Rafe seemed to regain his composure long enough to lift his weapon and aim it at Sean.
“For crying out loud!” Kenzie barked in disbelief. “There are two witches battling it out and you’re going to try to take down a ghost?”
“I’m not going to try. I’m going to actually do it and succeed. If nothing else, it’ll put an end to this shit.”
“You’re unbelievable. That ghost isn’t hurting anyone.”
“Not yet. But I guarantee he will. He’s already scared Morgan.”
“Because Audra put a spell on him!”
“Oh, you figured that out?” Audra mused, unfazed by the relentless attacks from her opponent. “I was hoping that Morgan would be the only one who couldn’t see Sean, and every time he showed up, it would just scare her and maybe she’d even leave town. Too bad it seemed to have the opposite effect.”
“Reverse the spell!” Morgan demanded with a hiss as she dodged a fiery orb.
“Why should I?”
“If you really loved Sean, you’d let him make his own choices and respect them! Reverse the spell so I can see him!”
Audra’s attacks didn’t subside, even as she seemed to ponder this. The room was alight with all manner of colors, sparkles, and even fogs as Audra contemplated what Morgan had implied.
“I’ve got a better idea,” she declared at last. She dodged an orb of lightning as she stalked toward her spell book. She flipped it open to an ancient-looking page while Morgan halted her attacks (though why she did that, Kenzie couldn’t fathom). Kenzie was trying to inch closer and closer to the stairs to escape, but there was no way she’d be able to sneak down them undetected. They were on the other side of the room, and Audra’s proximity to her was even closer than before because of the position of the spell book.
“You really want this?” she asked Morgan in a sardonic tone. Morgan just nodded as tears begin to fall from her large eyes.
Audra shrugged and recited an incantation in some language Kenzie couldn’t identify. Perhaps witches had their own language and this wasn’t known to anyone else? Either way, she hoped this would work and that Audra would remain true to her word.
When Audra finished her recitation, an aura appeared around Sean for a moment before quickly disappearing.
“Sean!” Morgan exclaimed joyously. She ran toward the specter and threw her arms around his transparent body. Oddly enough, she didn’t go right through him; it appeared that his form was as solid as a living person’s despite his ability to go through walls.
“Morgan, I’ve missed you so much,” Sean said as he returned the embrace. “I’ve wanted to talk to you for so long, to tell you that I love you and that everything’s okay.”
Unfortunately, this sweet gesture wasn’t what Audra had been hoping for. Her temper flared even more as she watched the happy couple rekindle their romance that had been unjustly cut short.
“I can’t believe you’d choose her over me,” she screeched at the top of her lungs at Sean. Sean just looked at her and balked, “Believe it, Audra. It’s always been Morgan. I love her and I don’t care what kind of magical shit you conjure up. Nothing is going to change that.”
This was evidently the wrong thing to say. Audra raised her hands once more and said menacingly, “I brought your spirit back so I could give you back your life. And this is how you thank me? Well, that works two ways. I can put your spirit back in the ground just as easy. I’ll let the Reaper deal with you.”
“Anything would be better than having you to deal with. Even in death I can’t escape your petty quibbles.”
Audra’s eyes frosted with anger and Kenzie found herself taking a tentative step backward. Another orb began to form between Audra’s elongated fingers, and before anyone realized what was happening, the vivid sphere fired right toward Sean. This time, it didn’t merely plunge into Sean’s chest; it exploded upon impact, releasing a kaleidoscope of colors throughout Sean’s transparent torso. As everyone watched, his ghostly figure began to fade away.
“No!” Morgan cried in alarm.
“It’s okay,” Sean said, trying to sound soothing. “I got to see you one last time, Morgan. And my time in the physical world is over. I love you. Never forget that.”
Morgan’s sobs turned into hiccups as tears fell down her cheeks anew. In a matter of moments, Sean’s ghostly form vanished and it was as though he were never there. Despite his reassurance, Kenzie could tell that Morgan was inconsolable. She collapsed onto the floor in a crumpled heap, her tears refusing to subside.
