Looking for Mr. Good Witch (20 page)

“Not Adrian, or Nora,” Olivia said. “They're old friends too. And Althea and Elizabeth are Belinda's sisters. We've known them forever.”

“What about Marlie Eubanks? I don't recognize that name.” Elsie pointed at it.

“Let's write that down.” I grabbed a piece of paper from the desk in the living room. “I also don't know Zack Nelson or Emma Rhodes.”

Olivia and Elsie agreed.

“What about Portia de Winter?” Dorothy questioned.

“She's only been in the area for a few months while she was setting up the full moon celebration,” I told her.

“But she's with the council,” Elsie reminded us.

“We should check on her for sure,” Olivia said. “Since when do we trust the council?”

“Four people we don't really know from the list.” I looked
at the names. “That's not too bad. We can find them and be on guard against the sea witch's glamour.”

“We should be able to do that.” Elsie looked away, and when she looked back, her face resembled Cary Grant's. “By George, I believe we can do it.”

Dorothy laughed and even Olivia chuckled.

“I wish it was that obvious,” I said. “Everyone be sure to bring your magic tool with you. I don't have to get Joe from the hospital until later today. We should have enough time to check out these witches.”

“Fortune favors the bold,” Elsie/Cary said as she picked up her plate, glass and silverware. “We shall come back victorious, or on our shields.”

Witch's cat, witch's cat,

Watching the night,

Run away, run away

Into the light.

We went to Dorothy's. She and Olivia wanted us to come inside and listen to Hemlock talk about his past.

“He only spends time in the library,” Olivia said. “I think he might actually be reading the books.”

We spent ten minutes listening to Hemlock recount tales of his life in ancient Greece. He seemed a little puzzled to be in the New World, as he called it.

“He thought this was Atlantis,” Dorothy said with a laugh. “He was disappointed when I told him it wasn't. It's amazing all that information was inside my cat and I never knew it.”

“People who don't talk to cats don't know what they're missing,” Elsie said.

I reminded everyone gently that we were on a mission. It was lovely conversing with Hemlock, but there were things to be done.

We took my car back to my house, and Dorothy drove the Mercedes. Olivia insisted the car wasn't being driven enough, since Dorothy only wanted to drive the Beetle.

We were in the process of changing cars when Abdon Fuller joined us with Cassandra at his side.

“I'm looking for my grandson. Have you seen or talked to him?” he demanded with no preliminary.

“Good morning to you too, starshine,” Elsie said. “The earth says hello.”

He frowned at her and focused on Dorothy. “I know he was at that hovel you call a shop yesterday. I lost track of him after that.”

He glanced at Cassandra with a murderous expression that said that
she
had lost track of him. She pushed her hair back behind one ear and feigned boredom, staring at her fingernails.

“He was at Smuggler's Arcane,” Dorothy admitted. “But he left. I tried calling him several times during the night. There was no answer.”

“You have strong magic,” Elsie said. “Why don't you do a finding spell? Or a locator spell?”

“Don't you think I've tried that? It's as though he disappeared from the earth.”

“He may be underwater and in danger,” I told him. “The sea witch that Cassandra warned us about has killed two young men in the area. I'd hate Brian to be the third, but he's showing signs that he could be next.”

“No sea witch would
dare
attack my grandson,” Abdon roared. “He's probably hiding himself from the likes of you. I don't know why I bothered coming here. Come, Cassandra.”

Abdon vanished. Cassandra stayed long enough to tell us to call her if we heard anything from Brian. Then she was gone too.

“And you can buy that ability to pop in and out, huh?” Elsie asked. “I wonder how much it costs. I have some money saved up. I'd like to be able to dramatically disappear at will.”

“I'm afraid Brian is really in trouble,” Dorothy said. “I
went to his apartment again last night. He hasn't been home. Could we try looking for him through the telescope before we go talk to those witches?”

