Charmed to Death Read online

  As soon as I stepped into the room I saw the woman. She was dressed all in black. It felt as if the wind had been knocked right out of me. She looked right at me. It was the witch I’d seen before.

  “Who are you?” I asked, trying to keep my voice steady. “How did you get in here? You’re not welcome here.” I wanted to make that clear right from the start, as if she didn’t already know by the tone of my voice.

  She didn’t answer me and instead just glared at me, as if I was the one who didn’t belong.

  “You’ll have to leave now. Get out.”

  I didn’t want to do magic on her, but if I had to I would. I certainly would do it to get rid of her. I hoped that she hadn’t done something to Nicolas, but there was no way I could check on him now. I had to get rid of her first. An aura surrounded her and I knew she was a witch.

  She lunged at me with her arms stretched straight out, as if she wanted to wrap them around my neck. The next thing I knew I was flat on the ground. She wasn’t on top of me. I looked around to see where she’d gone. The woman was nowhere in sight.

  I jumped to my feet and ran into the foyer. She wasn’t there either. In a panic I raced to the parlor, looking for her. Surely she would be there. When I reached to the room I realized that wasn’t the case. She wasn’t there either. The kitchen? Had she gone there to wait for me? I hurried back into the kitchen.

  Bursting through the door, I fully expected for her to be waiting there. Yet she wasn’t in the room. Where had she gone? There was no way she had slipped out. The doors were locked. She was using magic.

  I raised my head from the island counter. Looking around the room, I couldn’t shake the confusion. Then I realized I had fallen asleep. Was that all a dream? Had the witch really been in there and attacked me? No, it was all a dream. I was still at the island, sitting at that stool where I’d been looking at the file. Speaking of the file, it was gone. This was too weird. I was almost positive it had been a dream. Since I woke up on the stool I didn’t know what to think. It had seemed so real. Now the file was gone. What was going on? I got up from the stool and looked underneath the counter. I didn’t see the file. I thought maybe it had fallen off onto the floor.

  I searched through all of the downstairs, looking for the witch. She was nowhere in the house. Was she upstairs? I took off for the steps to see if she’d gone up there. I hoped she wasn’t in the room with Nicolas. I was still confused, wondering if this had been a dream. It all seemed so real. Where had the file gone? It was nowhere in the house. I’d looked for it while searching for the witch.

  Just as I made it to the top of the steps, the sound of two people talking stopped me in my tracks. It sounded like two men. Had Thomas come back? One of the men talking sounded like Nicolas. The bedroom door was closed. I rushed over and opened the door. Nicolas was still asleep. Pluto opened his eyes and looked at me for a moment, but then went back to sleep.

  Chapter 12

  The next morning, I decided to visit the scene of the crime. Last night I’d checked the house several times for the witch, the file and the mysterious sound of men talking with no luck. Finally I’d given up and gone to bed. Though I hadn’t gotten much sleep.

  Now I was back at the Bubbling Cauldron. The parking lot was empty now—even the crime scene tape had disappeared. The vampire’s car had been towed away. Everything looked exactly as it had before anything had occurred. I stood there, looking around and hoping that something would stand out to me. I thought about the crime and how the murderer had gotten away with this. It had happened so quickly after we’d seen them.

  Why hadn’t we heard or seen anything? Why hadn’t we seen someone in the parking lot? They had probably been hiding, which meant that Thomas might not have been responsible for the crime. He had been inside when we left. He’d just given us the wine. There was no way he could have gotten out there that quickly, right? Well, I supposed maybe he could have.

  Now I was back to adding him to the list of suspects. I wondered if there were any surveillance videos around and if they had captured anything? I supposed the police would look into that. Though that didn’t mean that I couldn’t go around and ask as well. Since I was the leader of the Underworld I would be expected to look into this. It wouldn’t be unheard of for that to happen.