Kenzie looked up from the heartbroken young woman to send an antagonistic glower toward Audra. “Really?” she demanded, suddenly feeling brave. “Sean chose Morgan over you, so you killed him. And then you bring him back in some sense, plan to kill an innocent person to resurrect him with some dark magic, and when he still doesn’t choose you, you just destroy his soul? What the hell is wrong with you?”
“Don’t judge me. Of course, you of all people should know what it’s like to be rejected. It probably happens to you often enough.”
“This isn’t about me. And when I’m rejected, I don’t cast some crazy spell on someone to get revenge. I put on my big girl panties and move on. Maybe you should grow up and do the same.”
Audra’s response was to defiantly raise her wand. “Are you sure you want to piss me off?” she said sardonically. “You’ve seen examples of what I can do to people who piss me off.”
Before Kenzie could respond, Morgan suddenly got to her feet, mascara running down her cheeks, but her eyes blazing with determination and resentment.
“So, is that what you call love?” she said, fastidious. “You claimed you loved Sean but when he didn’t do what you wanted him to, you just killed him. Twice. Ms. Howell’s right; if you really loved him, you would have respected his wishes. And besides, you’re the one that let me see him again. What did you think would happen?”
“Honestly, I thought a little weakling like you would get scared shitless and run off.”
“Well, you underestimated me.”
“Maybe so, but now your lover boy’s gone. What are you going to do about it? It’s not like you’re powerful enough to bring him back.”
Morgan responded by scowling at Audra, and then in one swift motion, she was at her throat, both arms wrapped around it, the pain, anguish, and resentment all flooding into her fingers as she grasped Audra’s windpipe.
“Let me go you crazy bitch!” Audra croaked as her hands closed around Morgan’s.
“Stop it, both of you!” Kenzie screamed. “This is ridiculous! Sean’s gone, and this isn’t how he would have wanted you to behave!”
So absorbed was she in watching such a great battle unfold before her, Kenzie hadn’t realized Rafe cowering in a corner, clutching his cell phone. Sage began barking in his direction, which caused her to turn and stare at the ghost hunter quizzically.
“What the hell are you doing?” she asked him in exasperation.
“I called the cops,” Rafe said simply, giving Kenzie a look that implied she’d be crazy for thinking he was doing anything else.
“Oh, brilliant. Just wonderful, ghost boy. They’ll come up here, see a witch fight, and they’ll know witches exist. News flash: supernatural creatures aren’t supposed to exist!”
“Hey, this is Barnacle Bay, remember? Witches aren’t exactly unheard of.”
“Voodoo is more common here, and witchcraft was supposed to be an old fad that died out years ago. No one seriously believes people still cast spells.”
“Think what you want.”
Kenzie just lowered her head and pinched her nose in disgust. Obviously this guy had forgotten about Audra’s intention of making him a sacrifice less than ten minutes ago.
Just then, the sounds of several footprints began pounding on the winding staircase. At least Rafe had been smart enough to leave the bookshelf open for the police to find the secret passageway.
“Freeze!” One officer shouted. Morgan released Audra, who slumped to the floor dramatically, and Rafe stood up with his hands in the air. Kenzie just stayed still until she saw Chief Sutton.
“Ms. Howell?” Carter asked, bemused.
“This is a long story,” she said with a resonating sigh. Carter didn’t prod her any further. Instead, he instructed his officers to apprehend the two young women in the far corner. He then looked around with a befuddled expression.
“What is all this stuff?” he inquired.
Kenzie scrutinized the room once more. What could she tell Carter? The truth? Would he even believe that, regardless of Barnacle Bay’s legends?
“This is a witch’s chamber,” Rafe answered for her. “Turns out there really are witches here in Barnacle Bay.”
“Great. I hire you to get rid of some crazy paranormal rumors and you turn up witches. This isn’t going to be good for tourism.”
