A Call to Charms

by Denise Swanson

  Right. I had just promised to have those papers signed by then, hadn’t I?

  Hastily changing the subject, I said, “That reminds me, what was the cause of Aunt Pandora’s death?”

  “The chimney for the fireplace malfunctioned,” Uncle Will sniffled. “She died of carbon monoxide poisoning.”

  “Oh, my gosh! How did that happen?”

  “I’m not sure of all the details, but as it was explained to me, it had something to do with soot buildup and the age of the flue liner.” He sighed. “Dora had just had new windows and insulation installed, and it worked a little too well. The airtight seal caused a fatal accumulation of CO in the house.”

  “That’s awful.” I glanced at the fireplace. I would definitely not be using it if I was still around come winter.

  “I hate to cut you off, but I have a client waiting. Was there anything else?”

  “Both Cole and Lucas called.” I tried not to sound accusing, but I had to ask, “Did you give my number to anyone else?”

  “Just the council members,” Uncle Will said. “I hope you don’t mind.”

  “No. I understand.” What else could I say? “But please don’t share it again without asking me.”

  “No. Sorry.” He cleared his throat. “Call me if you need anything. Bye.”

  After I disconnected, I located the desk and room keys in the freezer, but I was too restless to use them. Instead, I decided to go for a drive. I wanted to see how far Echo Springs reached in all directions.

  Just in case the whole aging thing was real, I wasn’t planning on leaving the city limits. I was too close to thirty to chance it.

  I didn’t bother to change clothes or put on makeup. Instead, I twisted my hair into a messy bun on top of my head, perched a large pair of sunglasses on my nose, and walked out to the garage. I wasn’t planning to get out of the truck, and anyone seeing me through the windshield wouldn’t be able to tell that I was less than my usual put-together self.

  The Echo Springs phone book I’d found in the kitchen junk drawer might have been the thinnest one I’d ever seen, but its first page had been a map of the town. Figuring I would need it many times in the future, I’d torn it out and now laid it on the passenger seat where I could quickly glance at it as I drove.

  Uncle Will had driven me into the downtown area from the east, so I headed west. This direction was as rural as the one we’d traveled through, and leaving the reassuring trappings of civilization made me shiver.

  Having been a city girl most of my life, the endless fields were nerve-wracking. From what little I remembered learning in school about Kansas, I knew that it had been scraped flat eons ago by massive glaciers. And today the wind was taking full advantage of the level surface to make the trees and wheat stalks bow to its superiority.

  It hadn’t been as blustery in town and I fought to keep the truck from weaving back and forth. Once I turned on a gravel road it was even worse, especially with the washboard ruts, and I almost couldn’t stop when the road abruptly ended at a closed gate with a huge tree beside it.

  There hadn’t been another vehicle on the road or another soul in sight since I left town and all this openness was giving me the willies.

  Just as I’d put the truck in reverse, I caught someone waving at me as he hurriedly pushed open the gate and ran toward me. My inclination was to get the heck out of there, but then I recognized the man from the candy store and my curiosity won over my common sense.

  I rolled down the window and Mr. Halsey rushed over. He was a changed man. The smile on his face erased several years from my original estimate of his age, and his eyes twinkled warmly as he grasped my hand.

  “It worked!” He pumped my hand up and down. “Oscar is cured.”

  “That’s terrific.” I had no idea what to think. Had I really cured his tree? “Here, see what he was like yesterday.” He held out his phone and showed me a photo of a tree that looked as if it was ready to be cut down for firewood. Then he jerked his thumb over his shoulder at the maple I’d noticed by the gate. “Look at Oscar now.”

  “That can’t be the same tree.” I wondered why Mr. Halsey was trying to fool me.

  “Check out the date and the details on the picture.” He thrust the phone into my hand.

  I studied the image. The date was a couple of days ago, and the rest of the snapshot matched what was before my eyes. My throat tight, I nodded my acceptance.

  “Anything you need, I’m your man.” Mr. Halsey beamed. “I’ve got your back.”