  Next, I decided to go over to the graveyard where one of the other victims had been found. I headed down the sidewalk, across the street, and down that same alleyway that we had taken a short time before. Now I was wishing that I wasn’t alone. I wished that Annabelle was with me like she’d been the first day. Sadly, that wasn’t the case. I had to do this on my own.

  For some reason, I was the only one who thought Thomas was guilty. Maybe I was the only one other than the leader of the vampires who thought the murders were connected. I wasn’t sure why I couldn’t see that they were connected from the beginning. Maybe we could’ve avoided some of this.

  Why had I decided to come to a graveyard when it was dark and gloomy? That spookiness wasn’t needed. I reached the entrance to the graveyard. The wind blew the tops of the treetops. I contemplated just standing there at the entrance and not going any further. That wouldn’t do much good though. The purpose of my trip was to go into the graveyard and look for any kind of clue I might be able to find. I looked over to the spot where I’d seen the woman in black. I peered up the trees. This was supposedly where the murderer had gotten the wood to use as a stake for killing the vampire.

  If the person had used a weapon they found at the scene that meant they weren’t exactly prepared to do it. They hadn’t planned on it at that moment. It would have been a spontaneous action. Otherwise they would have brought everything they needed to do the job. Did that mean that the person wasn’t a vampire? Maybe a witch had a real problem with these vampires, like Thomas the witch.

  I moved around the cemetery more, weaving around some of the gravestones. I was looking for any clues about these crimes. I looked at some of the names on the stones in the area where the men had been. I thought that maybe their relatives were here. Had they been visiting? Why had they been here? If not for a visit, then was this some kind of significant meeting spot for them?

  As I stood there surrounded by the headstones and tall trees I got the creepy feeling that I wasn’t alone. If someone was there with me I wouldn’t know. It was night and I couldn’t see much. Why I had decided to come here when it was dark outside was beyond me. I supposed I hadn’t expected to stay out so long. It hadn’t been dark when I started this quest. Darkness now surrounded me completely. Perhaps it was time for me to get out of there and go home.

  As I walked back through the graveyard toward the entrance I couldn’t help but think about how Thomas knew the vampires. Liam and Nicolas needed to tell me everything they knew. I knew this was their cousin, but this was life or death. Surely they would be able to offer some explanation of his connection with the vampires. Why did they trust Thomas so much? They thought they knew him, but people changed. He could definitely have done something they wouldn’t even know about.

  I made my way through the rest of the cemetery, luckily without anything jumping out at me. I headed back down the alleyway. The more I quickened my steps, the creepier it became. There were few cars on the road now that most of the businesses in town had closed for the evening. I felt even more isolated out there walking all by myself. Just a short distance more and I would be back at my car and safely headed on my way back to the manor. With all that in mind then why did I still have an uneasy feeling?

  My car came into view. Just a few more steps and I would be there. Tomorrow I planned on coming back to the businesses and asking for their surveillance footage.

  I’d almost made it to my car when I spotted Liam’s BMW up ahead. He was sitting at the light. He had no idea I was watching him. He wasn’t alone either. Annabelle and Nicolas were with him. That wasn’t all. I couldn’t believe my eyes. The woman in black was sitting right in the backseat next to Annabelle. They s
tared straight ahead at the light, never looking over to notice me. Complete shock took hold as I stood there watching them. My stomach twisted into a knot. I felt as if I was going to be sick. What were they doing with her? Had they somehow captured her? Were they going to bring her in for questioning? Yes, that had to be it. There was no way they were just casually riding around with her, as if they’d been out to dinner or something.

  The light turned green and they took off, still never noticing that I had been watching them. I raced toward my car so that I could hurry and give chase. I hoped they didn’t get away. What if they weren’t going to the manor? As I ran to the car, I pulled out my phone and pressed the button.

  I spoke into it. “Send a text to Nicolas.”

  “You want me to call your mother?” the male voice asked.

  “No,” I yelled into the phone.

