Spell Booked (Retired Witches Mysteries Series Book 1) (15 page)

I seek to find what has been lost.

With wand and light, I seek the way.

I was so busy staring at what was happening to Cassandra that I didn’t realize the seer was gone until the gray fog lifted. “I wish we could have asked her a few more questions.”

“That’s the way it always is.” Elsie picked up another piece of pizza and sighed as she ate it. “So what do we do now?”

“I don’t know.” I couldn’t think of eating pizza, but I had a cup of tea to settle my stomach.

“I can’t believe she did that to me,” Olivia complained. “What did I ever do to her? And why is everyone so prejudiced against ghosts?”

“We were right and there are two people.” Dorothy wiped her hands and mouth with a napkin.

“Out of the mouths of babes.” Elsie shook her head.

“But we’re no closer to knowing
who
they are,” I said. “Or why the witch wants the thief to steal things for her.”

“Or
him
.” Elsie cleared her throat.

“Girls, I’m telling you—Brian isn’t the way you’re portraying him at all!” Olivia passionately protested. “He’s a wonderful young man. You don’t understand.”

“Forget her,” Elsie said. “She’s a ghost. What does she know?”

“I’ve had about enough of that kind of talk.” Olivia zoomed down toward Elsie. “You don’t want to make me
angry
.”

“I’m
so
scared.” Elsie managed a small spell that pushed Olivia toward the door. She clapped her hands. “It worked!”

“Molly!” Olivia stamped her foot in the air. Obviously, without much significance.

“Let’s concentrate.” I fed some plain pizza crusts to the cats and stroked each of them. “We know there are two people—probably a witch and someone with no magic. They’re working together to collect magic artifacts and maybe killing other witches.”

“Why would anyone do that?” Elsie wondered.

“Maybe as Cassandra said, the witch wants to live forever.”

“That doesn’t make any sense,” Elsie scoffed. “No one lives forever.”

“People get desperate,” I said. “Anything could happen.”

“And they killed Olivia!”

“Do we have to say it
quite
that way?” Olivia asked.

“It’s no secret that we’re witches—at least not to the witch community,” I continued. “It would be easy for us to be targets.”

“Where does Brian fit in?” Dorothy asked.

Olivia made a growling sound.

“We don’t know yet,” Elsie translated.

“Let’s keep an open mind,” I suggested. “Maybe Olivia is right about him. Let’s try to talk to Colt Manning about what he heard that night. And there has to be someone else who knows Brian Fuller. We need more information about him.”

“Do you want to stir up
that
hornet’s nest?” Elsie asked. “He could go after Joe.”

“We’ll work around it. He won’t know.” I
hoped
he wouldn’t know anyway.

“What about Cassandra?” Olivia’s movements spread some of the gray dust that had been Cassandra on the floor. “Shouldn’t you get in touch with the council and let them know what happened?”

“Do we
know
what happened?” Dorothy shrugged. “Just asking.”

“I think we’ll save that for later,” I said. “I want to get in touch with the council about Cassandra as much as I want to fly across the moon on a broomstick.”

Elsie giggled. “Good one, Molly.”

We were all out of the shop and locking up when Mike drove up in his old Camaro.

“Hey, Mom. Elsie.” He eyes focused on his real reason for visiting. “Hi, Dorothy.”

“We’re in a little bit of a hurry.” I opened the car doors. “Can we talk about whatever it is later?”

“Actually, I was here to see if this was a good time for Dorothy to have coffee or whatever.”

“Oh.” Dorothy looked at me. “Is this a good time?”

“I don’t think there could be a worse time.”

“Come on, Mom. I could go with you and help out with . . . whatever you’re doing.”

“We have some things we have to do for Olivia, Mike. I’m sure you don’t want to do that kind of boring stuff.”

The expression on his face said otherwise. “Give me a chance. I feel bad about Olivia too. I can be a big help.”

