spies and spells 02 - betting off dead (16 page)

“Why would someone do this? An innocent horse?” I couldn’t fathom it. “An innocent man.”

“Think about it, Maggie. Rails and Nails was picked out of all of their horses to back as the Derby go-to. Everyone in the group would’ve made money, but the win would’ve put the Byrds at the top of the game.” His eyes told me more than he wanted to.

“So you are thinking the Tuckers had something to do with it?” I questioned.

“Let’s just say that last night before you came to get me, the group had just voted that if something happened to Rails and Nails, Bet the Farm was to take his place.”

“Bet the Farm?” I questioned.

“The stall number four horse that the Tuckers won at the auction.” His words tugged at my witchy senses.

“That means I need to make sure I get in Riley’s tight circle.” My eyes narrowed and I knew exactly what I needed to do.

Unfortunately, my little investigation was going to have to be put on hold until my double shift at The Brew was over.

The bell above the door signaled my arrival. Auntie Meme stuck her head through the kitchen window.

“Thank goodness it’s you today.” Her jaw tensed visibly. “My spell on Sherry has worn off. She’s just nasty with the customers and flings food down. I swear there’s more food on the ground than there was on the plates.”

“I don’t need to do anything today.” The less I told her the better. “I was meaning to tell you that I know you put that Cassie spell on me. I also know that you originally tried to put it on Mick, but that’s when you got burned.”

Whenever we tried to cast spells and they backfired, the spell couldn’t be used on that person.

“Then you thought that you’d just throw it on me. And the little
oops, I thought that was my glass
trick where you put your finger in my glass, was a nice way to transfer the spell.” I reminded her of the night she showed up to Mick’s apartment with the Spell Circle. “Nice way to get Miss Kitty noticed because Mick’s landlady took a great photo of her flapping outside of Mick’s window as well as him seeing her.” Intently I stared at her. “You know that I can’t use any spell on Mick since he is part of my life’s journey.”

That was how we all knew my two worlds had collided. When I first met Mick, I put a couple of spells on him, including a mind erase spell that simply bounced off him. Spells didn’t work with mortals who were meant to be in your life’s journey.

“The Spell Circle was a nice touch too.” I walked behind the counter and grabbed the condiments caddy. I moseyed around to each of the tables and refilled the items that need to be filled.

Auntie Meme didn’t try to protest what I’d accused her of.

“I went to the post office to check on that signature.” She chattered from the kitchen.

I scurried through the swinging door. “Was it Mrs. Hubbard?”

Auntie Meme was standing over the pots watching them stir themselves as she put a little dash of this and that in them.

“No.” She looked over her shoulder at me. Her brows drew in an agonizing expression.

“Then who?” I asked with anticipation.

“Abram Callahan.” She said his name with somber curiosity.

“What?” My jaw dropped and I threw my fingers over top of my necklace. “Vinnie,” I gasped and had to sit down in the chair at the tiny table.

“Vinnie?” Auntie’s eyes were hollow. She buried her head in her hands and slumped her shoulders.

“Last night I was in a little bit of a situation that probably warranted a warning from Vinnie. I continued to touch my pendant to get a reading from him but nothing. I figured I was safe but I wasn’t. There was an awful explosion that almost killed me and Mick.” I choked back the words. “Do you think Abram unhooked the pendant circuit?”

“I think it’s very likely.” She drew in a deep breath and brought her trembling hands down to her side. “It’s time for a little family gathering with Abram Callahan.”

“I’ll call him.” I got up and stopped shy of the door. “Don’t forget to erase any trace of Miss Kitty. From what I’ve been hearing the wildlife association is looking for her and has even gone to see SKUL.”

Auntie Meme stood still, staring at her pots.

The diner’s breakfast crowd was light and it was nice not to rush around since I’d gotten up so early to go into SKUL. The lunch crowd was another story. I hustled and bustled up until one in the afternoon and had not a moment off my feet.

Just as I sat down to have a fountain Diet Coke at the bar before I began to clean up for the day, the bell jingled over the door.

“Two please!” the voice shouted.

“Sit anywhere.” I tapped my toes on the floor to swing the stool around.