  I repeated it again, but it still asked the same thing. I jumped into the car, unable to worry about texting at the moment. I had to drive as quickly as possible so that I could catch up to them. What if they weren’t going to the manor? If that was where they were going then they would have to take the next turn soon. I pushed the gas, trying to keep up with the car. They turned left and it looked as if they were headed toward the manor, but I couldn’t be sure.

  Unfortunately, I got stopped by a red light. By the time it turned green and I was able to go again I had lost track of them. I just had to take a chance and go to the manor and see if they were there. My anxiety was high as I drove the rest of the way to the manor. I turned into the drive and through the gate.

  Liam’s car was parked right out front. Thank goodness they were there. Now I just had to get to the bottom of this. I parked the car and jumped out in a hurry, running up the steps and through the manor’s door. I raced into the parlor, trying to catch my breath. Annabelle, Liam, and Nicolas were all sitting around in the living room, as if nothing had happened. The witch wasn’t with them.

  “Where is she?” I asked, looking around.

  “Where is who?” Nicolas asked.

  “The witch,” I said.

  Before I could ask more questions my phone rang. Gramps’ number was on the screen. I contemplated not answering just so that I could try to get more information from the three of them, but this could be important.

  Before clicking on the call, I pointed at them. “This isn’t the last that you’re going to hear of this.”

  I wanted to know what was wrong with them. They were acting as if they were in a different zone, completely blank and unaware of anything related to reality or anything I was talking about.

  “Gramps, is everything okay?”

  “Did you find the thing I was telling you about?” he asked.

  “No, I don’t know what you’re talking about so it’s hard to look. Plus, things have been a little crazy around here.”

  “I think they’re only going to get crazier unless you find that thing.”

  “Okay, but how am I supposed to know what I’m looking for and why would it make things get crazier if I don’t find it?”

  “I don’t know. I can’t remember that. I just know that these little thoughts keep popping into my mind. You have to find it.”

  “Do you have any suggestions where I might look for this item?” I asked.

  “You might want to check where you found the Book of Mystics,” he said.

  “In the attic?”

  “If that’s where you found the book.”

  “All right, I’ll look there. Is there anything else?”

  “No, I can’t think of anything tonight, dear. Now I have a dance to go to. I will call you soon to see what you found.”

  “Have fun,” I said, wishing that I was there dancing with him.

  It had to be better than what I’d been dealing with here at the manor lately. I clicked off the phone and glared at the three of them. I didn’t know what to do first. Go look in the attic or ask them about the witch? Both of them seemed like urgent matters. Considering Gramps had said that more crazy things would happen until I found this object, I should have picked the attic first. However, one more time I would ask them about the witch before I went up to the attic.

  “I saw the three of you in the car with the witch. The one dressed all in black. So where is she now?”

  Nicolas pushed his feet and crossed the floor. He took my hands in his. “Hallie, dear, we were never in the car with the witch.”

  “What’s wrong with you?” Annabelle asked.

  Yeah, they wanted to make it sound as if I was the crazy one?

  Chapter 13

  I wasn’t even going to attempt to talk to them anymore. I just wanted to go to the attic and look for this random object that I was supposed to find. I didn’t know why, but I was extremely irritated at everything at the moment. Maybe if I by some chance found this thing I would be in a better mood. But that was doubtful considering I didn’t even know what I was looking for. How was I supposed to know when I found it?

  I would just look for anything unusual and hope that that would be the item. Though I’d thought I had taken everything out of the attic from when my great-aunt Maddy lived here. I couldn’t imagine I’d missed anything, unless it was hidden. That was probably the key. I needed to look in the hidden places up there, just like we had done in the other rooms of the manor. But now I was all alone doing this. I didn’t have anyone to help. It could take a while. Nevertheless, I climbed the stairs, leaving the trio in the parlor, wondering what I was doing. Or did they even care? Was the witch somewhere in the house? She could be waiting for me.