It was against my better judgment, but things had to get better between us if I ever hoped to know what was going on with him. It was the only way I might persuade him to go back to school. “All right.” I gave in. “But you’ll have to drive since we can’t all fit in my car.”

His gaze was excited. “Maybe Dorothy could ride with me.”

It was a done deal. Dorothy got in the Camaro with Mike.

Olivia played chaperone in their backseat.

“I’d hate to be Mike if he tries anything funny with Dorothy,” Elsie said as we left the parking lot. “There’s nothing worse than an angry, protective mom-ghost.”

“You’re right. I hope he’ll tell Dorothy what’s wrong at school. If it’s a girl, she could take his mind off it.”

Traffic was light going to the other end of Water Street. There were no guarantees that our only witness would be there, but if we were lucky, we’d find him.

There was a bar near the spot where the riverboats docked that was popular with fishermen. At least it would be a place to start asking around about him.

I parked in a public parking zone, and Mike parked next to me. He was still in the car talking to Dorothy when Olivia streamed out of the window like hot air on a cold day.

“You have managed to bring up your son without a bit of class or manners,” Olivia accused when she reached me.

“I
told
you.” Elsie smirked as she tried to keep from smacking the door into the car next to her.

“Olivia, leave them alone,” I told her. “Nothing is going to happen.”

“He was looking at her
chest
, Molly,” Olivia complained. “She didn’t see it, but I did.”

Elsie laughed out loud. “If we’re going into a bar, I want a Sex on the Beach drink. I had one last summer. It was really good.”

“It’s not that kind of bar—no cute drinks.” I searched for a good place to set a spell for finding Colt Manning. “And we’re here to work, not to drink.”

I remembered a spell I’d used years ago to find Mike one rainy afternoon when he’d wandered off. He was only about eight years old. I hoped I remembered it correctly.

“Isn’t Dorothy going to help?” Olivia asked. “Or are you just going to let her sit in the car so
your
son can ogle her?”

Dorothy waved as she got out of the car. Mike followed on her heels like a big, cute puppy.

“How are we gonna ditch him?” Elsie asked.

“We’re going somewhere he can’t follow.” I smiled and waved back.

I pretended not to hear Mike try to order a beer at the counter inside. The bartender asked for ID. Mike shrugged and got a club soda instead.

He assumed a patient expression when I announced that we were going to the ladies’ room.

“Are we really going to try to find this man with a spell in the ladies’ room?” Dorothy tried not to touch anything in the less-than-sanitary room. “I’ve never even been in a bathroom at a bar.
Ugh!
”

“Never mind. Concentrate.” I held out my hands to her and Elsie. I recited the spell for Dorothy so she could hear what it sounded like, and for Elsie because she couldn’t remember it. I held the small cauldron and the amulet around my throat. Elsie took out her sword.

The bathroom door opened and a young woman entered. She took one look at Elsie’s sword and headed back out the way she’d come. Two other women weren’t so shy. They came in, lit cigarettes and then stood there, watching us.

“What now?” Dorothy didn’t take her eyes off the other woman.

“Let’s go into one of the stalls.” I moved in that direction.

“Seriously?”

“Yes. At least we’ll be alone.”

Once the three of us had squeezed into one stall and closed the door behind us, I repeated the spell again.

“Ready?”

“When do I get my rock?” Dorothy asked. “Should I go and look for it, or will it find me?”

“Shh.”
I closed my eyes. “Concentrate on what we’re doing, or you might not like the results. It’s all in the focus.”

Dorothy was quiet then, her eyes closed and her hands clasped in ours. We recited the finding spell together several times.

“Is that it?” she whispered when we were finished.

“I don’t know. We’ll have to wait and give him a chance to get here.”

“Not
here
, right?” Dorothy carefully opened the stall door. “In the bar?”

“Yes.” I smiled at the women who were talking and smoking.

“I had a sword like that once,” one of them said to Elsie. “Nice.”

“Thanks.”

I pulled Elsie away from discussing the merits of her sword with them, and we walked out of the bathroom.

