As Kenzie looked at Sean, she remembered the older woman’s warning earlier. She’d said something sinister stirs and that something bad was going to happen. Who would have thought she was right? The something bad and sinister had to be Morgan being turned into a giant amphibian.
“Fortune tellers make a relatively decent living here,” Sean replied when Kenzie asked him about this. “Moonlight Falls isn’t the only place known for fortune tellers. And with all the witchcraft and voodoo around here, is it really that surprising?”
“I guess not.” Kenzie shook her head and grimaced.
“What?” Sean asked.
“I’m so stupid. I talked to Audra and thought she was such a nice person. Turns out she was wearing a mask the whole time, hiding who she really was.”
“She’s very good at that. Look at what she did to me with her crazy magic. She made me cheat on my fiancé with a straw doll. Makes me sick just thinking about it.”
“Can ghosts even get sick?”
“I don’t know, but I meant it figuratively.”
“Well, I found out how to reverse Audra’s spells. They have to be said backwards. The problem is, a witch has to say them. And there’s no way we’d be able to get Audra to undo her own spells. Do you know any witches?”
“Nope, Audra’s the only one I know of. And I just discovered that recently.”
Kenzie tried not to hide her disappointment. She did have one other thought, but she was hesitant to bring it up to Sean.
“Uh...I have a hunch, but you might not want to hear it.”
“What would that be?”
“Morgan seemed to know right away that Audra was a witch, and a lot about what she did. I mentioned this to Audra, and she just fired back that Morgan was the one doing those things. She basically repeated what Morgan had already said. It makes me wonder...do you think Morgan’s a witch?”
“Of course not! She’s too good to be a witch!”
“Sean, maybe we’re looking at this wrong. Maybe when we hear the word ‘witch,’ we think evil and, well, Audra. But maybe there are good and bad witches, just like there are good and bad people.”
“Why wouldn’t she have told me?”
“Supernatural creatures aren’t supposed to exist. But maybe she was going to tell you after you were married. I guarantee she wanted to, but she was just afraid to.”
Sean seemed to ponder this. When he spoke again, his voice sounded reluctant but convinced.
“I suppose it’s possible. I just never imagined...”
“You’d be surprised at what you might find out about people. But either way, we have to go talk to Morgan.”
“I can’t; she can’t see me.”
“True, but she’ll be aware of your presence. I talked to her earlier and told her that you told me everything. She’s a believer, that’s for sure. We should at least try it.”
“Fine, but if she doesn’t listen, don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
Kenzie nodded before calling to Sage and heading out the door. Sean floated in the direction of Morgan’s house, though he was careful to stay hidden from any passersby.
As Kenzie drove, she couldn’t believe the twists this case had taken. When she’d first arrived in Barnacle Bay, she’d thought she was going on a wild goose chase. Who would have thought that the adamant claims of a ghost haunting a house were true? And who would have thought witches existed and that one was responsible for the very thing Kenzie had been called to investigate?
At least her trip wasn’t a total waste after all. Now, if she could only think of what to tell the police and her professor.
********************
Morgan’s house was exactly as Kenzie had left it. She opened the door faster this time after Kenzie identified herself.
“Morgan,” she began as she stepped inside. “Don’t freak out, but I need to talk to you about this case I’m working on. But more than that, you should know that Sean’s here with me.”
“What? Sean’s here?”
Morgan surveyed the room, willing her large amphibious eyes to find Sean, but of course they came up empty.
“Where is he?” Morgan asked when she came up with nothing.
“You can’t see him, remember? All that happens is your furniture starts floating. But I wanted that to happen so you’d know he was here.”
“So...that must be why his picture was always getting moved.”
“Yeah, just like that arrogant ghost hunter said. He was trying to reach out to you. And he was probably using his picture to do it.”
“That’s right,” Sean said from behind Kenzie, causing her to jump. As he spoke, a nearby vase began hovering above the coffee table.
“Sean?” Morgan asked with optimism in her eyes. Sean, on the other hand, had just gotten a good look at his beloved, and his anger caused even more stationary items to defy gravity.
“What has that bitch done to her?!” he roared, his voice like thunder. “Just because she’s jealous of her beauty, she turns her into this! I’ll kill her!”
“Uh...” Kenzie was rendered speechless as she watched Morgan’s furniture lift from the floor.
“Is he doing this?” Morgan croaked.
“Yes,” Kenzie replied. “And I can see him. He’s right here next to me.”
“Oh I wish I could just talk to her!” Sean declared. “I wish I could touch her, let her know that everything’s okay and that I love her.”
Kenzie’s heart swelled with pity for the couple, whose happy ending was cut short before it even had a chance to begin. Anger was also welling up inside her at the evil that befell this couple because of a jealous witch. Or bitch, as either word suited Audra Spellmeier.
“He says he wants to touch you and tell you everything’s okay and that he loves you,” she told Morgan instead.
Morgan’s large eyes filled with tears. “Oh Sean, I love you, too.”
Sean walked over to Morgan and planted an invisible kiss on her cheek. He then began to wrap his transparent arms around her, but before he could, a strange aura encircled Morgan. When it vanished, Morgan was no longer a toad, but was back to her pretty self. She held out her hand to scrutinize it, and sure enough, she didn’t see webbed scales; she saw normal human fingers. Overjoyed, she responded to Sean’s welcome touch as it finally grasped her. It was obvious that she knew he was holding her, even if she couldn’t see him.
Still, sweet as the scene was, Kenzie couldn’t let that deter her from the main purpose she had for visiting Morgan again. But first she had to ask, “How did that happen?”
“I bet it’s Audra’s spell,” Morgan declared. “She probably put it on me for some stupid reason, but Sean still loves me even though I was hideous, so that broke it. Who knew that ancient fairy tales teaching us that beauty was on the inside would really happen?”
“Morgan,” Kenzie began hesitantly, “I think you’re right about Audra being a witch and casting a spell on you and Sean. But I need to know...how did you know that? You seem to know a lot about witchcraft. Are you...a witch?”
There was silence at first, and Kenzie’s first thought was that Morgan would be completely livid and unreasonable. But alas, she heaved a sigh of defeat and said quietly, “Yeah, but I don’t claim it. My dad was a warlock and he passed the ability to cast spells down to me. He taught me a few things but I never wanted it. I just wanted to be normal. But when I got older, I started practicing more, and when all those weird things started happening between Sean and Audra, I knew something was up. I’d like to stop her myself, but I don’t think I’m strong enough to.”
“Whatever she did to keep you from being able to see Sean...there’s a cure for it. All you have to do is read the spell backwards.”
“I know all about that. But I’d have to find the spell first, and there’s no way I’d be able to get into her house to find it. Plus, for all I know, a spell can only be undone by the witch that cast it.”
Kenzie cursed herself inwardly. She hadn’t considered that. And she hadn’t thought to consult Isaiah, either. But there was no time to do that now. Her priority was to put a stop to Audra’s dark magic.
The question was, how was she going to do that?
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