One Last Spell Vol 1 & 2 Paranormal Witch Cozy Mystery & Romance Read online

  “ONE LAST SPELL”

  PARANORMAL WITCH COZY MYSTERY & ROMANCE

  Volume 1

  Raven Snow

  © 2015

  Disclaimer

  Al rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  Cover images licensed through Dollar Photo Club & Freepik.com.

  [email protected]

  Digital Edition v1.02 (2016.01.28)

  Chapter One

  Castlerock, End of Winter

  I flipped the heavy book open and flicked through the pages until I found what I was looking for. Squinting, I leaned over the ancient pages and made sure I had al the ingredients for the brew.

  Job's tears. Pu'erh leaves. Fennel seeds. Cloves. Ginger.

  I popped all the ingredients into the bubbling water and stirred the pot carefully over the stove, smel ing the sweet and sour aroma as it drifted up with the steam.

  The perfect herbal tea. It's as close as I get these days to performing witchcraft.

  After the mixture had bubbled and boiled for a while, I took it off the stove to cool and flicked the TV on in the background. I may have cut myself off from civilization, but for some reason I still watched the news compulsively, observing humanity from a safe distance. A very safe distance. Through a screen.

  As I went to pour a cup of my concoction I kept the TV on in the corner of the room. The local news report had nothing much of interest—no gruesome murders in the last week. I took a sip of tea and pondered that fact, the mug warming the palm of my hands. It was good, of course, to hear that Castlerock had returned to the quiet little sleepy town it had once been. Good, but a little dull.

  The weather report in the background said that last night's fal would be the final snow of the year. I groaned and sat my cup down. Clear roads gave me less of an excuse to stay tucked away up near the mountain.

  And it gave other people less of an excuse to stay away.

  The sound of a car engine heading up the mountain side made me prick up my ears. Elevated senses had always been one of my special powers, and though I was no longer practising, I still had cat-like hearing.

  I turned the TV volume down and listened to the car, heard it getting closer, as I hoped that it would continue on straight ahead, that it wouldn't turn right down my driveway.

  No such luck. I heard the wheels crunch over the badly ploughed snow as it made its way down my drive before the engine turned off.

  Who on earth could it possibly be? I wondered as I snuck over to the window. Pulling the curtain back half an inch, I peeked through the small crack to see a black car flash its lights and the driver's side door shoot open.

  I quickly pulled the curtain back. Could I hide? Would she go away if I just refused to answer?

  Steering clear of the window, I pressed my back against the wall where she wouldn't be able to see me. I made sure even my breathing was quiet as I stood flat against the wall with my arms out. She walked up the driveway, and through a tiny crack in the corner I could see her long blond ponytail swinging as she walked.

  It had been a long time since we'd spoken. The last time we'd seen each other was also the last time I'd performed magic.

  And I intended to keep both Jessica and magic firmly in the past.

  ***

  Ten minutes had passed, and Jessica was stil standing on my doorstep, knocking on the door. She was persistent, I'll give her that.

  "Zelda," she called again. "I know you're in there. I can wait as long as it takes. You can't stay cooped up in there forever."

  You wanna bet? With online shopping and food delivery straight to the door these days, no one ever had to leave the house again. I had no intentions of leaving anytime soon. If it was to come down to a battle of who could last the longest—Jessica outside in the freezing air on my doorstep, or me safe and warm inside with a large brew of tea, I knew who would win.

  She knocked again. "Zelda. Please. Let's just get this over with. Come to the door."

  I groaned. Finally I moved away from my position against the wal and went over to the door to answer it. I pulled it back to find Jessica there with her arm caught mid position, about to knock again. "Oh," she said, dropping it. "Zelda, you are here. I was almost about to give up."

  I should have waited an extra few minutes. Still, it was good to see her again, there in the flesh before me. Her long blond hair was even longer than before, and even tied up in a ponytail it stil swung down to her waist in a dead-straight line. It had always contrasted with my own locks— dark and wavy, and only just past my shoulders. We made the perfect mortal-and-witch pair.

  Jessica took a step backwards into the snow as she gave me a long look up and down. "You look like you've lost weight." Then she added, "You look well, Zelda."

  She was lying. I mean, sure, maybe I looked good, but I can't have looked wel . Long months cooped up indoors couldn't have done much for my already pale, almost translucent skin. Plus, I could feel the bones and angles of my own body, and I knew that 'wel ' wasn't the way any sane person would describe me.

  But Jessica can't have been sane. Not if she was standing on my doorstep, expecting me to help her.

  "What are you doing here, Jessica?"

  She gave me a long, hard look. Swallowing, she looked away for a second before returning her heavy gaze to me. "There's been a murder, Zelda."

  I crossed my arms and leaned against the door frame. I narrowed my eyes and looked at her. "No, there hasn't been. I watch the news religiously.

  No mention of a murder anywhere near Castlerock."

  "We're keeping it out of the press."

