Ghoulish Magic (Tabby Kitten Mystery Book 5)

by Constance Barker

  Thea laughed as she was being escorted out by her friend. However, as she opened the door, she nearly ran into Demi.

  “Oh, gosh, I’m sorry. I nearly knocked you over,” Thea began to apologize.

  “It’s fine,” Demi said. “I saw it coming,” she said with an air of being in the know.

  Thea and Pippa exchanged a look.

  “Welcome. Come on in,” Pippa said. “What can we do for you?”

  Demi stepped into the bookstore. “I was wondering if you had any books on witchcraft and Wicca.”

  This piqued Thea’s interest. Perhaps there were more magical folk in town after all.

  Pippa smiled at Demi. “We do. Right this way.”

  Pippa led Demi over to the religion section of the bookstore. Thea followed close behind in case anything interesting came up in their conversation.

  Pippa gestured to the books on witchcraft and Wicca. “Here’s our selection. Are you looking for anything in particular?”

  She shrugged. “I’m just looking.”

  “What got you interested in Wicca?” Pippa asked.

  Demi looked excited, like she was waiting for Pippa to ask that question.

  “Well, maybe this sounds weird, but I’ve always felt like a connection to magic, you know? Like, déjà vu and stuff, but a lot more than anyone else I’ve ever known.”

  “Really? Wow. That’s incredible.”

  “I always loved stories about wizards and dragons and stuff. And my friends always come to me for advice. They say I know just what to say, as if I have a sixth sense.”

  Thea was starting to become skeptical of what Demi was saying. It sounded more like she was overestimating her own natural intuition rather than tapping into some sort of magic.

  “That sounds amazing,” Thea said.

  “It’s so great being with Dean too. Like, his third eye is really open. Like wide open.”

  As she was browsing the books, Captain, the bookstore’s resident cat, let out a meow from the next aisle over.

  Demi nearly dropped the stack of books she was holding. “Oh my gosh, is there a cat in here?” She said, practically squealing.

  “Yeah. His name is Captain. If he bothers you we can take him into the back.”

  “Oh my gosh no. I love cats so much. Oh, where is he?”

  She rounded the corner and let out a happy squeal when she saw Captain. She immediately got to her knees and began affectionately petting the cat.

  “Oh, you are just the most precious thing in the entire world, yes you are,” she said, kissing at Captain, who patiently accepted the sudden onslaught of affection.

  Thea watched the scene unfold. The stack of books about Wicca was set on the floor, easily forgotten in the presence of a cat. Suddenly, Thea had an idea.

  Chapter 13

  If Thea wanted her idea to work, she was going to need Blaine’s help. He wasn’t the type of boyfriend that needed buttering up for favors, but Thea grabbed him some lunch from a nearby burger joint just in case.

  Thea entered the station, the greasy bag in her hand threatening to fall apart at a moment’s notice. Blaine saw her almost immediately and his face lit up.

  “Hey, beautiful,” Blaine said as he walked toward her. He started reaching toward the bag in Thea’s hand and giddily asked “Is that for me?”

  Thea pulled the bag away exaggeratedly before saying, “Nope! It’s for me.” Thea giggled as she comically held the bag as far from her body as her arm would allow.

  “Aww, c’mon,” Blaine pouted.

  “Oh, alright,” Thea said dramatically, “I suppose you can have it since you’re so cute.” She handed Blaine the bag and he almost immediately started snacking on the fries inside. Even though Blaine was often perceived as cold, Thea knew the secret to breaking into his soft, mushy center.

  Thea said, “I hope you know I didn’t just come here to bring you lunch.” She grabbed a couple of fries from Blaine’s bag for herself.

  “Oh?” Blaine asked in between bites. “What’s up?”

  “I have a hunch. I was hoping you could give me Dean Greer’s address so I can check it out.”

  “Hmm,” Blaine mused, “Well, suppose I could accidentally leave the address somewhere you might find it. I’m sure if you found that information on your own, you’d be extremely cautious, right?” Even though he phrased the last part as a question, Thea knew it was meant more as a warning.

