A Witch's Curse (9 page)

“
Thank you, Chief. Would you like to come in?”

Eric Rose stepped inside the foyer, removing his hat. “Herman told me about the suspicions you had concerning your partner.”

Carolyn nodded. She hadn’t wanted to accuse Maggie, yet she didn’t believe she had a choice.

“
Good to know you’re taking this seriously and keeping your eyes open. However, in this case, I can tell you for certain that the perp wasn’t Maggie Wells. We tested the blood we found on the veil and the DNA came from a male. Unfortunately, there wasn’t a match in the system to make a proper identification.”

Relief washed over Carolyn. “That’s great. I’m so relieved Maggie isn’t the intruder. I hated the idea that my best friend betrayed me. So, where do we go from here?”

“
There are several other clues we are still working on. In the meantime, I’ve beefed up patrols in the neighborhood and
you
make sure you lock up tight when you go to bed.”

“
Don’t worry, Chief. I will,” Carolyn said, giving Chief Rose a jaunty salute.

“
That’s all for now. Good night, Miss Waters. You too, Miss Sarah,” he said with a nod to the older woman.

“
Night, Eric,” Sarah said.

“
Good night, Chief,” Carolyn said.

* * * *

With Chester walking beside her, supervising, Carolyn double-checked the windows and doors, making sure the locks were tight. In her bedroom, she laid a length of heavy pipe she found in the basement alongside her bed. Crawling under the blanket, she reached over to the nightstand and turned off the lamp. Closing her eyes, Carolyn prepared to rest, ready to sleep and dream of Caleb.

For the first time since moving in, she did not fall asleep the minute her head touched the pillow. Instead, she tossed and turned, causing Chester to seek the quiet and safety of the rocking chair. The minutes crawled by. An hour after turning in, Carolyn heard faint noises emanating from downstairs.

Grabbing the pipe, Carolyn felt comforted by the weapon’s heft and feel. She got out of bed, gently padded across the room, and slowly opened the bedroom door, cautiously sticking her head around the door Carolyn scanned the empty hall. Quietly as a cat, she crept to the top of the staircase. Peering through the banister rails, she saw a figure in a white dress standing in the foyer.

Regretting she hadn’t called the police before leaving her bedroom, Carolyn slowly skulked down the stairs. The figure had his back turned to her, absorbed in finding something in a sack he carried
, so she moved closer to the bottom step when she put her foot on one that creaked loudly under her weight.

The figured spun around at the noise, dropped his sack, and charged at her. Carolyn swung her pipe, but he ducked under her wild swing and tackled her.

His shoulder drove into her stomach. The pipe flew from her hand, as did the breath from her lungs, and Carolyn fought for her life as his hands circled her throat and squeezed.

Unable to scream for help, Carolyn’s thoughts screamed for her.
Caleb! Help me!”

A thick, black cloud formed above the man who had her pinned to the steps as Carolyn scratched desperately at her attacker’s eyes.

A second later, her attacker floated above her, his arms flailing, screaming like a little girl. Caleb, his face twisted in rage, had him by his hair and the skirt of the dress, then proceeded to throw the hysterical man through the air as if he was tossing out the day’s trash. The man bounced off the wall then lay on the floor, face down, unmoving.

Holding out his hand to help her stand, Caleb asked, “Are you all right, my love?”

Holding her sore neck, Carolyn coughed. Her heart raced and her body shook. “I think so. I couldn’t breathe to call for help.”

“
I heard you, darling.”

“
And you came to my rescue. Thank you, my love,” Carolyn said, hugging Caleb tight.

“
What would you like me to do with this scoundrel?”

“
Is he alive?”

“
Unfortunately, yes.”

“
Good, watch him while I call the police.”

“
Are you sure? I could very easily stop his heart for you,” Caleb said, his fingers clenching into a tight fist. “He deserves to die for what he tried to do to you.”

“
No! I want him alive. I want to know why he’s doing this.”

Going to the closest phone, Carolyn dialed 9-1-1. A nearby siren sounded a moment later. “You better leave, darling. I’ll be all right now.”

Caleb vanished as the sound of heavy boots pounded across her front porch. Carolyn opened the door to let in Chief Rose.

Eric saw the man dressed in white on the floor and asked, “Are you all right, Miss Waters?”

“
Yes, thank you.”

“
Who is he?”

“
I don’t know. I didn’t look at his face yet.”

Chief Rose walked over to the man and rolled the body over with his foot, the veil the perp wore fell off.

“
Mr. Hargrove?” Carolyn exclaimed.

“
You know him?” Rose asked.

“
Yes, he was Grandmother’s lawyer.”

None too gently, Chief Rose handcuffed Hargrove. Talking into his mic, Rose called for a second unit to transport the prisoner, and while they waited, Carolyn recounted the second break-in’s details, leaving out all mention of Caleb’s assistance. Any misgivings Eric might have had about her story, remained hidden behind a sympathetic mask.