  I snorted. Fat chance of that. The Castlerock police department had never been any good at doing that before. And I should know; last time, I'd been the one who'd paid the price.

  "Well, I don't know what you expect me to do about it," I said, closing the door on her.

  "Zelda!" Jessica called out, placing her foot between the door and the frame, stopping me. "You're real y going to close the door on your best friend?"

  "Best friend?" I raised my eyebrows. "Is that what you call us?"

  "Yes," she said firmly.

  I laughed and shook my head. "After everything that happened..."

  "That wasn't my fault."

  "You could have stopped it, Jessica."

  "I tried." She kept her foot pressed firmly between the door and the frame. I'd never wanted to use my powers more in my life than in that moment. But I just kept gently pressing on the door, trying to squeeze Jessica's foot out of the way. "I did try, Zelda. And I've tried to reach out to you ever since, but you've kept yourself locked up here away from everyone."

  "It's for the best." I took my hand off the door for a second. "I don't do magic anymore."

  Jessica's face dropped.

  I nodded slowly. "Thought that might be your reaction. I assume you no longer need my help, then."

  Jessica pulled her foot away and placed her hands in her pockets.

  "Zelda, have you real y stopped? You've g
iven up magic?"

  "Too many people got hurt."

  I watched and waited for her response. I half expected her to walk away right then and there and climb back into her car, racing away down the mountain. What good was a paranormal assistant to her without the paranormal part?

  Jessica glanced up at the sky, squinting, and I watched as a snowflake drifted down and fell onto the shoulder of her black jacket. "I thought the snow was done," she murmured unhappily. "Was supposed to be clear from now on."

  "Can't say I'm too disappointed," I said, trying to close the door again.

  "Keeps people away."

  "Zelda!" Jessica gripped the handle on the other side. "Please. Hear me out at least."

  "There's nothing to hear out. I can't help you."

  "You're the only one who can."

  I sighed. "Come on, Jessica. You're a good detective."

  I saw a flicker of insult fly over her face.

  "More than good," I said, correcting myself. "Great. You don't need magic to help you solve the case."

  She lowered her voice, even though we were miles from town and there was nothing around us apart from snow and mountains. "Don't you think we've already exhausted every other option? It's been nothing but dead ends. We need your...expertise." Jessica glanced around furtively, still seeming to think someone might be listening to us. "We can bring you in like last time, tell everyone that you're a psychic helper and..."

  "Goodbye, Jessica." I shut the door on her. No way. We weren't going with that line again. Not after what had happened last time.

  She banged on the other side of the door. "Zelda, please!" Her fist banged into the wooden frame again and again. I took a step backwards, shutting my eyes. I could feel that familiar tingle creeping up my spine and I shook my head, squeezing my eyes shut as tightly as I could, as though I could block it out.

  Jessica needs you.

  I shook my head. I'd made a promise to myself. No more magic. Not for this, not for anything. Not even for Jessica.

  "Zelda!" she called out. I opened my eyes. "Please. My job is on the line." She stopped knocking. "I'm in trouble. Please. I'm only asking you because I'm desperate."

  I took a deep breath and walked towards the door. Slowly, I unlocked it and pul ed it back open. Jessica was standing there with a pleading look on her face.

  "Just one last time, Zelda, please."

  I nodded. "One last time, Jessie. One last time and you never ask me again. Deal?"

  "Deal."

  Chapter Two

  The hil snaked down in front of us as Jessica navigated the bends. I wondered if it would take me long to adjust to the lower altitude. It had been a while since I'd been at ground level.

  "So you haven't, at all...since…?" Jessica asked, turning her head to look at me as she drove. The ride into town was windy as we traversed down the side of the hill.

  I shook my head. "I told you,” I said quietly. "I don't do that anymore."

  Jessica pondered for a second. "I thought the witch elders say that you need to keep your powers up to date. That you need to practice them or else they'll disappear."

  I put my head back on the headrest. Jessica had an annoying habit of being able to remember everything I'd ever said to her and repeat it back to me verbatim. I suppose that's part of what made her such a good detective.

  That and her persistence.

  I shrugged. "I don't care if they disappear."

  Jessica almost slammed her foot on the brakes. "You don't care if they disappear? If I had powers like yours I would cling to them for life and death."

  "You don't know what it's like."

  We travelled in silence for the rest of the way. The further down the mountain we got, the more the snow cleared, and it was completely melted as we rolled into the main part of town. There was the first sign of spring— green branches sticking out, letting us know that it was almost their time to make a reappearance. Taunting me is what they were doing.

  Jessica perked up as we drove into town. "You know it's going to be so great having you back, Zelda. Everyone has really missed you. Especially me."

  We drove past the diner where Jessica and I used to share every meal while we were working on a case together. I felt a little twinge of homesickness, longing for their fluffy pancakes with whipped butter and thick maple syrup as we passed it.

  Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to be back.

  Maybe things would be different this time.