  “If I did happen to find something,” she replied carefully, “I would only be careful in my approach.” Blaine smiled and closed up his lunch bag.

  “Alright, give me one second.” Blaine then walked over to his desk and set his lunch aside for the time being. With a few clicks of his computer mouse, Blaine found the information he needed and copied it onto a small sheet of paper.

  Blaine returned to Thea and slid the note into her waiting hand. She caught him off guard by gripping his hand and leaning in for a kiss. Blaine was shocked for a second but quickly kissed Thea back in kind.

  “Thank you,” she said and smiled up at him. “Oh! I have one other favor to ask.”

  “Another one? I don’t remember the first.” Blaine winked.

  “Right, right. Well, Pippa suggested a double date with her and Jesse. Would you want to do something like that?”

  Blaine replied, “You know, that sounds fine. I actually had something important to talk to you about, and that could be a great opportunity.”

  Thea furrowed her brow. “Something important? Does it have to wait?” She sounded concerned.

  “Trust me, it’ll be perfect.”

  A quiet chime rang out behind Blaine and he turned toward his desk. Thea looked as well and saw the red “call waiting” light flashing on his desk phone.

  “Looks like duty calls,” Thea said and gently nudged Blaine towards his desk.

  “Yeah, it sure does. I’ll call you later, okay?”

  “Sounds great.” The two went their separate ways; Blaine to his desk and Thea outside. Once outside, she noticed the intense butterflies in her stomach. She wanted to know what Blaine wanted to talk to her about. Thea stood still for a moment, daydreaming about what the topic could be, what she wanted the topic to be. An important question, maybe?

  Thea’s daydream of engaged bliss was cut short, however, by the ring of her own phone. It was Tiegen.

  “Hi, Aunt Tiegen,” Thea answered.

  “Hello, Thea.” Tiegen sounded like she was all business. “Are you free right now? I want you to stop in for some more time on your newest lessons.”

  “Oh, that’s sudden.” Thea didn’t necessarily want to go visit her aunt, but she knew Tiegen well enough to know this would be difficult to get out of. “Let me check with Jesse and make sure the store is okay first. Is that alright?”

  Tiegen huffed, aghast that something could take precedence over her magic lessons. “I suppose,” she replied. “Just come by when you can.”

  “Sure. See you soon.” Thea hung up her phone and immediately called Jesse.

  “Hello?” Jesse answered, a bit frazzled.

  “Hey, Jesse.” Thea could hear the hustle and bustle in the store. Halloween was a busy season for A Stitch in Time; enthusiastic kids of all ages loved making their own costumes for the holiday, but that didn’t mean they didn’t wait until the last minute to buy their supplies.

  “Hi, Thea. I hope you’re coming back?” Jesse asked hopefully.

  “That’s actually why I called. Tiegen needs to see me, and I was hoping you’d be alright if I was a little later than expected.”

  “Oh, well, if it’s what you’ve got to do.” The disappointment was clear in Jesse’s voice. “Just don’t be too long, okay?”

  “You’ve got it. I’m really sorry Jesse. I owe you one.”

  “I’ve heard that one before, I-” Thea heard a loud crash on the other line.

  “Jesse, is everything all right?”

  “Yeah, everything’s fine, but I’ve got to go clean this up. I b
etter see you soon!” Jesse practically shouted as he hung up the phone. Thea felt guilty for leaving Jesse to fend for himself, but Tiegen wasn’t the type to take no for an answer.

  WHEN THEA ARRIVED AT the mayor’s office she found her aunt rapidly typing out an email.

  “Hi, Aunt Tiegen. I-” Before Thea could finish, Tiegen held up a finger to silence her. Clearly, whatever was in that email required all of her attention. She typed out a few more sentences and quickly read through the email before jamming her finger down on the “enter” key. Tiegen turned toward Thea.

  “Hello, Thea. I apologize for that, but it was very important.”

  “Oh, it’s fine. I was just going to ask you about Maisie Connelly and the other activists at the old bank.”

  Tiegen’s face fell, which was difficult considering she hadn’t been smiling before. “Oh, why do you want to know about that?”