We were at the shop ten minutes later. I fed Harper while Elsie and Dorothy took out the spelled telescope to search for Brian. Olivia tried to get Harper to play with her, but while he acknowledged her, he wasn't interested in playing.

“It's really odd not hearing his thoughts,” Olivia said. “After years of having him in my head, it feels empty in there now.”

“Any sign of him?” Elsie asked Dorothy who was holding the telescope to her eye.

“No. I don't see him anywhere.” Dorothy turned to me. “Would we be able to see him if the sea witch took him underwater?”

“I don't think so. I think we'd need a different spell for that.”

“And maybe a pair of magic goggles,” Elsie said. “How else could you open your eyes underwater?”

“What should we do?” Dorothy was suddenly panic-stricken.

“I know this is only a theory.” I put my hands on her shoulders. “But I think the sea witch is the Bone Man's wife. I think they're the same.”

Elsie drew in a deep breath. “Why would you think that, Molly?”

“Dreams and intuition. The sea witch and the Bone Man's wife keep coming back together. A sea witch is a dead witch given to the ocean. Sometimes they return. The first dream I had was about the sea god getting there too late to save his love from the fire. I know it sounds crazy, but I'm sure that was the Bone Man and his wife. I think he couldn't let her go. He put her in the water even though he knew what she'd become.”

“Why wouldn't he tell you about it?” Elsie asked.

“Because that's the way he is,” Olivia answered. “We all know he's as slippery as an eel. He doesn't admit anything unless he has to. I wouldn't put it past him to set Molly on the track of a murdering witch just so he wouldn't have to go get her himself.”

“That's harsh,” Dorothy said. “I thought you had a good time with him on the island when he took your staff.”

Olivia fussed with her blond hair as she would have when she was still alive. But now it never changed. “That was different. I understand the way he thinks—though I didn't know he was a sea god. I suppose that could explain a few . . .
different
things.”

I didn't want to know what those things were. “Let's stay focused, ladies. If the sea witch is actually someone from the memorial book list, we'd better be careful how we approach this. She could have Brian stashed somewhere. She could try to kill us.”

“How are we ever going to get her to go back to Oak Island?” Elsie asked. “Obviously it's not somewhere she wants to be.”

“Or maybe she goes out and sows her wild oats every hundred years or so and then goes back,” Olivia suggested.

“But if that's her normal routine, why ask me to find her and bring her back?”

“And how do we rescue Brian from her?” Dorothy asked.

There were no answers to the questions. We piled back into the Mercedes. Dorothy brought the spelled telescope with her. Elsie hid her sword under her green-and-peach-colored shawl.

I looked at my amulet in the mirror before we left the shop. I hoped it was powerful enough to help me through this.

Elsie had managed to spell a phone book so we could find the witches we needed to talk to. The closest one to us was Zack Nelson. He lived in downtown Wilmington, close to Thalian Hall, the old theater.

“Maybe I should pop over there while you all talk to Zack,” Olivia said. “You know everyone claims Thalian Hall is haunted. I wouldn't mind spending some time with my people. I might learn a thing or two. It would be nice to understand my ghostly powers.”

“I think you should stay with us, Olivia,” I told her. “Remember the part about one of these witches possibly being a murderous sea witch? We might need your help.”

“Well, of course, Molly. But I don't know what good I can be without knowing what I can do. Maybe I can visit Thalian Hall alone later.”

“I'll be glad to take you over there, Mom. I'm surprised there aren't any ghosts in our house, as old as it is.”

“Honey, I'm sure if there had been any ghosts, witches would have kicked them out years ago. As you've noticed, we aren't exactly ghost-friendly.”

Zack lived in an older house that had been made into apartments. We found his name by the door on his mailbox in the downstairs entrance. When we pushed the call button, he answered and we explained that we were from Smuggler's Arcane and wanted to talk to him for a moment.