  I thanked him, turned the truck around, and headed back to town. Why did I feel so lost? Was it because I was suddenly forced to look for pieces of myself that I didn’t even know had been missing?

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  Just for the Spell of It

  I woke up Tuesday morning still trying to convince myself that Echo Springs and all its citizens were crazy to believe in magic. But the minute I thought about leaving town before something even weirder happened to me, an image of Oscar flitted through my mind.

  Just the fact that I was calling a tree by name should have made me hightail it back to Chicago, but then the two pictures of the maple popped into my head. They were identical, right down to the rust spot on the metal gate and the vine growing out of the top of the pipe that acted as a side post.

  Either Mr. Halsey was quite the expert with Photoshop or Oscar had really been at death’s door before I gave his owner the music box.

  As I showered and got ready to go to the candy store, I had to admit that I was beginning to believe everything Elissa had told me. That meant either I was as nutso as everyone else or there really was magic in the world.

  While I ate breakfast, I glanced guiltily at the stack of papers next to my plate. I’d only gotten through two or three pages before the print began to swim again. Maybe I should just trust Uncle Will and sign them.

  Shaking my head, I decided to pick up a pair of reading glasses somewhere after work and give it one more try before admitting defeat. I was relieved that Uncle Will wasn’t at his law office when I dropped off the bundle of Aunt Pandora’s bills. If he’d been there, I’d have to admit to him I hadn’t completed the papers yet.

  Inga had told me about the tiny parking area in back of the candy store and said I should use it instead of taking up prime space in front of the shop. I easily found the alley leading to the private lot and pulled the truck into one of the three empty slots.

  Grabbing my purse, I slid out from behind the wheel. I was checking to make sure I had my phone as I crossed the gravel toward the back of the store when the roar of an engine made me look up.

  My heart stopped as I stared at a huge black cargo van barreling toward me. The situation brought back the memory of my ex trying to run me over at the bridge and thankfully my reflexes didn’t wait for my mind to catch up because without thinking about it, I raced toward the metal dumpster and cowered behind it.

  The van hesitated as if considering another try at me, but when the rear door of the shop was flung open, it squealed its tires and took off. Inga glanced after the fleeing vehicle, then scanned the area until she spotted me still crouched behind the garbage bin.

  Without a ripple marring her smooth forehead, Inga asked, “Are you coming inside?”

  I nodded and hurriedly followed her through the door, making sure I locked it behind me. My throat convulsed as I tried to swallow my fear and speak, but the adrenaline pumping through my veins made it impossible to force any words from between my trembling lips.

  Finally, I was able to take a deep breath and said, “We should call the police. That van deliberately tried to run me over.”

  “What will they do?” Inga asked. “Did you get the license plate?”

  “No.” I mentally slapped my forehead. Why hadn’t I done that? “But how many black cargo vans can there be in a town this size.”

  “Telephone Chief Neville if you wish, but whoever was driving that van didn’t own it. If I were going to use a vehi
cle to commit a homicide, I’d steal it from somewhere outside of Echo Springs and return it before the owner even noticed it was missing.”

  Instead of calming me down, the fact that Inga came up with a plan like that so quickly scared the crap out of me. Could she be in on the scheme to kill me? Wait a minute. Why was she even here? And how had she known to open the backdoor at that exact time?

  Pinning her with a stare, I said, “Isn’t it my day to work?”

  “Yes.” Inga pointed to the dress she wore. “I just dropped by on my way to bible study to see if you had any questions before your first shift.”

  “Oh. That was nice of you. Thanks.” Okay. I’d give her that. “What made you come out to the alley? Did you hear the engine?”

  She pointed to a garbage bag near her feet. “I forgot to put this in the trash yesterday before I left and I wanted to make sure you had a clean start.”

  “Well, thanks again.” A reasonable answer, but I was still suspicious. I shooed her out of the shop and said, “I’ll be fine. Enjoy your day off.”

