Spell Booked (Retired Witches Mysteries Series Book 1) (22 page)

Fret not thyself with evildoers.

Brian and I ended up at the police station with Lisbet and Joe. I called Smuggler’s Arcane with Brian’s cell phone to let Olivia and Elsie know what was going on. I was disgusted and nervous about the new direction of Joe’s investigation. While we were there, not able to tell Joe the truth about Brian, Dorothy could be suffering somewhere in the night.

Joe and Lisbet split us up. I’d been hoping Lisbet would go with Brian so I could have a moment alone with Joe to clarify what was happening. That didn’t happen.

Lisbet and I sat down together in a small room. She offered me coffee—I said no.

“Why were you with Brian Fuller tonight?” she asked.

I’d thought about this on the way over. I was ready. “Brian is an old friend of Olivia’s. He wanted to talk to me about her death.”

“What about them going out for a drink on the night she died?”

“They frequently went out. The three of us go out together, at least we did.”

“Was Brian the man you said Olivia was dating—the one you saw on the boat, Molly?”

I laughed. “Goodness, no! I could have told you his name if it was! I want you and Joe to catch Olivia’s murderer, Lisbet. She was a very dear friend.”

Her eyes narrowed. I knew finding me with a suspect was another nail in my coffin—so to speak. I’d sort it out later with Joe. Once he understood, he’d stop harassing Brian.

I just hoped it wouldn’t be too late for Dorothy.

“Excuse me.” Lisbet smiled and curtly nodded before she left me alone in the room.

I waited, impatiently, for a long time. Finally, I took out my compact and attempted a spell to find out what was going on.

I held my amulets in one hand and stared into the compact mirror. “Guide me to the one I seek,” I whispered, staring intently into the reflection.

A light haze covered the mirror. Fog swirled in the glass.

I concentrated harder. An image began to form.

It was Dorothy! That hadn’t been what I meant when I’d said the spell, but what a joy to know she was alive. I couldn’t talk to her. She was sitting in a chair, crying. My heart broke when I couldn’t comfort her or ask where she was.

Fog swelled in the glass again, and this time I was able to see Brian and Joe.

Brian smiled and winked at me. He knew I was watching.

“Something funny about my questions?” Joe asked

“No, sir.” Brian focused on him. “Just wondering when I get my phone call.”

“I’m not arresting you,” Joe responded.

Brian got to his feet. “Then I’m going. If you have any other questions, let me know.”

Lisbet walked in, and I shut the compact.

I mimicked Brian by getting to my feet. “Am I under arrest?”

“No.” She smiled. “Of course not, Molly.”

“Then I’m leaving. You know where to find me if you have any other questions.”

She nodded. “Okay. But be careful who you hang out with. You don’t want to end up like your friend.”

I told her I would be careful and held my head high as I walked out of the room. Joe was in the hall. I told him that I’d see him at home and hurried out to the car. Brian was waiting for me.

“Your husband is a
cop
?” He raked his fingers through his damp hair. “That’s as bad as my grandfather being on the council!”

“He’s really not that bad.” I opened the car and we got inside. “I saw Dorothy!”

“Yeah? With the mirror spell, huh? Good! She was alive, I guess.”

“Yes. I didn’t see who was holding her or where she was.”

“Too bad.”

We discussed the rogue witch as we drove back to Smuggler’s Arcane.

Brian agreed that this was no ordinary witch. “This witch must be formidable. I’ve only heard of a few witches being killed by their own. The council has always gone after them with a vengeance.”

“I know Olivia wasn’t a significant witch, but I don’t believe the council would’ve stood for her death at the hands of another witch if they’d thought there was anything they could do about it.”

The very idea of the witches on the council not being able to control another witch who was bent on murder and stealing as many magic artifacts as she could find was terrifying.

I knew my limits, or at least I thought I did. I knew I couldn’t handle such a witch.

And Joe was caught in the crosshairs investigating the case. I wanted to run home and take him and Mike away somewhere safe until all of this was over.

I didn’t feel secure again until we were back in the shop and I had locked the door behind me.

“We’ve got the wand.” I started down the stairs to the cave. “I hope we can find Dorothy now. I saw her in my compact mirror. At least she’s still alive.”

There was no response. The words echoed inside the cave. I reached the rocky floor and then noticed Cassandra, waiting by the fire.

“Looks like we don’t need it,” Elsie said. “We’ve been busted.”

Cassandra was in a high fit of anxiety. I’d never seen her this way, although I’d never seen her as much as I had the last few days either.

She was tapping her foot on the ground. “What are you
thinking
? Twenty years of peace with the werewolves, and now they’re up in arms. No witch-on-witch violence—and now we have a witch who was murdered and has become a ghost.”

Mr. Brannigan was back too. “Cassandra’s right. Things are badly askew here.”

“We’ve tried to tell both of you that there was a problem.” I didn’t back down from either of them. It didn’t mean I wasn’t afraid of Cassandra and what she might do. It only meant that I was too frustrated and angry to care.

“So you took it upon yourselves to solve the problem.” Cassandra’s white brow was actually furrowed in indignation. “You should have asked the council for help with this matter.”

“We
did
,” Elsie reminded her. “You were no help at all. That’s why I turned you into pottery.”

Olivia and I both glared at Elsie for talking before she thought.

“Sorry.” Elsie put her hand over her mouth.

