Almost Charmed

by Rose Pressey

“Maybe I should go with you,” she said.

  “Oh, no, I’ll be fine. I have Thomas to go with me.”

  “I know what you should do—call Liam.”

  “He can’t get here fast enough. He’s all the way in New Orleans. He should just move to Enchantment Pointe and be the new coven leader here. We won’t have this discussion right now. That’s something I have to figure out.”

  “Well, I’ll be worried sick. You have to call me as soon as you find out anything.”

  “I promise I will,” I said as I walked out the door.

  I looked around for any sign of this strange woman. I saw nothing out of the ordinary, so I continued across the street to my car.

  This had certainly been a crazy couple of days. Just a few days ago I’d thought I’d be on my honeymoon right now. It was all over. I hadn’t spoken to Nicolas and that was heartbreaking. Right now I was in a fight to keep the book again. I had no idea what to expect when I arrived back at the manor. I drove as quickly as possible according to the speed limit of course and a short time later arrived back at the manor. I thought I caught movement out of the corner of my eye as I pulled down the driveway.

  When I didn’t see anything, I assumed it was probably another one of those ghosts again. Maybe it was the ghost that I’d seen in the manor. I wondered if this woman who was trying to get the book could use magic and somehow send someone into the manor. I hoped I got answers when I went to the neighbor’s.

  As soon as I pulled up to the manor and got out of the car Thomas raced out the front door onto the porch.

  “Is everything all right?” I asked.

  “I’m just anxious for you to get here,” he said. “That place is spooky when you’re all alone. Well, spookier—it’s always spooky to some extent.”

  “All right, are we ready to do this?”

  “Just like that?” he asked with wide eyes.

  “Just like that,” I said. “We shouldn’t wait. Time is of the essence.”

  He pushed his shoulders back and held his head high. “All right then, let’s go.”

  “Wait until she sees that I found her,” I said with a smirk.

  As we walked, Thomas said, “I feel like we should be wearing camouflage.”

  “I know, right?”

  Thomas trailed across the yard beside me. “Should we go down the street or go across the wooded area?”

  “I vote for the wooded area,” I said. “Because it’s a shorter trip.”

  “But it is more dangerous. It’s hard to see with all those trees around.”

  “Yes, it is, but I know what I’m doing.”

  “Well, I’m glad one of us knows. Okay, I’ll follow you.” Thomas gestured as I stepped into the wooded area.

  “I’ve found myself around these trees more than a few times. Usually searching for some unexplained noise,” I said.

  “Well, this is officially scary,” Thomas said as we made our way through the wooded area.

  Branches crunched under our feet and an owl hooted somewhere in the distance. Other than that, the only sound was our footsteps across the branches as they cracked. The smell of pine and musty earth encircled us. I wouldn’t tell Thomas, but I wouldn’t be surprised if a ghost popped up at any moment.

  “Nothing like a good walk in nature,” I said.

  “Oh, yeah, this is just my idea of relaxing in nature. We’re potentially going to confront someone who may want to cause harm. This is definitely what I would call a dangerous situation.” Thomas spun around when he heard the owl hoot again.

  “It’s just an owl,” I said.

  “Right… just an owl,” he said while looking up at the treetops. “Do owls attack?”

  “Maybe when they’re really hungry, I think.”

  “Oh, heavens,” Thomas said.

  “Let’s keep going,” I said. “We’re almost there.”

  Soon the area became lighter and I knew we were almost out of the woods—well, sort of. The big house that sat up on the hill across from mine came into view.

  “So you don’t want me to turn into cat form?” Thomas asked as we walked across this huge expanse of the lawn.

  “No, I think it would be better if I have you in human form with me at the front door.”

  “What if they act like they don’t know what you’re talking about?”

  “Well, I’ll just have to figure that out when or if it happens. Hopefully it won’t happen.”

  Thomas and I walked up to the front door. I released a deep breath as I pushed the doorbell. Loud, drawn-out chiming bells echoed from inside the big house.

  “That’s pretty nifty. You should get one of those doorbells,” Thomas said.

  “It would be nice, wouldn’t it?”

  We weren’t prepared when the door swung open so we both screamed and hugged each other.

  “What’s going on here?” the older gray-haired woman asked.

  She had a stern scowl on her face as she stared at us. I didn’t recognize her. She definitely wasn’t the owner I had met.

  “Is Ms. Young home?” I asked.

  “She’s not available at the moment. May I tell her you stopped by?”

  “My name is Halloween LaVeau. I’m her neighbor.”

  “I’ll make sure to tell her.” The woman started to close the door, but I stopped her by putting my hand out.

  “Just a moment, please,” I said.

  I had to be strong and assertive right now.

  “What?” she asked in irritation.

  “I need to ask you a question. Who are you, by the way?”

  She scowled. “I’m a friend of the family.”

  I wasn’t sure if I believed her. Nevertheless, I would ask her about the women possibly staying here.

  “I’m looking for someone staying here. She’s tall and slender with dark hair. Does that ring a bell?”

  “There’s no one else staying here but me. I’m watching the place for Ms. Young until she returns.”