Before Rose and his deputy took an incoherent Hargrove away, Eric told Carolyn he would like to talk with her when she felt up to coming down to the station. Promising she would be there the first thing in the morning, she closed and locked the door behind them, leaned heavily against the reassuring hardness, and took a deep breath. Turning the lights back off, Carolyn headed upstairs to bed.

Underneath the covers again, Carolyn wasn’t willing to wait for sleep. “Caleb?”

“
I am here, sweetheart.” Sitting next to her, his hand softly caressed her cheek. He slowly bent over, lightly kissing her on the forehead. He moved to her ear, whispering, “I love you more than life itself.” Then he lay alongside her, gathered her in his arms, and held her close.

His tenderness touched her heart, but she needed more. “Caleb? Make love to me?”

Carolyn watched in rapt attention as Caleb slid off her bed to remove his clothes. She wriggled her panties off and slid her t-shirt over her head. Caleb rejoined her in the bed, kissing her on the lips with a tender passion. His hands slowly rubbed her body while his lips left a trail of kisses down her chest, belly, and back up again. One by one, he took her stiffened nipples between his lips and gently licked them, swirling his tongue over her areolas.

A hand strayed to her heated mound, firmly rubbing until her juices seeped onto his fingers, and Carolyn spread her legs wide, inviting him in. Caleb positioned himself so the head of his hot cock could enter her but stopped short of entry, teasing her. His fingers drew slow circles on her clit, exciting her more and more with each circle.

Caleb did everything she could ask for. His tender, unhurried lovemaking fulfilled her every need. He played her body with just the right tune, turning her on more than she thought possible.

He finally thrust
his length deep inside her and began long, deliberate strokes, which quickly raised her building orgasm to the boiling point. Wrapping her legs around him, she pulled him closer and deeper inside her as he thrust harder, his balls slapping against her ass. Both bodies tensed as their points of sexual release exploded in mutual consent.

Caleb
continued pumping as additional waves of release coursed through his throbbing cock. Then, leaving his still hard erection inside her, he hugged her in a close embrace. “I will love you forever, my darling Carolyn.”

“
And I you, my love.”

Chapter Five

Carolyn walked into Chief Rose’s office a little after nine
this morning and sat in the chair he held for her. “I really wasn’t expecting you so early, Miss Waters. I thought you would want to sleep in a bit after what you went through last night.”

Carolyn gave him a reassuring smile. “I’m an insomniac, Chief. I don’t require much rest.”
Although, last night, I didn't rest at all, and I don’t regret a moment of it.

His eyebrows arched.
“Oh? I didn't know. Are you up to answering some questions?”

“
Yes, sir, I am.”

Sitting behind his desk, Eric said, “Last night, you weren’t very clear as to how you fended Hargrove off when he had you pinned to the steps. Can you give me any better details today?”

“
I’m not sure I can. I remember he had his hands around my throat and I couldn't breathe. I believe I did pass out for a second or two, I'm not positive, but I suppose I pushed him off with my legs.”

Chief Rose nodded. “Makes sense. You also stated that he slid across the floor and into the wall, knocking himself unconscious?”

“
I really can't say for certain, Chief. All I do remember is we were struggling on the stairs, and then, all of a sudden, he was laying on the other side of the foyer. Everything happened so fast. Is there something wrong?”

Chief Rose squirmed in his chair as if his shorts had ridden up on him, he asked, “You're positive you were alone in the house?”

“
Yes, I'm positive. Why do you ask?”

“
We tried to question Hargrove last night, after we had a doctor examine his injuries, and again this morning, but he keeps babbling on about how Caleb Harrison's ghost tried to kill him.”

“
Why on earth would he say a ghost tried to harm him?” Carolyn asked in mock surprise.

“
You’d be surprised at some of the excuses these guys come up with. Although, being attacked by a ghost is a first for me.” Rose scratched his chin and laughed. “I couldn’t arrest a ghost even if I wanted to. Hargrove did confess to breaking into your house with the purpose of frightening you to leave. He also admitted he has been siphoning money from your grandmother’s accounts for years, putting it into an offshore account he set up. When your grandmother died and he did the reading of the will, he didn’t dare risk you would want an outside audit of the books when you took control.”

“
But I don't take control for a year.”

“
No, he lied to you about a couple of the clauses in the will -- just another case of a thief being too greedy. Apparently, he thought by putting you off for a year, he’d gain the extra time he needed to steal the remaining money in the account. According to the actual will, you only lose the house and a small portion of money if you don’t live there for a year.”

“
Did he lie about my having a cousin too?”

“
No. There is a cousin. Hargrove knew all about her. He had hired a private detective to find her years ago. If you want my opinion, Hargrove didn’t contact her in the off chance she might contest the will and cause him even more problems. Guess who she is,” Rose said with a wide grin.

“
You know? Who?”

“
None other than your partner, Maggie Wells, who, by the way, isn’t mentioned in the will at all. She doesn't inherit a cent, no matter whether you live in the house or not.”

“
Fantastic! Maggie and I are cousins? I have family again?”

“
It would appear so.”