“Dorothy, you aren’t interested in that boy, are you?” Olivia was still worried about Mike. “He’s so much younger than you, and a college dropout.”

“That’s my son you’re talking about,” I said as we found a table. “And since when do you care how old the man is, or if he went to college?”

Olivia frowned. “That was different, Molly. I want something better for my daughter.”

“Relax,” Dorothy said. “I’m not interested in him that way. But he’s . . . nice.”

“Well, he’s gone now.” Elsie looked around the bar. “Maybe you could call his cell phone or something.”

“Of course. It’s always in his pants.”

Olivia folded her arms across her chest. “And he better keep it there
too
.”

Elsie giggled. “Molly, please call the boy before we have a war.”

That’s when I remembered that I didn’t have a working cell phone, not after the dunk in the river. Elsie’s and Dorothy’s phones were also ruined. Magic and electronics weren’t a good mix, at least not for me.

I was about to go outside and look for Mike when the door to the bar opened and Brian walked inside.

A new bond of friendship and trust is made.

It prospers and grows.

Seal the bond and put trouble aside.

My word to yours.

“What do we do
now
?” Elsie muttered. “Weren’t we hoping to avoid running into him?”

“Let’s spend some time with him,” Olivia suggested. “You’ll see he’s not the villain you think he is.”

“Shouldn’t we run away?” Dorothy asked. “There’s no water here for him to throw us into, but he could find something else to hurt us.”

At that moment, an older man wandered into the bar too. He was wearing jeans and a plaid flannel shirt. He glanced around and scratched his head as though he wasn’t sure why he was there.

“That’s Colt Manning.” I tried to point to him without being obvious.

“How can you be sure?” Dorothy wondered.

“You can tell by the confused stare,” Elsie replied. “I look the same way most mornings when I get up, and I’m not spelled.”

“So what do we
do
?” Dorothy looked worried. “What do we say to him? What do we do about
Brian
?”

“What did you have in mind, pretty girl?” Brian was there beside us—with Mike in tow. “Hey, we thought we’d come in and join you, Molly. And you’re Elsie, right?”

He and Mike pushed in with us at the table.

Mike had the same glazed-over expression in his eyes that I recognized from Colt Manning. He had no idea what was going on. Brian was directing his movements.

“Brian!” Olivia waved from above us. “It’s
me
. That’s my daughter you’re flirting with.”

“Awkward.” Elsie looked away.

“Olivia.” Brian smiled at her. “I’m glad you’re here. Maybe you can tell these ladies that I didn’t kill you.”

“I’ve tried.” She touched her hair, a familiar gesture she’d used when she was alive. “They won’t listen.”

“The truth is that she doesn’t
know
who killed her,” I explained. “We think it was a witch—”

“Or someone who isn’t a witch working with someone who is,” Dorothy added.

“So you’re still coming after
me
?” His mouth was set in a dark line. “What can I do to convince you that it’s not a good idea?”

I leaned across the table, not so afraid as angry. “You could release my son. He’s not involved in this. You could tell us what you know about what happened to Olivia. That would be good for a start.”

“Unless you
are
the one who killed her.” Elsie peeked out from under her hat.

“It wasn’t me,” he proclaimed.

“See?” Olivia smiled and fluttered around. “I told you so.”

“That doesn’t prove anything,” Dorothy said. “Anyone could say that.”

“What do you want me to say?” Brian asked her.

“Our witness is leaving.” Elsie nodded at Colt Manning.

“Oh my gosh!” Dorothy shot to her feet. “I’m sorry, but I have to go! I’m late for work. Can Mike take me?”

“Go on.” Brian released Mike. “I’ll catch up with you later.”

Dorothy handed me the staff. “I probably shouldn’t take this with me.”

“That’s fine.” I laid it on the table. “We’ll see you later.”

“Are you
sure
you’re okay here?” She glanced significantly at Brian.

He nodded. “I’m harmless.”

“Falling off the riverboat wasn’t harmless,” she retorted.