“You really believe him?” Kenzie asked skeptically. Carter just looked at her with a tired look and said, “It’s either a witch or someone who desperately wants to be one. Look at this stuff. I don’t know of anyone else in the world who uses a cauldron for anything. And that book over there looks pretty old, and from what I can make out, there’s foreign text on the pages. Plus I saw Audra waving a wand around. I’d say witches are a safe bet.”
“How do you plan to hide that from the public? You know such things aren’t supposed to exist.”
“Of course I know that. It won’t be hard; I’ll just state in the report that we got a call about two females having an altercation about a male they both happened to be involved with before he died. I don’t even have to include the part about the ghost.”
“Have you ever had to hide something like this before?”
“No, never. I believe in ghosts, but I’ve still never seen one.”
“Too bad you didn’t get here earlier; you would have seen Sean Plankinton.”
“What?”
Kenzie quickly filled Carter in on everything she’d learned while on the case. By the time she was finished, Carter was rubbing his eyes, looking even more spent. He finally asked Kenzie and Rafe to leave the house and meet him at the station to give their statements. As Kenzie drove there, Sage in the front seat with her, she felt relieved that this case was finally over. It had more twists and turns than a pretzel factory, but at least it was over. And she knew what she’d put in her report for her professor. She was one step closer to getting her private investigator permit.
The one thing that still bothered her, however, was Morgan’s state of mind. Sean would be resting in peace now, knowing that he got to see Morgan again and bid her a proper farewell. Unfortunately, Morgan, at least for a while, might be resting in pieces...pieces of her shattered heart.
********************
“I still don’t understand the fortune teller, though,” Kenzie confided in Morgan as the two waited inside the interrogation room for Chief Sutton. “She knew this was going to happen, and she knew to talk to me.”
“I can explain that,” Morgan stated. “That’s my grandmother. She somewhat has a sixth sense, and she makes her living as a fortune teller. She probably knew what was going on because you’d talked to me. Plus, I did kind of call her and tell her a detective was in town trying to help with the ghost business. She taught me everything I know, more than my dad did because he died when I was just a kid. My mom wasn’t too keen on the idea of witchcraft, even though she married my dad, and neither was I for a long time. But since all this happened with Audra, I’m glad I learned what I did. Now I think I’ll try to learn more.”
“Well, just be careful. I’m glad you’ll start embracing who and what you really are, but just use those powers for good and not evil.”
“That’s the plan.”
Morgan looked around the room for a moment before saying, “I never did thank you for helping.”
“It’s not necessary. I just wish there was something more I could have done to help Sean.”
“Yeah. I heard there was some way to use a spell with ambrosia and bring a ghost back to life. I’m going to look into that.”
“That’s good. I wish you luck.”
“Thanks. But I am wondering why the chief isn’t more freaked out about the fact that witches really exist. I know this is Barnacle Bay and we’re notorious for supposed witchcraft and voodoo, but still.”
“That surprised me, too. But he can’t really write that in his report considering such things aren’t supposed to exist. So I don’t know what’s going to happen now.”
Just then, Carter came into the interrogation room. He’d already taken Kenzie’s statement; now, she’d be helping him with the interrogation process, another part of her assignment that she’d almost forgotten about entirely.
When it was all over, Morgan and Audra were both held temporarily for further questioning and testing. Kenzie, however, was dismissed. She’d caught the “culprits” so her job was done. She didn’t have to stay for the rest, especially since she was a student.
Driving back home to Riverview, she felt both relief and anxiety. She was so grateful to have finally solved this case that started out as pure skepticism. But weighing more heavily on her mind was the fact that witches existed, in addition to the vampires and unicorns she’d already met.
With all the supernatural creatures she kept meeting, and this indiscretion of the witches of Barnacle Bay, it was only a matter of time before the rest of the world found out that humans weren’t the only creatures in existence.
The question was, when would the truth come out?
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