He was happy to see us, and he even brought out homemade chocolate chip cookies and milk, which completely endeared him to Elsie right away. Olivia was taken with his charming Southern-gentleman manners and good looks.

We sat in a small solarium, eating and drinking, while I tried to devise a plan so we'd know if he was the sea witch. Because the power of glamour could be so strong, I couldn't trust my eyes. I didn't think I'd have been able to see the glamour the killer had put on before attacking Joe and Suzanne if she hadn't been distracted.

“Would you mind if I used your restroom?” I asked.

Zack smiled handsomely. He'd been showing us dozens of the orchids that he grew. “Of course. It's the third door
to the right, Molly. Be sure to try the lavender soap. I made it myself. The perfume is exceptional.”

Dorothy seemed to be the only one cognizant of my dilemma. “I have to go too, Molly. I'll come with you.”

Zack and Elsie both looked surprised, but no one said anything. Olivia sighed as she continued to study his beautiful face and muscular body.

“This looks odd,” I whispered to Dorothy as we went to the bathroom together.

“Women always do it in restaurants.” She shrugged. “What do you have in mind? What's the plan?”

“There isn't one. We should have thought of what we were going to do before we got here. I think Elsie and Olivia might be too taken by Zack to be much good.”

“Maybe we could throw water on him,” Dorothy suggested. “What's the standard practice for taking away a sea witch's glamour?”

“I don't think there is one. Sea witches are so rare—like witches who become ghosts. I'm not sure what to do.”

We surveyed the bathroom, admiring its homey touches. The lavender soap perfumed the entire room. The hand towels matched the color of the soap, and pretty purple plants grew in the windowsill.

Dorothy nodded. “Leave it to me. I have a plan.”

Before I could ask what that plan was, she was already on her way back to the solarium. I stayed in the pretty bathroom and filled the sink with water, bathing my face, using my fingers to smooth water on my eyelids. I invoked a water spell for clear sight and hoped that might help. I realized it might not be enough for a really sophisticated glamour, but it was the only appropriate spell that came to mind.

I smelled the lavender soap. It was very nice, but I only needed pure water. I went back and sat in the chair I'd vacated.

Zack looked the same as he had before I'd done the spell.
Either he was who he said he was or I couldn't crack his magic. I
was
able to see that his credit score was poor and he was having trouble with his wisdom teeth.

I shrugged when Dorothy raised her brows.

She nodded, assuming I couldn't see anything, and got to her feet. She closed her eyes and invoked a spell for strength before she punched Zack hard in the face.

He dropped back in his blue velvet chair, his hand pressed to his jaw. “Why did you do that, Dorothy?”

She narrowed her eyes, studying him closely. “Are
you
the sea witch?”

“What is she talking about?” he asked Elsie in pain and confusion.

“Unless I'm very much mistaken, I think she was trying to make you angry so you'd shake off your glamour. A good ploy, really.”

“Except that anyone can tell that no glamour could make a face so perfect,” Olivia simpered, probably trying to make amends. “You'll have to forgive her. She's new to being a witch.”

“At
her
age? What has she been doing all her life?” Zack stared at Dorothy in horror. “Of course I'm not a sea witch. Your mother is right.
Anyone
could tell that.”

Dorothy's actions put an end to the almost partylike atmosphere there had been only moments before. We left soon after. I didn't expect to be invited back at any time in the future.

“I think we can cross him off the list, don't you?” Elsie asked. “And by that I mean
any
list that young man ever makes with witch's names on it.”

“What in the world were you doing?” Olivia asked Dorothy. “I can't believe that adopted mother of yours didn't teach you better manners.”

“Back me up here, Molly,” Dorothy implored. “It would've worked if Zack was the sea witch. I punched him so he'd be
distracted and in pain, like it said in the books we looked through. If he'd been trying to hide who really is, his glamour would've slipped.”

“I think, before we visit anyone else, we should come up with a better plan,” I said in the kindest way possible. “I really don't think Zach is the sea witch. Who's next?”