  “I heard about it from Pippa, that’s all. I guess she knew Maisie. Did you ever meet her?”

  “Well, yes, in a way.” Tiegen pushed herself back from her desk and got up. “You know I’m always supportive of independent women, but that Maisie girl was a pain in my backside. I would much rather have had her on my team, not the opposing one.”

  “That much trouble, huh?” Thea questioned.

  “Enough to cause some late work nights. Regardless, I’m just hopeful the demolition will go through soon and I can put this all behind me.” A knot formed in Thea’s stomach from Tiegen’s response. How much of a pain was Maisie, and to what lengths would Tiegen go to get her way?

  “Now, let’s get started,” Tiegen said as she shut her office door. Thea decided to drop her suspicion for the time being; there would be better times to confront Tiegen if she needed to.

  Thea quickly forgot her worries once they began practicing. Tiegen showed her how to put up a dual shield that could block magical and physical attacks alike. After about an hour, Thea was exhausted.

  She sat down and looked up at the clock. Because of the rigor of Tiegen’s lessons, Thea didn’t pay much attention to the time. She almost immediately shot back up out of her seat.

  “Oh, gosh, I’ve got to go. Jesse’s still at the store, and it sounded crazy when I talked to him.” Thea grabbed her bag and practically ran out of the office door. “Thanks for the lesson!” she shouted on her way out.

  Chapter 14

  When Thea arrived at A Stitch in Time she saw that the chaos she’d heard earlier over the phone had yet to subside. The store looked ready to burst at the seams from all the last-minute shoppers trying to find that perfect final piece for their Halloween looks.

  Walking in, Thea could see Jesse.. His hair and eyes were both a bit wild, but he managed to put on his best smile for the customers. He didn’t even notice that Thea had arrived.

  Thea peeked into the back office to find Sybil resting comfortably in her plush bed. “Well, at least you’re comfortable,” she said to the cat in a biting tone.

  Sybil opened one of her eyes just slightly and replied, “And just what exactly would you have me do? Shall I collect payment with my mouth?”

  “Ha ha,” Thea said sarcastically and set her bag down. “Maybe you could’ve distracted some of the customers? Given Jesse some more time to help people?”

  “Hmm, and let all those children put their sticky fingers on me? I don’t think so. Besides, Jesse said he’s doing fine.”

  Thea knelt down to Sybil’s bed and started scratching her behind the ears. The cat stretched to over twice her size and started purring like a well-maintained car. “Alright, snooty, have it your way. But I do need your help later today.”

  “With what?” Sybil asked.

  “Some remote viewing. I’ll explain once it calms down here. For now, though, I’ve got to send Jesse on a break. I don’t know how much longer he can handle things.” Thea walked back out into the store and approached the register.

  “Hey, how about you go take a break, Jesse?” Thea asked and put a hand on his shoulder. “I’ve got this for a little bit.”

  Jesse turned and finally noticed that Thea was back. “Oh my gosh, Thea, thank goodness. Are you sure you don’t need my help until it dies down?”

  Thea glanced around the shop as a mom and her two kids came into the store. “I don’t think that’ll be any time soon. I think I can handle it myself.” With that, she gently nudged Jesse away from the register and toward the back. It didn’t take much to convince him.

  Thea worked tirelessly to assist customers with all their various Halloween needs; there was even a customer asking if she had any Christmas items in stock already. As strange as it may sound, Thea enjoyed the hustle and bustle of a busy day in the store. It allowed her time to focus on something other than magic and mystery-solving for just a bit.

  After a couple of hours, the crowd finally died down. Jesse had since come back from break and was almost completely refreshed, his hair smoothed back into place. His eyes still had a bit of that crazy in them, but it was just part-and-parcel of working retail during the holidays.

  Once she had some time, Thea pulled out her phone and texted Pippa.

  “Hey, cutie! Blaine said he’d love a double date.”

  The bookstore was clearly not as busy as A Stitch in Time had been, because Pippa replied back in seconds.

  “That’s great!”

  Thea texted back “But first I need a favor. Think you can bring Sybil somewhere for me?”