“That wasn’t me! Besides, you were with a water witch—nothing was going to happen to you.”

“We’re fine,” I assured her. “Go on to work. We’ll talk later.”

“What about Colt Manning?” Elsie reminded me. “It’s now or never.”

I watched Mike and Dorothy leave the bar and then glanced at Brian. “You want to prove yourself? Come with us.”

“Okay.” He nodded. “After you.”

We walked quickly outside and had to scan the street to find Colt Manning. He was walking away at a slow pace, going toward the river. I grabbed Elsie’s hand and we went to talk to our witness. Brian followed us.

“Mr. Manning?” I called breathlessly. “Excuse me. Mr. Colt Manning?”

He turned and smiled. “Yes. Something I can do for you?”

“I’m Molly Renard and this is Elsie Langston. You spoke with police about the night our friend, Olivia Dunst, was killed in the alley back there.”

“Oh yes.” He nodded. “I’m sorry your friend died.”

“We were wondering if you could tell us what you heard.”

“Sure.” He coughed. “I was sitting on a bench, waiting for my head to clear. I’d had a few too many. But I wasn’t driving, so I thought I’d just sit here and wait until I felt better.”

“And you heard something?” Elsie prodded.

“Yeah. I heard some scuffling sounds, but there are some big rats down here by the river. Then I heard a woman scream. I stood up and started that way. Someone ran out of the alley. It was dark. I didn’t get a good look at a face or anything.”

“What
did
you see?” I asked him.

“Like I told the police, the person was dressed in black. Short too, maybe less than five feet. He ran up the street and disappeared.”

“Disappeared?” Elsie questioned sharply.

“Well,” Manning chuckled. “Not really
disappeared
. Just kind of blended into the dark, I guess. I took out my phone and called the police.”

“Did you go into the alley to see what happened?” Brian asked him.

“No way! Things happen back there. I felt bad about it, but the cops said she was dead already anyway. I couldn’t have saved her.” He hung his head. “I’m sorry.”

“That’s okay.” Elsie gave him a kiss on the cheek. “We appreciate you telling us what happened.”

“Sure.” He smiled at her. “Hey, you want to get a beer or something?”

Elsie was ready to go with him, but she bit her lip and demurred when I glared at her. “Maybe next time, thanks.”

We thanked him again for his time and walked toward the car.

“You see,” Brian said. “Not me. I couldn’t be mistaken for being less than five feet—even if I were dressed in black and it was dark outside.”

“Except that he was drunk,” Elsie reminded him.

“Come on.” He leaned on the hood of the car. “I did what you asked.”

I wasn’t impressed with Colt Manning’s statement either. No wonder Joe and Lisbet were so frustrated. I wasn’t certain that let Brian off the hook, but I had no proof that he was involved either.

Brian leaned close to me. “I didn’t kill Olivia. Hunting me down is a waste of your time.”

“We weren’t hunting you down. We came here to see Mr. Manning.”

He seemed surprised. “No? I came because I felt you pulling me here, like you did Manning. That’s why I spelled your son—for protection.”

Elsie shrugged, and I felt a shiver race up my spine. Was Olivia right, and Brian wasn’t the rogue witch? Had someone compelled him to come here because it would set us against each other?

“That wasn’t us,” I replied. “But it could be whoever is responsible for all of this.” I quickly explained about the disappearance of magic artifacts, fears that other witches might be dead and the council’s dithering on the problem. “I think they’re afraid of this witch too.”

He glanced away, acting like it didn’t matter, but his voice was worried. “Seriously? I don’t remember why I came here at all. I feel like a zombie. That takes some power, in
my
case.”

“Can we just smack him for being so obnoxious?” Elsie asked.

“So what are you doing about this? What’s the council doing?”

“Nothing right now,” I answered. “We’re trying to see what we can find without them. We’re hoping they’ll take over once we have some answers. I don’t think we can handle this witch by ourselves.”

“Maybe with
your
help—” Olivia’s tone was seductive. “I know how
strong
you are, Brian.”