  As soon as she left, I locked the door behind her, dug through my purse, and found the card Chief Neville had given me at the welcome party. Opening my cell phone to the contacts, I was about to put in the chief’s number when I saw that Uncle Will had thoughtfully added the names and numbers of everyone on the council, as well as the chief’s information.

  But how had he managed that? I was sure the package the cell phone had come in was sealed. Maybe since it was on his plan, he had remote access. And if that were the case, I needed to switch to my own plan ASAP.

  But before I dealt with that issue, I needed to talk to the police. As Inga had predicted, the chief was less than impressed with my report.

  “Ms. Ravenscraft, you are beginning to sound a bit paranoid.” Chief Neville chuckled. “First, your ex tries to kill you by running you off the road, now someone else comes at you in a black van.”

  “Maybe Gil didn’t die in the river, and it’s him back for another try.”

  “Or it was just a bunch of kids out for a joy ride,” Chief Neville said, his tone expressing his lack of interest.

  “But it’s a school day,” I blurted out.

  “Those types of kids didn’t exactly mind playing hooky.” The chief didn’t bother to hide his exasperation. “Relax. No one is out to get you.”

  That wasn’t what Elissa had told me. But she had mentioned that Chief Neville wasn’t one who embraced his magic so maybe he didn’t believe all that good versus evil stuff that my cousin had spouted.

  The chief grudgingly took my report, but I could tell he wouldn’t do anything about my near miss. It was especially evident when I asked if he was sending someone out to look at the crime scene.

  “Don’t be ridiculous.” Chief Neville laugh was dismissive. “What is there to see? This mysterious van didn’t hit anything, right?”

  “No. But how about tread marks or something like that?” I suggested.

  “Goodbye Ms. Ravenscraft.” He disconnected, and I stared at my phone.

  That had not gone well at all.

  Sighing, I returned to the storeroom and tucked my purse away in the desk drawer. Then I picked up one of the red-and-white striped aprons stacked on the shelves and tied it around my waist.

  I had a price list of our merchandise, I knew how to run the register, and I was ready for my first shift. Or at least as prepared as possible.

  After I unlocked the door and flipped the sign to open, I wandered through the aisles familiarizing myself with the merchandise. I had already studied the list of candy, but the rest of our stock seemed to be one of a kind items. There were marble eggs, goblets, fancy mirrors, bells, and various perfume bottles.

  I was inspecting a tiny vial hanging from an intricate silver chain, when a young woman limped into the shop. She grimaced with every step she took, and her expression reflected the agony she felt as she moved toward me.

  Examining her face, I could see the deep grooves carved around her mouth. Immediately, I knew that this was a person in chronic pain and that she had lived with that pain for quite some time. I could tell that it was the type of misery that would incapacitate most people, but the woman gritted her teeth and didn’t stop until she was in front of me.

  “Alexandria Ravenscraft?” Her voice was sweet, and she held out a slim hand.

  “Yes.” I shook her hand, noting the chill in her thin white fingers. The same odd tilting feeling I’d experienced with Mr. Halsey swept over me. My head swam, and I had to fight to remain standing. I forced back the nausea and asked, “May I help you?”

  Call me crazy, but I was guessing she hadn’t stopped by to by a bag of licorice.

  “My name is Harmony Triton, and as you may have noticed, I have mobility issues.”

  Unsure how to respond, which seemed to happen a lot since I arrived in Echo Springs, I nodded and then hazarded a guess, “Arthritis?”

  “Sirenomelia.” I must have looked confused because she explained, “Mermaid Syndrome. My legs were fused together at birth. I underwent several surgeries to separate them, but walking is excruciating, and the doctors could do little for the pain.”

  “I’m so sorry.” Maybe she had stopped by for candy. I’d need a lot of chocolate to get through the day if I was in constant torment.

  “Sadly, your aunt wasn’t able to help, but she assured me that once the new Shield arrived, you would be able to cure me.”

  “I’ll certainly try, but I’m new at all this.” I wanted to take away this brave young woman’s pain, but I had no idea how to do it.