  I finally reached the top of the stairs and made my way down the little hallway toward the little door that led into the attic. The door squeaked as I opened it. The space was small, but there was enough room for me to move around comfortably. I stood in the middle of the room with my hands on my hips. I blew the hair out of my eyes. Now where would I start to look? I had found the Book of Mystics hidden behind one of the beams, so maybe I should look there for another object. Maybe I was looking for another book. But what would another book possibly do that the Book of Mystics wouldn’t? I’d thought I held the key to all of the information I needed with that one.

  I looked around the right side of the room first, and then all the way to the end where I checked down the far wall. Next I started up the left side. Maybe I wasn’t being thorough enough.

  The spell I’d cast earlier wasn’t helping at all. For a moment I feared that the spell hadn’t worked, but I’d thought I’d gotten rid of all those insecurities. Sometimes things just weren’t always easy, that was life. You had to work for something that you really wanted. I didn’t even know what I really wanted. Maybe I would just have to tell Gramps that I couldn’t find it. He would have to come up with more information, although I guessed this was a start and perhaps the rest would come to him soon.

  I ran my hand along some of the boards as I made my way down that wall. But then halfway down the wall I stopped. My hand was on something, but I had no idea what. Whatever it was, the thing was small. I reached further, trying to get a good grasp on it. As soon as I thought I had it in my fingers, it would slip farther away. It slipped down on the board. I had to stretch my arm even more.

  Finally, I got a good grasp on it and pulled it out from behind the board. It was a brooch. It was gold with purple and green stones in it. The jewelry sparkled in the late evening sun that came through the back window of the attic. Was this the object that Gramps wanted me to find? It just looked like another piece of the costume jewelry that my aunt had stored up here. It was nothing significant.

  As I held it in my hand, all of a sudden my fingers started to tingle. Then the rest of my hand actually vibrated. The brooch fell from my hand and landed on the floor. As soon as it was out of my hand my skin stopped tingling and there was no more vibration. That thing really was making my hand vibrate. Surely it was magic. Now I really felt like this was the object. Why did it do that when I held it?

>   “Hallie, where are you?” Nicolas called out to me in a singsong voice.

  He sounded strange. He didn’t normally talk to me like that. It was odd.

  “Hallie, are you up there?” Annabelle’s voice had that same odd tone.

  Her voice was really starting to freak me out. I grabbed the brooch from the floor and held it in my hand even though it was vibrating. It was such a bizarre feeling. Liam called out for me with the same spooky singsong voice. I was really starting to panic. I couldn’t put the brooch back where I’d found it. I didn’t want to take that chance. I didn’t want them to see me with it either, so I decided I had to put it in my bedroom. It would be locked away with the Book of Mystics. I was the only one with a key. It would be safe there until I found out what it meant.

  I had to get to the bedroom before they caught up with me. I rushed over to the door and eased out to see if they were on their way up. Thank goodness I didn’t see them. Now I just had to get down to the next flight of stairs and into my bedroom. Plus, I had to make it without Nicolas coming in there and seeing what I was doing. It wouldn’t be unusual for him to come to the bedroom and look for me. After all, it was his bedroom too.

  I hurried down the steps to the second floor and then raced down the hallway. They could probably hear me running up there, but they weren’t calling out for me, which was also odd. I reached my bedroom door and ran inside, then over to the closet. This was where I kept the Book of Mystics locked away. It was in a safe under the floor. I rushed over frantically, trying to get this done before somebody came and found me. It took me a minute to get both locks undone with the keys that I kept around my neck at all times.

  I put the brooch inside and slammed the door shut, then locked it again. Next I placed the keys back around my neck. I’d just made it before anybody got up here. I shut the closet door and raced over to the bed in case somebody came in right away. They wouldn’t see me over there by the closet. Nicolas knew I had the Book of Mystics locked away. Of course I had the keys, so he couldn’t get in the safe. Maybe because they were acting so strange I didn’t trust them. I’d never thought that I would have to hide anything from Nicolas, and maybe I didn’t have to now, but just in case, I would figure out what was going on first before letting him or anyone know about what I’d found in the attic. I didn’t even know what I had found in the attic.