  “Sure!” Pippa responded. “I’m off in 20 minutes. See you soon!”

  The time passed without incident, and soon Pippa was at A Stitch in Time. Thea had since had Jesse come back to man the store solo while she and Sybil began setting up the remote viewing circle in the back.

  “So, what am I doing exactly?” Pippa asked when she got into the office.

  Thea grabbed the slip of paper with Dean’s address and handed it over to Pippa. “I want to do some remote viewing of Dean’s place, see if Sybil can find any information while he and Demi are home.”

  Sybil piped up. “And what makes you think I want to offer myself up to that crazy cat lady?”

  Thea scratched Sybil’s chin and said “Don’t worry. Neither of us will let anything happen to you.”

  “Alright, but you owe me,” Sybil said before jumping into Pippa’s arms.

  “When do I not?” Thea asked playfully. “You two should get going. I don’t want to miss Dean and Demi.”

  “You’ve got it,” Pippa replied with a thumbs-up. Thea conducted the ritual and could soon see the world through Sybil’s eyes.

  “Alright, we’re good to go. Good luck you two,” said Thea as Pippa and Sybil walked out of the door.

  Thea had been right; Dean’s address wasn’t very far from the shop. With Pippa in her fox form, it took her and Sybil less than 10 minutes to arrive. Through an open window on the side of the house, the two could hear Demi singing along to some music in the living room.

  Once Pippa hid to keep watch, Sybil began to put on her best pitiful lost cat act. Standing just below the open window, she let out the sweet “meow” of a lost kitten.

  Almost immediately, the music inside dimmed and Demi was at the window.

  “Oh my goodness, kitty!” Demi screamed. “Are you lost?” Sybil let out another longing mew and looked up at Demi with eyes like saucers.

  Demi ran outside and scooped Sybil up, which the cat reluctantly let her do. Back at the shop, Thea chuckled at Sybil’s plight.

  “Look what I found!” Demi shouted when she got back inside.

  “What?” Sybil could hear Dean from another room. He walked in and found Demi fawning over Sybil. “Another cat? Really?”

  “Oh, c’mon, just pet her a little bit. She’s so soft and fluffy.” Demi pouted to Dean.

  “OK, OK,” Dean said as he walked toward the two. He started scratching Sybil’s head before saying “Alright, she is pretty soft.”

  “Told you,” Demi said and gave Dean a playful nudge. From where
they were sitting, Sybil had a pretty good view of their shared bookcase.

  As she continued accepting love from the crazy cat people, Sybil inspected the shelf. On it was a variety of popular “witchcraft” books, the kind Sybil and Thea both knew were more about connecting the Mundanes to their idea of the spiritual than anything with real power.

  There were also crystals and herbs scattered throughout the room, but not in any meaningful combinations. If the murder had been magical, then Sybil and Thea both knew neither Dean nor Demi could be the culprits.

  Meanwhile, Dean and Demi began talking.

  “So,” Demi started, “what did you tell the police?”

  “What do you mean?” Dean replied. “I told them the truth: that you and I had been talking outside, Maisie and I separated in the first room of the haunt, and then you and I started making out in the hallway.”

  Demi giggled at the thought. “Yeah, that’s what I remember too. Did you tell them about the ‘monster’ that saw us kissing?”

  “Why bother? It was just Annie, and she doesn’t have anyone to tell. I wouldn’t worry about it, babe.” Dean gave Demi a kiss on the cheek and she giggled some more.

  Done with her job and momentarily free from Dean and Demi’s affections, Sybil casually walked away and leaped out the open window.

  “Oh!” Demi exclaimed when she saw Sybil leave. From outside, Sybil could hear her shout “Bye, kitty!” Sybil found Pippa hiding in the nearby bushes, and the two began their walk back home.

  Chapter 15

  I’m pulling up on your street right now.

  Once Thea received that text from Blaine, she gathered her bag and waited for him outside. Right on cue, she saw his car turn the corner onto the street before parking in front of her house. She hurried over, hopping into the passenger seat.

  “You look excited,” Blaine said, leaning over to plant a kiss on Thea’s cheek.