My Evil Valentine Elixir Page 4

  “Tell them the truth. It wasn’t suicide.” Brittney continued. “You made it look that way. You are evil. You made everyone cover up for you”—at this point, Hazel had started to cry. The camera man panned to her and then back to the table. It seemed no one was in control. Sera realized the ghost of Jezebel really was possessing Brittney. “You made Hazel lie for you. It’s true, isn’t it, Hazel?”

  Hazel started crying harder and nodded. All of it caught on camera.

  Madeline covered her mouth with her hand but couldn’t hide the shock on her face.

  “Did you really think you would get away with it, Cupid?” Brittney continued.

  “No!” Cupid yelled and then he looked at Nana and hung his head. “Please, stop this madness!” He glanced around the room. Everyone was watching him, eyes wide, mouths agape as he ran for the front door.

  Six

  Sera had a fitful night’s sleep, reliving Brittney’s words over and over. Was Cupid evil? She didn’t like him, that was for sure, but that didn’t make him evil. She’d finally drifted off to a deeper sleep, only to have the cell-phone alarm jolt her awake. She stumbled down the stairs to her kitchen and fumbled for the coffee filters. She’d just hit the start button when she heard the door. It was too early for visitors. She opened her laptop and took a peek at the security camera footage. What the heck were Hazel and her assistant doing here?

  “Hey, Sera.” Hazel said as soon as Sera cracked the door open. Arctic air blasted her. “Sweet place. I can see why they call it the witch house.”

  “Ugh, thanks! What are you two doing here? Aren’t you staying at Caravan Manor with everyone else?”

  “We are.” Hazel swallowed. “Brittney, Philip, Ariel and I got bored, so we headed to the bookshop and then Ariel and I decided to take a walk over here to see if you wanted company.”

  Sera stepped back, holding the door wide. “Come in. How did you know where I live?” Sera rubbed her arms chilled by the unexpected intrusion as she waited for the two women to move inside.

  Ariel stomped the snow off her boots and glanced over her shoulder as if she were expecting a fourth person to join them. “Your application form had the address on it, remember.”

  “Oh.” Sera nodded, realizing Nelle must have added that. Thanks a lot, Nelle.

  “Anyway,” Hazel said, unzipping her coat. Sera noticed her hands shook ever so slightly. “I hate to admit it but—we’re totally freaked out.”

  “You are? Come sit and have a coffee. Tell me about it,” Sera said.

  “Sure. Brittney, Ariel and I got warnings.”

  Sera poured Hazel and Ariel a cup, then one for herself, and took a seat across from her. “What do you mean: warnings?”

  As Hazel took off her scarf, she said, “I mean we all got a text, warning us to shut our mouths or else we’d wind up like Aurora. If we talk to the cops, we’re as dead as Jezebel.”

  “From who? Cupid?”

  Hazel nodded and Ariel pulled a phone out of her bag to show Sera the text. A piece of crumpled up paper fell out and rolled under the table. When Hazel picked it up, Sera noticed a magical residue on Hazel’s hands. She stuffed the note back in Ariel’s purse and carried on. “Anyway, we were hoping you could track him down. You’re a witch and you’ve got powers and stuff, right?”

  “I don’t have any sort of tracking powers. I can manipulate electricity and that’s about it. Don’t either of you have any gifts?” Sera had just assumed everyone involved in the show did. Plus, she’d just seen the residual magic dust on Hazel’s hands, which usually came from spell books.

  “Nope. Ariel and I are normies. No magical talent whatsoever.”

  Sera eyed Ariel who’d shifted uncomfortably at that statement.

  “None, whatsoever?” Sera looked Ariel in the eye as she said it.

  Ariel cleared her throat but shook her head no. She was definitely lying about having no magical powers but why. Did she think her boss would fire her if she wasn’t just a normie like her? Sera made an internal note to ask her later once they were alone.

  “Some of us just pretend for the show.” Hazel said in explanation completely unaware of her assistant’s lie. “Show her the magic dust.”

  Ariel pulled a jar of gold glitter dust from her purse. It helps if everyone thinks and feels like we’re all the same. It’s a judgement-free zone.”

