opened, but it was just Remy behind the counter reading something so intensely that he didn’t realize I was there until I was almost at the desk.

  “Good morning, Brighton,” he said when he noticed me. “I was just about to call you.”

  “Interesting reading?” I asked.

  “That’s what I was about to call you… about.”

  “Oh?”

  “Yeah. This is a contract for you. It’s a joint venture between the city archives department and the magical preservation society. Well, officially it’s the historical preservation society.”

  “What is it for?” I asked as he slid the paperwork across the desk to me.

  “Well, I thought that perhaps you might want to restore the cemetery across the street from your house? The city would like to hire you to do it. It’s an important part of Coventry’s history, and now that people remember it’s there, they don’t want to let it stay in that state.”

  “I do kind of need a job,” I said. “That’s what I came down here to talk to you about.”

  “The stars have aligned,” Remy said. “Plus, it’s right across from your house and you spend so much time there anyway, so you’re the perfect person for the job.”

  “Dare I ask how much it pays?”

  “The starting budget is ten thousand payment for the restoration and two thousand dollars for equipment and materials. If you need more than that, we’ll have to apply for it. The contract states that you can use the funds how you need. So if you need to hire contractors, you can do it from your budget. If you do all the work yourself, you get to keep all of the money.”

  “That’s exactly how much I need,” I said. “How did you get this past Langoria?”

  “My aunt? I didn’t need a council vote to get the contract. I just needed a few signatures. I went to the humans who like me the best and got the approvals I needed. But why do I feel that question was more about Langoria than the town council?”

  “Probably because I used her name, dork,” I said and stuck my tongue out at him.

  “You’re deflecting,” he said. “Tell me what’s going on.”

  “Someone broke into my house early this morning and stole my protection amulet. They left a note,” I said.

  “Oh, no. Are you all right?”

  “I am.”

  I told him the rest of the story about how the note was signed by Langoria. Then I told him about how I’d waited for her this morning and the thing with the taxes.

  “Brighton, I don’t know what is wrong with some of the witches in the family. None of the younger cousins want to continue a stupid feud, but all of the older women keep it going. Except my mother. She thinks it’s ridiculous too, and that’s kind of made her the black sheep of the family.”

  “So you believe me that it was really Langoria and not someone pretending to be her? That’s what Thorn thinks.”

  “Of course, I believe you, and if you bring me
the note, I can confirm it magically.”

  “How about instead of bringing you the note, I give it to you tonight when you come over and keep me company while I start making plans for restoring the cemetery?”

  “You’re going to take the job?” Remy asked hopefully.

  “Yeah, hand over that contract. I’ll sign right now.”

  “This is great. I’ll help you as much as I can.”

  “I’m not paying you,” I said with a smile. “I need all that money to keep the Skeenbauer witches and the tax man off my back.”

  “I would just be doing it for the company,” he said.

  “Remy, are you trying to flirt with me?” I asked as I signed my name.

  When I looked up, his face was bright red. “No… I mean… of course not… I just meant that I like spending time in the cemetery… well, not in general… I mean, I like spending time there with you… but not in like a flirty way… I mean, I’m not saying you’re not someone who I would flirt with just that I’m not… I don’t…”

  “I’ll see you when you get off work, then?” I said and let him off the hook.

  “I’ll be there,” he choked out.

  Knowing that Remy would come over right after work, I’d stopped at Mann’s to pick up everything I needed to make his favorite dinner. He loved angel hair pasta with pesto Alfredo. I’d thought about getting a jar of Alfredo sauce but opted instead to make it from scratch. The noodles and pesto were store-bought, though. I only had so much skill in the kitchen, and making fresh pasta wasn’t part of my repertoire.

  “I don’t need to start dinner yet,” I said to Meri in the middle of the afternoon.

  “So? Don’t make dinner yet,” he answered.

  “But I’m bored.”

  “Don’t you have a job to do now?” Meri asked.

  “I was going to wait and start that tonight when Remy got here.”

  “Well, given that you’re bored, I think that sounds like a terrible idea.” Meri stretched and then jumped off the sofa where he’d been snuggled up next to my leg. “Come on. Why don’t we go over there and you can start taking some pictures?”