  “Well.” Her lips quirked into a half smile. “It’s not like I have anything to lose.”

  “Okay. Give me a second.” What were the steps I’d taken with Mr. Halsey?

  Ah. Yes. I rubbed the area that tingled where he had touched me.

  Bracing myself, I brought my hands together as if in prayer. Immediately I lost the sense of being solid and felt like I was experiencing the world around me from another dimension.

  My eyes were drawn to the candy case where a

  greenish glow surrounded a mint truffle. I walked unsteadily behind the counter and took it out.

  Extending the chocolate delicacy to Harmony, I breathed, “Eat this.”

  Once she popped the truffle into her mouth, chewed, and swallowed, I stared at the white paper candy cup remaining in my palm. There was writing on the bottom that read: DARE TO LOVE COMPLETELY.

  Lifting my gaze to Harmony, I asked, “Are you seeing someone?”

  She glanced away, red coloring her milk-white cheeks. “I don’t date.”

  “Why is that?” I couldn’t believe I was asking a relative stranger such a personal question, but something inside compelled me to continue.

  Harmony gestured to her legs. “Because it wouldn’t be fair to saddle someone with this.”

  “But you have feelings for someone, right?” I persisted, all the time wondering when she would tell me to mind my own business.

  “Yes,” Harmony said so softly I nearly didn’t hear her response.

  “And does he have feelings for you?” Geesh! Could I get more personal?

  “Eric’s asked me out, but I’ve always said no.” Harmony’s blush deepened. “He still walks me home after choir practice every Wednesday and hangs around my shop even when he doesn’t need a haircut.” Her aqua eyes shined when she whispered. “He brings me lunch nearly every day. He only misses if he needs to take care of police business.”

  “So Eric is a police officer?” I asked, then recalling that I’d given Mr. Halsey a music box to complete the charm, I studied the various tables of merchandise scattered through the shop.

  “Uh-huh. His name is Eric Barnes.” Harmony answered. “Have you met him?”

  “No.” I concentrated harder, and finally, an object called to me.

  I walked over to a table full of jewelry and spotted a shell with a pearl peeking out of its tiny opening. It was hanging from a
delicate gold chain, and I picked it up, then returned to Harmony and held it out to her.

  She eagerly began to fasten it around her neck, but I put my hand over her fingers and said, “Wear this and dare to love completely.”

  “You mean Eric?” Her inability to credit her good fortune shone in her eyes.

  “Yes. Tell him how you feel and let him tell you how he feels.”

  “But my legs...” Harmony stuttered. “He’s so handsome. He should have someone perfect.”

  “Someone perfect for him is much more important than physical perfection.” I had learned that lesson the hard way with Gil. “And if the charm works, who knows what will happen.” I raised my brows. “Put on the necklace.”

  Harmony slipped the chain over her head and blinked. “I... I think some of the pain is fading.”

  “Well, that’s great news.” I smiled widely. “Now go find your Eric.”

  I could sense the relief coming off of Harmony as she walked toward the door.

  When she paused, my heart dropped, but then she said, “How much do I owe you?”

  “You mentioned your shop. Are you a hair stylist?” When she nodded, I gingerly touched my hair. “Can you get this back to my original color and fix the hatchet job I did on it when I tried to cut it myself?”

  “Definitely.” Harmony beamed. “Stop by after you close the Candy Box. My place is right next to the bookstore.”

  “Then we’ll call it even.”

  After Harmony left, I found myself humming. If I could help people like her, maybe being the Shield wouldn’t be so bad.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  Sense and Sense Ability

  The rest of my shift at Pandora’s Candy Box was uneventful. As Inga promised, there was a steady stream of customers, but never more than two or three people in line at any one time. The townspeople all mentioned how pleased they were to have the shop open again and seemed genuinely happy to welcome me to their community.

  After I closed up at six and put the cash drawer in the safe, I left my car in the parking lot and walked over to Beyond the Mirror. Harmony finished with the woman in her chair, sent her off to pay at the front counter, and waved me over to the shampoo sinks.