“Oh, that was nothing.” Cassandra’s laugh tinkled around the cave. “I was going on vacation anyway. It meant I got to leave early.”

“In the middle of this crisis?” I demanded.

She studied her fingernails. “I had reservations.”

“Well, you could’ve told
us
. Now we have dust upstairs everywhere.” Elsie glared at her.

“Can we please find my daughter?” Olivia requested.

Cassandra didn’t look at her. “Send your ghost away—or I will.”

Olivia
humphed
but scurried upstairs with the cats.

“That’s so much better.” Cassandra smiled benignly at the rest of us. “I can understand that you’re mourning your lost friend, ladies. But going against the express orders of the council and dragging another witch into it is inexcusable.”

“What’s
inexcusable
,” I raged, “is the council doing nothing while another would-be witch may be killed. I understand that you didn’t realize this rogue witch was capable of murder. Now that you know, what are you going to do about it?”

“I tried to tell you to stand down. I warned you that the council was worried and might not be able to help.” Cassandra defended what she’d done. “You kept coming up with schemes—like this one tonight.”

“I want to be transparent about my part in all of this.” Mr. Brannigan cleared his throat to speak.

“Never mind. What’s done is done. Don’t think the rest of the council doesn’t know.”

“Good.” I challenged her. “Let’s go see them right now. I’m tired of this game. Let’s see what they can do about it.”

“Your mother’s amulet has made you daring,” she purred.

I felt the amulet grow warm on my throat. I didn’t know what it was capable of. I had to back down. “My quarrel isn’t with you or the council. I only want to keep my family safe. I want to know who killed my friend and why. And I want Dorothy back.”

“I think this discussion is over.” Cassandra stared at me.

I saw fear and uncertainty in her beautiful eyes, but before I could remark on it, she was gone.

“Are they always like that?” Brian asked. “I don’t have many dealings with them.”

“Always.” Elsie yawned. “I don’t know if I can do a locator spell now, Molly. I’m exhausted.”

“What happened with Joe and his partner?” Olivia came in close.

I gave them a brief rundown of what had happened. “They didn’t want to arrest Brian. I’m sure Joe didn’t know what to think, but they let us both go.”

“Probably only until they can find more evidence against me.” Brian pulled out his wand. “But they’ll have a hard time finding
me
again.”

“Mr. Brannigan.” I stared at him. “Can you help us with the locator spell since Elsie can’t? We need to find Dorothy right away.”

He held up one hand. “Absolutely not! You heard what Cassandra said. If you persist in going against the council, none of you have a very bright future.”

Elsie grabbed my arm. “Are you sure that’s the best thing to do?”

“Never mind him,” Brian said. “Let’s try it with you and me, Molly. We might be strong enough together to pull it off.”

“Before you try it,” Mr. Brannigan said, “the council has decided to take possession of your mother’s amulet, Molly. This would be for safekeeping until the thief who took your spell book and the other local items is brought to justice. It seems that the amulet has some ancient power that the council wasn’t aware of.”

“No!” I put my hand up to it. “This belongs to my family. The council doesn’t need it.”

Mr. Brannigan waved his hand. “Allow me.”

The chain stayed where it was. He frowned and tried again. “Molly! You can’t defy the council!”

“I can until we find Dorothy. If you’re not going to help, you can leave.”

“I’m going to tell Cassandra! And you better hope the amulet doesn’t fall into the wrong witch’s hands.” After that stern warning, Mr. Brannigan stalked up the rickety stairs and was gone.

“Let me have a look at the amulet,” Elsie said. “You never said you had something of great magical value.”

“I didn’t know. I told you about it a long time ago. I’ve just never worn it because it’s so gaudy.”

I tried to get it off. The clasp wouldn’t open. Elsie tried too. Brian also had a go at it. The amulet and chain stayed around my neck.

“I guess you’re wearing it whether you want to or not,” he said. “Let’s try the locator spell, Molly. If that thing has so much power that the council wants it, we might pull it off.”

Brian and I concentrated together after he reminded me of the spell he knew. There were hundreds of locator spells. We held hands and joined our magic. It didn’t work. We tried standing in our elements again. The spell still didn’t work.

“Let me try to help,” Elsie said. “I might have enough energy to make a third witch.”

But her face was so pale—and her hands shaking so—that I decided we shouldn’t try it. She could barely stand upright. I didn’t want to risk her health.

“I can do it, Molly,” she softly protested.

“Not tonight,” I told her. “I want to find Dorothy as much as anyone, but I want you to live until Boca.”

“And far after,” Olivia added with a concerned face.

“What about taking a look into the mirror again?” Brian suggested. “I know the mirror spell is limited, but maybe we can get an idea of where she is.”

Instead of pulling out my compact again, we went upstairs to our large, antique mirror that we’d always used for spells. Brian and I joined hands and whispered the spell for sight.

Olivia and Elsie watched from the table as the mirror turned hazy and then cleared. The same room I’d seen earlier appeared, but Dorothy wasn’t there.

“Maybe the witch moved her,” Brian said. “She might have known you were watching, like I did.”

He’d barely finished speaking when the mirror went black. “Spying on me?” a raspy voice asked. It was the same voice I recognized from the shop when the witch had snatched Dorothy. “I
hate
spies!”

It was as though a huge, powerful hand reached out through the mirror and knocked Brian and me off our feet. I couldn’t see anything at all. It had to be a spell but not one that I recognized.