Sitting up and stretching, she threw the covers back and staggered into the bathroom. Sage was also awake, ready to be taken outside for a morning walk. Unfortunately, while they were in Barnacle Bay, Kenzie doubted they’d be able to take any leisurely walks; she’d be too busy with this case, plus Sage would probably be helping her thanks to her keen intellect.
After she let Sage outside and got dressed, Kenzie opened her laptop to check if Isaiah was online before heading out. To her dismay, he wasn’t. Where the hell was he, anyway? He didn’t work twenty-four/seven.
Stifling a groan, Kenzie let Sage back inside, grabbed some select items, and headed out the door toward Alexis’s house.
Kenzie hadn’t seen Jillian’s younger sister in a few years. She’d moved to Barnacle Bay out of high school to study the town’s history, particularly the parts about pirates. She also hoped to write a book about the various pirates that were famous in Barnacle Bay, but every time she thought she was finished, she found more information to add. Perhaps she’d stumbled across something relevant in her research that could help Kenzie in this case.
Stepping outside and making her way toward her car, Kenzie saw that the weather was ominously foggy. It really added to the overall mood and vibe of the case she was working on. She and Sage climbed into the car and Kenzie drove toward Alexis’s house.
At last, she arrived at the cozy-looking garden cottage. In addition to writing historical books, Alexis also grew and sold fruits and vegetables and she was keen on fishing as well. She’d always been quite the tomboy. Parking her car, Kenzie sashayed toward the door, Sage at her heels. She raised her hand and rang the doorbell, which she heard sound shrilly through the house on the opposite side of the front door.
Footsteps resonated behind the door before it swung open to reveal Jillian’s younger sister, still with her signature short hair and lack of makeup.
“Hi, Kenzie!” Alexis greeted her with a chipper tone. “Jillian called and told me you’d probably be coming.”
“Hey, Alexis. It’s been a while.”
“I know. Come on in.”
“Do you mind if Sage comes too?”
“Your dog? No, I don’t mind at all.”
So Kenzie and Sage followed Alexis inside. The interior of the home was open and inviting, decked out in Alexis’s favorite color of yellow with some pirate-themed decorative items scattered about.
“So,” Alexis said, “Jill said you’re here for a case and might need my help.”
Kenzie nodded solemnly. “Yeah, this is a pretty crazy case I’m on. The only reason I’m doing it is because I have to help solve a real case in order to get my PI permit.”
“That doesn’t sound like you. Normally you do a case no matter what it is.”
“I guess I hoped becoming a PI would be easier.”
“Oh. Well, what can I do to help you out?”
“You’ve done a lot of history research on this town. I know it’s mostly about pirates, but if something pertinent came up, it might help.”
“Something pertinent like what?”
“Well, the case is that a local young woman keeps apparently seeing her furniture floating for no reason. She thinks her house is being haunted. So the police call a professional ghost hunter to check it out, but by the time he gets there, nothing’s wrong. By the way, I can’t believe you guys have a professional ghost hunter here. I don’t believe in ghosts for one thing, and another, there’s no evidence at all to indicate that a ghost or anything has been in Morgan’s house.”
“Morgan…are you talking about Morgan Malloy?”
“Yeah, do you know her?”
“Not really, but I did hear about her fiancé. He died in a car accident.”
Kenzie nodded in agreement. “Yeah, that’s what I heard. I talked to Morgan earlier today, and she swears up and down that some other girl was involved with her fiancé, Sean. She insists that this other girl, Audra Spellmeier, used witchcraft or voodoo to hex Sean to get him to leave her or something. And that Audra caused his car to crash and that’s why he died. Of course, Audra said the exact opposite; she claims Morgan is the real witch. It’s a confusing love triangle with no evidence in between. All I have to go on are the words of two different suspects, plus a ghost hunting charlatan. I need some insight. And do you know Audra by any chance?”
“No, I hardly even see her. But, I might actually be able to help you out. Yeah, I did research on pirates and their history here in Barnacle Bay, but pirates aren’t the only big thing here. According to what I found, several years ago, like back in the 1600s, there were people who practiced witchcraft and voodoo. Apparently the ability to do that is hereditary, so if someone around here is a witch, they got it from their parents. I read some more recent books too, and they claim that a lot of people still believe in witches and voodoo here, and they believe it really works. Some even said that both arts are still practiced.”
“So you’re saying, according to research you did on pirates, witches are real and voodoo actually works?”
“That’s what I found out.”
Kenzie turned her head away and brushed some hair out of her eye. This just kept getting better and better.
“What all do you know about witchcraft and voodoo?” she finally asked Alexis. Alexis just frowned. “Honestly, not that much. I just skimmed that part; I was looking for information on pirates. But our library has a great section of books on both subjects, some written back in the early 1900s. They might help you out. I think they’re more accurate than what you’d find on the Internet, to be honest.”
“Thanks, Alexis. Well, if you find out anything, or think of anything else, would you please give me a call?”
“Absolutely, just give me your cell.”
Kenzie told Alexis her cell phone number, and Alexis returned the favor. Then Kenzie bid her best friend’s younger sister farewell and climbed back into her car, Sage right behind her. She then drove toward the library through the fog, which hadn’t let up at all.
The gears in her head were spinning like those of a giant machine about to combust. She was hoping that Alexis could shed some light on the situation she was in, but it turned out that witches might actually exist, and the art of voodoo might actually be effective. Just what she needed.
After she reached the library, Kenzie picked out a few select books, but because she didn’t have a library card with the Barnacle Bay library, she was restricted to reading the information there rather than in her hotel room. She’d have to look up more information later, though, as Alexis said, it probably wasn’t as accurate on the Internet. The older the material was, the easier it was for someone to find false facts and then report on them.
Because she was on a time crunch, Kenzie couldn’t just read everything word-for-word. She copied down information that appeared the most relevant and made notes of what to research further. She then got back into her car, where Sage was eagerly waiting due to animals not being allowed in the library, and drove back toward the hotel.
Once back inside her hotel room, Kenzie fired up her laptop to type up the notes she’d written. The cranky librarian hadn’t allowed her to use a copy machine on the fragile books, so she’d had to spend longer at the library than necessary.
As she was about to start researching, Kenzie saw that Isaiah was finally online. She jumped into the instant messenger program like her life depended on it (although in this case that might actually be true).
WolfKen: There you are! Where have you been?!
BiteMe: Um…working?
WolfKen: Bite me? Really?
BiteMe: I thought it was clever.
WolfKen: Whatever. I have to talk to you.
BiteMe: Don’t tell me. You’re going to admonish me again for dating your best friend.
WolfKen: No, I need some supernatural advice.
BiteMe: Okay…
WolfKen: What do you know about witches?
Isaiah didn’t reply right away. Drumming her fingers on the desk impatiently, Kenzie was about to type her question again in all caps before finally she got a response. And it wasn’t what she was expecting.
BiteMe: Are there witches involved in this case?
WolfKen: Uh…why else would I be asking?
BiteMe: Kenzie, listen to me. If there are witches involved, screw your assignment and screw the case. Get out of there now.
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