“Maggie?” Riley laughed. She stood in the door of The Brew with Amber. Their arms filled with packages. “What are you doing here?” The snobbery in her voice chimed throughout the diner.

Auntie Meme smacked the bell that sat on the pass-through and shouted, “Order up!”

There was no order to be up, so I looked back at her. Her eyes were focused on the two women.

“We will just sit over there.” Amber pointed to a two-top in the back corner of the diner.

They maneuvered their packages as they weaved in and out of the tables and used the empty four-top table to hold their packages.

“Maggie,” Auntie Meme had a mild, interested voice. “Do you mind telling me who those two snobs are?”

“It’s very important that you do me a favor.” I was probably going to regret it, but I had to do it. “I need you to make me a special spell for them. I need you to make them each want me to become their best friend.”

A slow, secret smile crept up on Auntie Meme’s face like she understood. She disappeared back into the kitchen. The clinking sounds of pots and pans floated in the air.

“Hey girls.” I walked over. “Y’all’ve been shopping.”

“Yes. But more importantly, why are you here?” Amber asked.

“My family owns the diner and we were a little shorthanded today. Of course I love to come in and meet new people. Tell them about all the great horse racing that might be coming our way.” I winked. “Do you know what you want?”

They both glanced up at the chalkboard above the counter where the daily specials were written.

Both of them ordered the special. BLTs on rye and chips.

Auntie Meme already had their food prepared and spelled up before I even turned in their ticket.

She winked and smiled as I took the tray from her. Riley and Amber weren’t interested in talking to me once I delivered their food. I watched them from afar to see if the spell had taken effect. It wasn’t until the last drop of water was drank from their frosty cups that they signaled me to come over.

“I wanted to invite you over for a get together with all the couples tomorrow night.” Riley scribbled her address down on a napkin.

“But you can ride over in our limo with us,” Amber chimed in.

“No,” Riley scrunched her nose. “I’ll send our limo over to pick you and Mick up.”

“That’s okay.” I called a truce between them. “Mick and I like to have our car. We will see you at seven tomorrow night.” I tucked the napkin into my apron pocket and walked off with a big smile on my face.

I pretended to busy myself behind the counter instead of watching them leave. The bell over the door chimed their departure. Auntie Meme stuck her head in the kitchen window.

I grabbed the condiments caddy under the counter to start cleaning up and refilling the tables.

“Go ahead and use a little magic to clean up.” Auntie’s grin overtook her features. “You deserve a mortal day off.”

Chapter Eighteen

“Vinnie, I don’t know what Abram did to you but he’s going to regret it.” I rubbed my familiar’s dashboard. His circuits weren’t lighting up like they normally did.

I flipped the switch to manual and drove myself home. When I got there, I pulled Vinnie into the garage and put down the door.

Mom was in the garden behind our house, bent over her fish pond, the newest feature to her award winning garden. Mom was proud that she’d won the blue ribbon of the garden club tour. Lilith was asleep on a float in our play pool. It was an actual swimming pool that was only four feet deep and just enough for us to enjoy the Kentucky warm summer days. It was a tad too chilly for me to get in, but Lilith had warmed the pool to bath temperature.

The vibrant colors of the flower garden along with special herbs made the yard pop with fall colors.

“How was your day spying?” Mom bent down and picked up one of her koi fish and pet it like a dog before she kissed his perched lips and put him back in the pond.

“It was a bad night.” I sat down next to her and picked up her clippers and helped clip some of the herbs. “I really wanted you to come and check out a horse for me. I’m not sure, but I think there has been some things going on that the horse can let you in on.”

“Oh,” she rubbed her hands together. “I love horses. But it’s going to have to wait until after we do a little number on our good friend.”

“Abram.” Lilith had awoken and floated out of the pool. She was fully dressed in her coven outfit. “Mom has tied him up in the basement.”

“Mom,” I gasped. “He’s awake?”

“Traitor will feel the wrath.” She drew her hand in the air and a clap of thunder echoed above our heads.

“Oh no.” I scurried inside the house and once in the depths of the kitchen, I swiveled my hand around me to get into my coven’s outfit as quickly as possible. “Coven, family, thyself,” I chanted before I descended down into the depths of the basement.