  “You’ve not had any friends over?” I asked suspiciously.

  “No one is here but me,” she said.

  I looked at Thomas. He shook his head. If he said he saw women in the house, then I knew for sure he saw them. This woman was lying. But why would she lie? I figured she was trying to cover up for them. That had to be why.

  I placed my hands on my hips. “I know you’re lying. And let me tell you something, you’re not getting the book. They’re not getting the book either. So whatever games you think you’re playing you might as well forget them. If you do one thing out of place, I’ll call the police and you’ll be arrested. You got that?”

  Her eyes widened and she stepped back. “You’re crazy.”

  She slammed the door in our faces. The sound of her securing the lock sounded from the other side of the door.

  “Well, I take it that the conversation is over,” Thomas said.

  “That makes me angry. This is not over. If she thinks she’s going to hide what those two women are up to then she’d better think again.”

  “You told her,” Thomas said.

  “Let’s get out of here.”

  “I wish we didn’t have to walk through those woods again.”

  “We’ll go back down the road this time,” I said.

  “Oh, good. I don’t think I could handle another trip through the woods.”

  “You’re not really the outdoorsy type, are you, Thomas?”

  “No, you could say that.”

  We took off down the driveway, headed for the road. When I looked over my shoulder I saw the woman watching us from the front window.

  “I know she’s not telling the truth. I just have to prove it.”

  “As long as she leaves us alone it should be okay, right?”

  “What are the odds of that?” I asked. “Are you sure you saw the women in that house?”

  “I am one hundred percent positive,” Thomas said.

  “Well, I’ll be prepared if they come back to the manor.”
/>
  “What are you going to do?” Thomas asked.

  “I don’t know, but I’ll think of something.”

  We reached the road and turned to the left headed back toward the manor’s driveway. There was never a lot of traffic on this road so thankfully we didn’t have to worry about cars passing us.

  We’d almost made it to the driveway when I realized that I was wrong about avoiding any cars. The sound caught my attention. Thank goodness I saw the car behind us and was able to grab Thomas just in time. I pushed him and we tumbled, both falling into the ditch.

  “Are you all right?” I asked breathlessly.

  “You saved me,” he said. “That’s supposed to be my job. I’m supposed to save you. I didn’t even hear that car.”

  “Well, it almost hit us, and I think they did it on purpose.”

  Chapter 16

  Thomas and I managed to get to our feet. The car had sped away.

  “Did you get a good look at it?” Thomas asked as he brushed the dirt from his pants.

  I pushed the hair out of my eyes. “Other than it was black, no, not really. It was so fast and my face was smashed into the dirt.”

  “I can’t believe you saved me. Are you all right?”

  “I think I’m fine, nothing’s broken,” I said as I moved my arms around.

  “You think that person did it on purpose?” he asked.

  “Yes, I think so. I just feel like they accelerated once they got close to us. That’s why I heard the sound.”

  “I guess I was preoccupied thinking about what I’m having for lunch. Do you think it was the woman we just talked to?”

  “I suppose it could’ve been, but what would be her motive?” I asked.

  “Well, it could be something associated with the book that she doesn’t want us to find out,” Thomas said.

  Thomas and I hurried the rest of the way to the driveway before the car came back and finished the job.

  “I’m going to look into this more. I have to find out if the neighbor is really on a trip and if that woman is supposed to be there. One way or another I’ll find out who she is,” I said.

  “You should tell the police about this.”

  “Unfortunately, I don’t think there’s anything they can do, since I didn’t get a great description of the car and no license plate number. We’ll have to be on the lookout though.”

  “I could go back over there and see if the woman has a black car. I’ll go in cat form again.”

  “That’s a good idea,” I said as we walked down the driveway toward the manor.

  “Other than encountering the strange woman, how did the visit to the Bubbling Cauldron go?” Thomas asked.

  “I didn’t find out much because the trip was paused when you called and told me what you learned.”

  “Sorry about that. I just thought you should know.”

  “Oh, no, it was much more important that you called me. When I got to the club it was empty and dark. Paul was at the back. It is kind of creepy the way he came out of the office.”

  “Where were the former owners?” Thomas asked.

  “He’d already signed the paperwork. Then he said they had just stepped away and would be right back.”

  “What if he actually killed them, never bought the club and just took it over?” Thomas said.

  “That’s quite an imagination you have,” I said.

  He shrugged. “Stranger things have happened.”

  “I agree that it would be creepy, but I’m sure they’re probably already back at the club.”

  “You’ll never know if they showed up or not.”

  “I’ll call then,” I said.

  “Don’t do it on my account,” he said.

  I rolled my eyes. “I won’t, trust me.”

  As we headed inside the manor, Thomas stopped on the porch. “I think I’m going go over there now.”

  “Just be careful,” I said. “And hurry. I’ll fix us lunch.”

  “Tuna sandwich?” he asked with a thumbs up.

  “You got it, but don’t you ever get tired of tuna?”

  “No, not really, unless you have maybe some fresh fish, although I’m trying to watch my physique so make sure it’s not fried.”

  “I’ll make us tuna sandwiches. Be careful,” I called out.