  “I see,” Sera said.

  Hazel jumped to her feet then and peeked out the window.

  “Everything okay?” Sera asked, coming to join her.

  “Yeah, I just can’t shake the spooked feeling. Cupid’s pretty powerful so if he wants us out of commission then there’s nothing we can do about it but it’s hard to just give up, you know?”

  “Of course. What do you mean ‘he’s powerful’? What is he?”

  “He’s sort of akin to an incubus. He can make you do whatever he wants. Well, most people. Some people are immune, though they’re rare.”

  “How do you know if he’s controlling or influencing you?” Sera asked.

  “We think you lose time,” Ariel replied. “At least that’s what seems to happen to us.”

  “And how does he do it?”

  “He gives off this scent—it’s like an evil elixir. That’s sort of the last thing we remember before the blanks.”

  Sera nodded. “That makes a lot of sense.”

  “So, he’s done it to you too?”

  “No. Actually, for some reason I’m repulsed by him. I get this weird disgusting smell from him but I have noticed that others seem enamored.”

  Hazel sipped her coffee, “Yeah, you’re one of the lucky few then.” Tears welled up in her eyes. “I wish Jezebel had been that lucky. I just feel so guilty and now that poor girl is in the hospital too. If she dies, I will never forgive myself for just standing by and watching it all happen again. The police said we’re not allowed to leave Bohemian Lake. I feel like a sitting duck out here. Will you walk us back to the bookstore? We’d feel so much better knowing you were around to zap him.”

  “Of course,” Sera replied. “Just let me get dressed.”

  ***

  “What about Philip?” Sera asked, as they headed down Salem Street.

  “What about him?” Ariel asked.

  “Was he on that show too?”

  Hazel nodded. “Yeah, he was in the first few episodes but he didn’t make it too far. There was him and that other Spanish guy Javier. He’s pretty hot. Too bad he dropped out after he met the love of his life—guess it didn’t work out since he’s back.”

  Sera noted the possibilities. She’d look into Javier later. “Did Philip know the girl who died well? Jezebel?”

  Hazel chewed on her lip. “Actually, yeah I think he did. You’ll have to ask him for the details though. He should be around here somewhere. Philip! Hey Philip,” Hazel called out as they stepped inside Nelle’s shop. “Where are you? Sera wants to talk to you.”

  The store was silent.

  Hazel gave a shrug and walked to the downstairs book club area. “You two coming?”

  “Yeah, just a sec,” Sera replied, noticing some of the potion bottles had been knocked over.

  Sera was just cleaning up when she heard one of the women scream.

  “Hazel?” Sera called, rushing toward the stairs. “What’s wrong?” She looked down the spiral to where Hazel was crouched at the bottom.

  Hazel looked up. Her hands clapped over her mouth in silent tears. “It’s Brit!” She pointed. “I think she’s..... dead!”

  Brittney? Dead?

  Oh, no.

  Sera rushed down the stairs and looked across the room to the couch.

  Her stomach clenched as she moved closer.

  “Hazel! Call nine-one-one!” Sera yelled to her. No response, just a glazed look. “Hazel! Come on!”

  “Right....” she whimpered, slapping her pockets in search of her cell phone.

  Sera focused her energy, trying to get control of her emotions. The last thing sh
e needed to do was send out a bolt of electricity. Someone had shot Brittney with a bow and arrow. The bloody arrow stuck out of her chest. Hopefully there would be prints, but that was probably asking too much. Thanks to the rise in forensic television shows, even the most basic people knew to wear gloves.

  “Where’s Philip?” Ariel cried.

  “Oh god,” Hazel gasped. “Did Cupid take him or are we going to find him next?”

  Sera heard the sound of sirens in the distance. The police would be here momentarily.

  Two uniformed officers from the Bohemian Lake Police Department cordoned off the room, while Cody asked Hazel, Ariel and Sera to stay until he could question them. Twenty minutes had passed before Daemon and Nelle arrived.

  “Did the police tell you what happened when they called?” Sera asked, rushing up to them. “I just can’t believe this....”

  Tears threatened to emerge.