  ***

  Jessica turned in to a parking lot and hit her brakes.

  "But we're still half a mile away from the station," I said, looking around.

  "Zelda, this is the best parking spot in town. Who knows if we'll even get a closer spot?"

  I opened the door and climbed out, slamming the door shut behind me. Another of Jessica's little eccentricities was always parking several blocks away from our destination, just in case there wasn't one single free car park any closer.

  "Don't they give you a designated spot at the station?"

  She shook her head. "Every man for himself. Besides, we'll take a squad car if we need to." She patted the bonnet of her car. "Meanwhile, this baby wil be safe and sound here."

  I sighed. "Let's just get going."

  Shivering, I shoved my hands into the pockets of my coat. I expected Jessica to be hurrying, but she was staying back a bit, taking her time.

  "Well, come on," I said. "Don't you have a murder to solve?"

  She nodded. "Yes, but solving it isn't going to bring the woman back to life."

  I pulled a face. Some of the black humor she and her cop friends occasionally used. She didn't really mean it, I knew, but it was just a way for her to cope. "In all seriousness," Jessica continued, "we need to take our time a little getting back. There's someone there you definitely don't want to run into."

  I stopped. "Not Harry."

  Jessica nodded. "Yes, Harry."

  I groaned and turned back towards the car.

  "Wait," Jessica said. "This is why I didn't tell you he was working on the case. But don't worry about him. Come on, we'll stop for coffee, and in the meantime he'l be taking off. He's going to interview suspects in the other town over." She wrapped an arm around my shoulders. "Come on. I’l fil you in on the details of the case while we're there."

  ***

  The familiar smell of the diner hit me. It smelled pleasantly of burnt coffee and sugary pastries, and the heating was turned up so high I had to pull my jacket off immediately before we sat.

  "Our old spot," Jessica said, grinning, as she slid into the booth.

  I smiled back at her in spite of myself. "I gotta admit I kinda missed this place." A waitress came over and we gave our order. Coffee and pancakes. Just thinking about them made my mouth water.

  As we waited, Jessica started to talk.

  "The case has been dragging on for too long. Two weeks and we don't even have a suspect. It won't be much longer before the press gets hold of the story." Jessica shook her head as the waitress started to head towards us with our coffees. "Then I'll really be in trouble."

  I thanked the waitress and began to stir the sugar into my cup. "Why you?"

  Jessica took a sip of her coffee. "I'm the lead detective. After what happened last time..." she trailed off and looked at me. I dropped my eyes away. Perhaps I wasn’t the only one who had suffered. "I'm on thin ice; just put it that way."

  I tapped my fingers against my coffee mug. I’d spent all this time locked away in the mountains, thinking that I'd been the only one hurt by what happened. "I'm sorry," I said, finally looking up.

  Jessica smiled back at me. "It's okay, Zelda. You're here now."

  I took a deep breath and a smile spread across my face as the pancakes arrived. "Tel me the details, then. Let's solve this case."

  We each tucked into our pancakes and waited until the waitress was out of earshot before we continued talking. "It's a crazy case," Jessica said, shaking her head as she swallowed a mouthful of
pancakes. "All we have to go off is the murder weapon. But there are no prints on it and no clue as to who could have done it."

  I frowned. "And the victim?"

  "That's the other crazy part," Jessica said. "And the reason this case might be appropriate for you." She lowered her voice right down as low as it could go. "In fact, I think you might be the perfect person to help solve this, for more reasons than one."

  Jessica stopped and looked around to make sure no one was eavesdropping on our conversation.

  "Well, go on," I said. I was leaning forward in my seat in spite of myself. I had to wonder what was so secret about this case. They were keeping it out of the press, and Jessica was clearly paranoid about anyone overhearing her talk about it. Something was going on. "Tell me who the victim is."

  Jessica looked up at me with wide open eyes. "Helen Blackmore," she whispered.

  My eyes shot open just as wide. I lowered my fork to my plate and dropped it. "No..." I said.

  "Yes, Zelda."

  "That's...Helen's dead?" I shook my head. "She can't be."

  Jessica picked her fork back up and started eating again slowly. "Didn't think she meant so much to you," she said, observing me carefully.

  "She...she didn't," I said quickly, also picking up my fork. I began to shovel pancake into my mouth so quickly I could have been mistaken for a starving person. "I barely even knew her."

  "But you knew the rumours about her."

  I stopped eating. I stared at Jessica. "Of course I did."

  "Was there any truth to them?"

  I pushed my plate away, keeping my eyes locked on Jessica the entire time. "Is that the only reason you called me?"

  She looked down. "No, Zelda, not the only reason." She let out a long sigh. "In fact, I tried to keep you out of it."

  "You didn't try very hard." I had the overwhelming urge to stand up and run out of the diner. It was one thing agreeing to help when I'd thought it was some anonymous victim. But now that I knew the truth...

  "I don't know if I can help you after all," I said quietly.