  I headed toward the kitchen knowing that Thomas would shift and stroll right back over there to the house to search for any kind of car. But if that was the woman in the black car and she’d left for a while, he might not find her car there. We’d have to go back later.

  I was in the kitchen making our sandwiches, not using magic this time, when a loud ruckus sounded outside, then the awful cat screeching.

  The terrible noise sounded like it was coming from the back. I ran to the kitchen door and raced out onto the porch. Just then Thomas in cat form ran up on the porch, practically jumping into my arms. A huge dog stood at the edge of the property, growling and barking.

  “Go away,” I yelled. “Leave the cat alone.”

  The dog stood there with a menacing stance, glaring at me for several seconds before turning around and walking off. I placed Thomas down onto the ground and he raced into the kitchen. By the time I turned around and got into the house Thomas had already turned back into human form. Of course, he was minus his clothing this time.

  I covered my eyes. “Thomas, where are your clothes?”

  “I left them on the front porch. It’s not so bad. I’ve been working out.”

  “Yes, but I really don’t need to see that much of you.”

  I headed out of the kitchen, hoping not to bump into the door as I still shielded my eyes. Since Thomas was behind me, I was able to uncover my eyes and head for the porch.

  “Oh, just let me go get my clothing,” Thomas said from over my shoulder.

  “No, what if that dog is back out there?”

  “I’m not a cat now.”

  “Oh, right,” I said, covering my eyes again. “You go around me and get the clothes. Hurry up in case that dog decided to come back for the humans.”

  I stood there with my eyes covered waiting for Thomas to come back and tell me that he was fully clothed now. However, a noise from somewhere behind me caught my attention. I spun around, and I saw that the ghostly man had returned. I was speechless. My heart sped up too.

  I finally managed, “What do you want?”

  He disappeared into the kitchen without answering. The ghost moved right through the door. I raced over and burst through into the kitchen. The man was nowhere in sight. He had disappeared again. Why was he doing this? There were disappearing people everywhere. I was certain that this man was a spirit. Was the woman a ghost or just using magic?

  When the kitchen door made a noise, I spun around expecting to see the ghost again, but it was Thomas. At least he was dressed now.

  “You look like you saw a ghost,” he said.

  “That’s because I did see a ghost.”

  “The same one?” he asked.

  I nodded. “The same one. But he just disappeared again.”

  “How will you figure out who he is?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe if I try a spell I can find information on him.”

  “Oh, that’s a good idea, just don’t mess it up.”

  “Ha-ha, very funny,” I said. “So what was with the dog? What happened?”

  “The dog was at the neighbor’s house.”

  “I don’t remember her having a dog,” I said.

  “I don’t remember either. She didn’t have one earlier when I went there. It was very odd.”

  “So the dog chased you?” I asked.

  “All the way back here through that wooded area that I hate,” Thomas said.

  “You went through there to get to the neighbor’s house.”

  “Yes, I know, but I don’t like it. Especially when I’m being chased by a giant dog. So where is the tuna sandwich?” Thomas looked around the room for the sandwiches.

  “You’re h
ungry after all that?”

  “I’m always hungry,” he said.

  “Let me just finish them up. I was distracted by the wailing cat outside. Did the dog actually even touch you?”

  “No, but I was afraid he would bite my head off.”

  “I’m just saying the noise you made was a bit dramatic.”

  “You try being chased by a dog and see what sound you make.”

  I finished up the sandwiches and sat next to Thomas at the island.

  “It feels kind of strange eating a tuna sandwich with a ghost roaming around here.”

  “Maybe he wants to tell you something,” Thomas said with his mouth full of food.

  “I don’t know what he wants.”

  “Maybe he’s just lost.”

  “I think he knows what he’s doing. He looks at me but doesn’t talk.”

  “Maybe he can’t talk,” Thomas said.

  “Or maybe he doesn’t speak English,” I said.

  “That’s true,” Thomas said.

  Thomas and I sat in silence while we ate our lunch. I was contemplating my next move. What was the most important thing? Keeping the woman away from the book was definitely at the top of the list. But until I found her I wouldn’t be able to tell her to stay away. Also, I needed to know if the ghost coming around was connected to the woman looking for the book. She could’ve sent him here to try to get the book. But would a ghost be able to pick up the book?

  “What are you thinking about?” Thomas asked.

  “Everything that’s happened.”

  Footsteps sounded from outside the door. Thomas and I froze with the sandwiches midair.

  “Do you think it’s the ghost?” he whispered.

  “I’m willing to bet on it,” I said as I placed the sandwich back on the plate.

  Thomas and I rushed out of the kitchen heading to the parlor, hoping to catch the ghost this time. Though it wasn’t a ghost. I had forgotten all about Paul after everything else that happened. Actually, I hadn’t been expecting to see him back this soon now that I remembered him.

  “I hope it’s okay that I just came in?” He looked confused.

  I supposed Thomas and I had rushed toward him in a bit of a panic. It was no wonder if he looked confused.

  “Oh, that’s fine,” I said. “It’s just that I suppose I forgot you were here.”