“So much for a mortal day off,” I grunted and stomped down the steps.

The gaslights flickered as I took steps down the cobblestone walk. My own shadow crept up on the walls making my skin prick seeing the larger-than-life pointy hat. The clicking sounds of my pointy boots bounced off the walls and echoed down the hallow hallway. The beam of light trickled out the stained glass window of the heavy wooden door.

I could picture Abram Callahan now, sitting on the other side, his hands and legs bound with a frightened look on his face. Not that he didn’t deserve what he got. He did. But maybe not on such a grand scale as putting him in the coven room.

I fisted my hand up to the door. In a fluid motion I knocked two short and one long, meaning I dragged my knuckles down the door on the last knock. The door opened. The one-hundred-candle chandelier provided a warm glow around the red room.

“Mmmaagggmmmm,” The chair legs danced back and forth as Abram thrashed side-to-side. The chair had a life of its own. It twirled and swirled him around, even did a back flip with him in it. Another one of Mom’s or Auntie’s spells that was really fun to play with as a child, but not so much with a mortal in it.

I drew my hand up in the air with my palm facing out. Abruptly the chair stopped, cocked on two legs. One front and one back.

“Down.” I swept my palm facing down. The chair settled on all four legs. “Abram, I’m going to pull the gag off.” I took a step forward. “You can’t scream or say a word or I’ll make a special mouse treat out of you.”

His eyes popped open and his chin raised up and down so fast I thought his head was going to hinge right off his shoulders. I eased up and lifted my hand to his face, but pulled back.

“I’m not kidding. No screaming,” I warned.

Profusely he shook his head.

I tugged on the edges of the gag and pulled it down over his chin, causing it to fall around his neck.

“What on Earth is going on down here?” His eyes darted back and forth. “You are some sort of crazy witch that is bad. Real bad.”

“Nooooo,” My mouth formed an O as I slid my head back and forth, keeping my eyes on him. “We are good people. I even saved your cat way more than nine times. Not to mention that I trusted you.” The hurt was apparent in my voice.

His chest rose up and down in a rapid movement. The air pushed in and out of his lungs through his nose. His nostrils flared.

“You repay me by stealing Auntie’s package and turning Vinnie’s circuits off?” My brows dipped along with my heart.

I wasn’t in love with Abram. I loved Abram. He was my only mortal friend that knew there was something special about us. An unspoken bond that he had now broken and in turn had ended our friendship.

I twirled around, my cape flew in a wide circle around me and sparks zipped out from underneath my feet.

“Help! Help!” he screamed.

A flash of red shot past me, knocking Abram to the ground and in the shape of a snake.

“He must die.” Auntie Meme stood at the door with Mom and Lilith peering over her shoulder. “We can’t have a narc in our group.”

“He is not a narc.” I bent down and let Abram curl around my arm. His beady eyes stared back at me and his head darted back and forth. His tongue jutted in and out. “Don’t you dare try to bite me or you’ll never be turned back into human form,” I warned.

“What do you suggest?” Lilith waltzed beside me and dragged her fingernail down Abram’s scaly head.

“I suggest we turn him into dirt for the flower garden.” Mom’s brows cocked, her lashes drew down as she focused on him. Her lips pursed. Her nose curled.

“We can’t do that either.” I sucked in a deep breath. “How did he get here?”

“I called him and told him that I needed him to look at Vinnie.” Mom didn’t take her eyes off of him.

“Did he come to the front door or back?” I asked.

“The front.” Mom let out a heavy sigh. She threw her hand up in frustration. “Does it matter, Maggie?”

“Yes it does.” I stomped. “Mrs. Hubbard has two chairs and a small table in the front room of her house. There is a pair of binoculars under her chair. She’s watching our every move and if Abram Callahan goes missing. . .” I shook my head.

“That filthy rat.” Auntie Meme’s cheeks reddened as deep as her hair. “I wondered how she spent her day and now I know.”

“Then,” Mom drew a finger down Abram’s snake body, “I guess we need to erase his mind.”

“Not his entire mind.” Lilith shrugged. “Just his love for Maggie, his knowledge of her saving that cat.” Her lips twerked. “And how he knows there are strange and special things.”