  “Shhh. It’s okay,” Daemon said, placing an arm protectively around her. “Breathe. They told us. You okay?”

  Sera nodded.

  “How did the dead girl… err… Brittney get in?” Nelle whispered.

  “What do you mean? Hazel has a key, right, since they’re paying you to film here?”

  “Yes. Was she with Brittney?”

  Sera nodded. “At first. She and Ariel left Brittney and Philip and showed up at my place. I came back with them and we found her.”

  “Who do you suppose did this? Philip, one of the other contestants, or has Cupid struck again? Was the bow and arrow symbolic?”

  “I don’t know,” Sera said. “But I overheard the C.S.I. guys talking about the prints. Apparently, there was something funny going on with them.”

  “Funny? What do you mean?”

  “I don’t know. The guy scanned them into some sort of device but then he was complaining that the machine was glitching.”

  “What sort of device?” Nelle questioned.

  “You know, one of those handheld biometric things. Anyway, he was complaining because he said the print kept changing.”

  “So, whoever killed her was definitely supernatural.”

  “Exactly. I don’t think the BLPD is ready for this.”

  Daemon shook his head. “No, I may have to consult on this one. Tell me what happened.”

  “I don’t know. It was just Philip and Brittney here. Hazel was with them but she and Ariel left to come to get me.”

  “Why were they coming to get you?”

  “They were scared. Hazel said that she and Brittney had received threatening text messages from Cupid that morning. She was terrified. And then we got here and no one was answering. Philip was gone and Brittney was d-dead.”

  Seven

  Sera shivered, then pulled her chunky knit blanket tight around her shoulders as she moved to the cupboard on the wall adjacent to the stove. Her house felt extra cool or maybe it was just the shock of finding another body. Had Cupid really killed Brittney for exposing him at the seance. Or was someone out to make it look like he did it?

  She stood on tiptoe and released the lock. To ordinary eyes the wall looked simply like two narrow decorative cupboards mixed in with actual cupboards but once the lock was released, Sera was able to open the doors to the hidden butler’s pantry where she kept all of her herbs and magic-related items. One could never be too careful. This room contained all of the witch’s paraphernalia her ancestor—a reformed witch hunter—had collected over the years. A library of magic which ran red with witches’ blood.

  Sera walked inside, careful to step around the herbalist's worktable as she moved on to the built-in shelving and drawers on the opposite end, where her collection of spell books was neatly arranged along with alchemy bottles, mortars and pestles, and the skulls of various creatures including humans and demi-humans. She didn’t like half the things in this room but she couldn’t bring herself to part with them.

  She moved aside an animal skull and brought down a battered leather tome, opening it to page sixty-six. After she’d retrieved the key wedged between the pages and unlocked one of the drawers. She pulled it out and set it aside, then reached inside the cavity, feeling for the mechanism that would open up the secret compartment. Her fingers found a slight depression, she pressed it firmly. A spring-loaded drawer large enough to hold two thick books popped out of the bottom of the housing. The secret drawer—a document box—had been used for hiding wills, contracts, or deeds, but that wasn’t what Sera had hidden. Underneath a small cache of gemstones was the book she’d inherited from her Great Aunt, the Witch Hunter’s Bible.

  Given its bloody history, she didn’t like using it but it included an encyclopedia of basically every magical creature out there and included lists of their various strengths and weaknesses. There was just something she’d overheard that was bothering her about the fingerprints on that bow. She’d been reading for about an hour when she finally found the creature she was looking for—the one with the revolving fingerprints.

  Sera’s phone rang in the other room. She put everything away, replaced the drawer and stowed the key back inside the book. Then she pulled her chunky knit blanket tight around her shoulders and hurried out of the hidden chamber just as her cell phone vibrated with a text. It was from Eve.

  Urgent. Life or death. Meet me in the secret garden. You know where.

  Sera shivered and hurried upstairs to her bedroom to get dressed. Medieval was curled up on the bed in front of the fire. She stroked her fur. “We have a problem, buddy. I think Eve’s in trouble.”

  The cat looked up and the tag on the collar jingled. Medieval was able to communicate with her using the collar. Something she’d only recently discovered. She fingered the silver little nametag: Eve’s okay.