“And you owe us for throwing us in the water,” I reminded him. “And threatening my family.”

“I didn’t throw any of you in the water,” he argued. “That had to be this other witch.”

“But you did threaten Molly’s family,” Elsie said.

“Let’s take it out in trade, shall we?” He held out his hand. “I owe you a debt. You name it.”

I put my hand in his. We both whispered a similar bonding spell. “Yes, you do. I’ll let you know when we need you.”

Elsie and I got in the car. Olivia darted in through an open window. I drove quickly to the downtown library and parked. I wanted to tell Dorothy that everything was all right. I knew she’d be worried. We were going to have to do something about getting new cell phones. This wasn’t the Middle Ages!

“There she is!” Olivia pointed her out when we were inside the building.

“And there’s Mike with her.” I smiled at him.

“You know this is never going to work between my daughter and your son,” Olivia told me.

“Why not?”

“Because I want her to marry another witch. Maybe someone strong, but not evil like her father.”

“Why would you want that?” Elsie asked.

“I don’t know.” Olivia tried to toss her hair. Nothing moved. “I think it might be better. And then her children would probably have magic too.”

“There are worse things than your children not having magic,” I told her.

“I know. But I feel so
bad
for you and Elsie being married to people you can’t talk to about magic, and now having children you can’t talk to about it. I wish you could know the joys of being a witch’s mother.”

“Oh brother!” Elsie sat down at a book table. “You’ve been a witch’s mother for all of a day!”

Dorothy and Mike looked surprised to see us.

“Hi, Mom. Find what you were looking for?” Mike quickly removed his arm from Dorothy’s shoulders.

“We should separate them
now
!” Olivia tried to wedge herself between Dorothy and Mike.

“What did you find out?” Dorothy asked carefully. “Did you talk to you-know-who about you-know-what?”

I smiled at her expression. She was definitely the kind of person I wanted to play poker with. Everything was written on her face.

“I forgot my bag in the car.” I tossed Mike my keys. “Would you mind getting it?”

He minded—
a lot
. But he did it.

When he was gone, Elsie, Olivia and I explained what Colt Manning had told us and what had happened with Brian.

“I’m so relieved!” She let out a long breath. “I was afraid he might do something terrible to you.”

“I think we’ll be okay with him, for now anyway,” I assured her.

“What about the killer?” She glanced at her mother. “If we eliminate Brian, all we have is a short person who dresses in black and likes to steal magic items. That’s not much.”

“I know.”

“Maybe you should just give up this quest for my killer, Molly.” Olivia smiled and tried to act as though it didn’t matter. “We need to concentrate on training Dorothy. That’s more important. What’s done is done, so to speak.”

“Except that we still don’t have our spell book.” Elsie picked up a book and shuffled through it.

“And we can’t give up on this.” I reached out to Olivia’s not-so-solid form. “You’re our sister. We can’t let this go. I don’t want the police to find this witch, even if they find her accomplice. If the council is afraid, the witch could kill any police officer who comes knocking on her door. We
have
to do this.”

Olivia made sobbing sounds, though her eyes were dry. “Oh, girls, I love you so much. I don’t know how I would have lived my life without you.”

“For better or for worse then.” Elsie grinned. “Let’s get some tea, shall we?”

Mike brought my bag up. We left right away. Dorothy was trying to work, after all.

I smiled at him as we were going back to the cars. “You like Dorothy, huh?”

“She’s awesome. Who knew you’d be friends with someone like her?”

“I appreciate that.”

“I don’t mean because she’s young and beautiful.” He attempted to explain. “Well, not completely. I mean, she’s really smart and knows a lot about the world.”

I put my hand on his face. “I think you’d better stop before it gets any worse.”

“Are you okay with me asking her out?”

“You already asked her out. I think the two of you make a nice couple.”

He tilted his head back. “We’re not a
couple
, Mom. We’re just dating—if I get lucky. I can’t be too serious about a woman right now since my whole future is ahead of me.”