  Phew! One never knew with Eve. She could be a bit of a drama queen. Still, Sera knew it had to be important. She hurried to pull on her sweater and jeans, grabbing one of her oversized wool knit scarves for the hike through the woods.

  Eight

  The overgrown path wound in front of Sera, twisting and turning so she had to concentrate to remember the way. Mallory had taken her here in the summer but it looked different all covered in snow. A soft brown and gray deer on the path ahead caught her eye turning its head so she could see the delicate curves of his face. It only stayed a moment before running off, which was fine. She knew they were shy, quiet, distant creatures, who preferred to stay pretty much on their own, but when she saw the deer’s tracks, it reminded her of footprints. Why hadn’t she noticed any? Was Eve not even here yet?

  That struck her as odd. She stood for a moment wondering if it had been wise to just take off the way she had without telling anyone. Medieval had said Eve was fine. What if Eve hadn’t been the one to text her. She was dealing with a group of magical creatures. Surely, one of them could manipulate cellphones. This could be a trap.

  And that’s when she began to sense that she wasn’t alone in the woods. She felt a prickling on the back of her neck as noise wove through the trees—the crunch of snow, the snap of a broken branch.

  Sera bent her head to avoid a low swinging branch of a tree. The tree limbs leaned close to one another, their branches intermingled in a strange embrace, making a vault above her head like an archway. She was sure she was lost now.

  She decided to take a chance and call out. “Hello?” Hopefully, it was Eve she was hearing, and that’s when the little gray furball appeared. Mallory’s Norwegian forest cat. At least she knew she was somewhat close to the manor if Bakalo was around.

  “You noisy clever cat, you. That was you I was hearing. Are you here to guide me?” He meowed and bounded on ahead. The Vianus trusted Bakalo so Sera would too.

  “Bakalo! Slow down.” She picked up speed. “You’d better not be leading me on a wild goose chase!” She stopped talking when she saw the chimney first and then the windows. Mallory’s secret retreat built into the side of the hill. It reminded Sera of her ancestor’s cottage. Not because they looked alike but because they wer
e both kitschy in style, as if they belonged on a movie set. This would have been Snow White’s cottage—or maybe Sleeping Beauty’s—if this were a film. But it wasn’t a film. This was real life. As if to punctuate this thought her iPhone rang. Sera checked the caller ID. Eve.

  “Hey, Eve. I’m just in the—” Sera said

  “Don’t hang up.”

  Sera recognized the voice immediately.

  “Cupid!” Sera glanced at Bakalo. “What are you doing with Eve’s phone?”

  “What do you think I’m doing with it? I’m calling you.”

  “You better not have hurt her.”

  “Of course not. Who could hurt Eve? That woman’s a tyrant,” he replied. “Anyway, Eve’s helping me. She says to walk to your left. She’s meeting you to bring you inside.

  “What’s going on? How do you even know where I am?” Sera repeated as she followed Bakalo in the direction of a tunnel. She didn’t trust Cupid, but she also was immune to his charm so if Eve had fallen for it then she’d need to save her. “What’s happened?”

  “I’m in trouble. Someone’s trying to frame me and I saw you out the window.”

  “Frame you? Cupid, you need to turn yourself in. Why are you calling me? Eve! Say something so I know you’re okay,” Sera shouted.

  “Listen, Sera. I didn’t do it. Hurry up and come inside and I’ll explain. Eve’s already out there waiting for you.” His voice sounded strained as he spoke.

  Two more steps and Sera thought she saw someone waving. She did! It was Eve in a one-piece, seventies-style, white-and-green camo ski suit. No wonder Sera’d had trouble spotting her.

  “Oh, thank god.” She expelled a huge sigh of relief as she hung up the phone and ran to her. “Are you all right?” Sera felt her cheeks and checked the dilation on her pupils. “Where have you been? Why does Cupid have your phone? Did he kidnap you?” Sera paused in her barrage of questions.

  “Good lord, Sera.” Eve pulled away. “And you wonder why we set you on that datin’ show. You definitely need a man if you’re desperate enough to paw at an old lady.”