A Call to Charms Read online

  “Not your mom?” I rose from my chair and edged toward the door. I needed to leave before I said something I’d regret—like suggest she see a psychiatrist.

  “No. Most of the Ravenscraft magic reverted to Aunt Pandora. It always goes to the eldest Ravenscraft alive if the Shield dies. But Aunt Pandora wasn’t able to reclaim it all. That’s why she could keep track of your mother, but couldn’t force her to return home.”

  “Okay, then.” I put my hand on the doorknob and turned it. “Nice fairy tale, but I really have a lot to do. You know, to settle in and all.”

  “I recognize the things I’m telling you seem unbelievable, but they are very real.” Elissa ignored my words. “Didn’t you think it was odd that you couldn’t find Echo Springs on a map or GPS or the Internet? And that the road leading here wasn’t there the first time you looked?” She must have seen the answer on my face because she continued, “The townspeople use their magic to keep Echo Springs hidden from outsiders. The only way any non-Echo Springians can get into town is if they are escorted by one of us. And if someone does that without the approval of the council, they are stripped of their abilities and banished.”

  “Right. We have to keep the humans from finding out about the magic. Good thing my ex-boyfriend drove his Hummer off the bridge before he tried to get into town.”

  “Yes, it was.” Elissa didn’t seem at all shocked to hear what I’d just said. Maybe Uncle Will had filled her in on the accident.

  “Uh, thank you for lunch.” Darn. I would have liked to have a cousin to be close to, but this one was clearly insane. “You’ll have to let me cook for you sometime.” Like as soon as my elven housekeeper appeared.

  Elissa went on as if I hadn’t spoken. “The townspeople all still possess abilities, no one without them can live here. But some families have faded, or for some reason, a generation kept the information from their descendants, and they don’t know about their powers.” Elissa frowned. “One of these you should look out for is the police chief. He is aware of his heritage, but ignores it most of the time.” She chewed on her thumbnail. “Aunt Pandora never told me why.”

  Elissa got up and walked over to where I stood. “Let me ask you something before you go. Do you like to read?”

  “Yes.” Was she going to offer me a library card?

  “Fiction?”

  “Yes.”

  “Isn’t it true in order to enjoy fiction, you have to be able to suspend belief?”

  I nodded.

  “This is the same thing. In order for you to survive and succeed in your calling as the Ravenscraft Shield, you must accept that things you can’t see, things you can’t prove, exist.”

  “Uh huh.” Right. “Well, it’s been nice talking to you.” I pasted a phony smile on my face and edged into the hallway.

  “You’ll see,” Elissa said as I backed away. “No one escapes their true destiny.”

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Crimes and Witch-Demeanors

  Once I made it out of the library, I sat behind the wheel of Aunt Pandora’s truck and shook my head. A giggle bubbled to the surface, then another and another, until I was laughing so hard tears ran down my cheeks.

  Magic! Did Elissa really believe we could do magic? And not just the Ravenscrafts, but also the whole town?

  Wait until Uncle Will heard about this. He’d probably tell me she was a huge practical joker. Or was giving me a hard time because she didn’t inherit. Or even that she was just plain batty. Maybe that was why he’d been leery about me meeting her today.

  Yesterday, when he’d warned me about getting too cozy with anyone, including Elissa, I’d thought he was paranoid. I could understand him cautioning me about the rest of Echo Springs’ citizens, but not my own cousin. Now I reconsidered my opinion.

  Satisfied that I had figured things out, and refusing to think about why I had told Elissa about my so-called ability when I had been determined not to reveal it, I looked at my watch. It was only one-forty-five, and I didn’t have to meet with the police chief until three.

  This was as good a time as any to brush up my stick shift skills. And I could acquaint myself with my new hometown while I practiced. I needed to buy a cell phone to replace the one I’d left in my apartment back in Chicago. I’d also keep an eye out for a beauty salon—I wanted a professional to shape the hack job that I’d done on my hair. A real estate office was the third item on my list. Elissa’s craziness had made me even more determined to sell Aunt Pandora’s properties and return to grad school.

  Putting the truck into gear, I slowly drove out of the library’s parking lot and headed for Echo Springs’ main drag. In addition to the businesses I’d seen last night when Uncle Will drove me through town, today I noticed the Wizard of Hog, a cute little diner, a bookstore called Spellbound Books, and craft shop by the name Wish Upon a Hobby.

  Either Elissa’s nonsense was getting to me, or all the merchants along the main street had agreed to a magical theme for their business names.

  My head was starting to pound, so I turned at the first corner and maneuvered aimlessly through the residential streets. Thankfully, all the houses seemed ordinary, and I could relax and concentrate on relearning how to drive a manual transmission.

  The next time I checked the time it was five to three. Shit! Chief Neville hadn’t struck me as a man you wanted to keep waiting.

  At least I was already in town and had located the police station on my trip down the main street. In the mile or so to the station, I used one hand to apply some lipstick and smooth my hair, which was sticking up all over my head. Evidently, I had been running my fingers through it while I drove.

  With my renewed confidence in my stick shift ability, I took the spot right in front of the PD, parallel parking the truck on my first try. As soon as it was snuggled between a Lincoln Continental and a Ford minivan, I hopped out and jogged up the sidewalk to the front door.

  It was a minute after three. By the time I hurried up the concrete steps of the two-story white stone building. I could only hope Chief Neville’s watch was running late.

  The young woman behind the reception desk was drop dead gorgeous. Her hair was platinum blond and clung to her head in a perfect pixie cut.

  Instead of a uniform, she wore a pink skaters skirt and a cropped floral T-shirt. Hardly what I’d have pictured for a small-town police dispatcher, but maybe she was just a part-timer filling in on Sundays when no one else wanted to work.

  She smiled at me with twin dimples and asked, “Can I help you?”

  “Alexandria Ravenscraft to see Chief Neville.”

  Her impossibly blue eyes sparkled, and she held out her hand, “I’m Faylynn. I wanted to meet you last night, but my father wouldn’t take me with him to the party.”

  “You didn’t miss much.” I winked as I shook her hand. “Except me passing out.”

  “Oh, you poor thing. My cousin Lucas said he could see that you were plumb tuckered out.” Faylynn squeezed my fingers sympathetically. “I don’t know why they couldn’t let you rest before welcoming you to town.”

  “Me either.” My cheeks warmed at the thought of Lucas talking about me. I wanted to ask if he said anything else, but shoved away that silly notion and said, “Uh, I really shouldn’t keep the chief waiting.”

  “Right.” She stepped over to the stairs and shouted, “Dad, Alexandria, is here!”

  “Call me Lexie.” I smiled at her and then asked, “Should I go up?”

  “Sure. First door on your left.” Faylynn touched my arm as I passed her. “Don’t let my father scare you. His bark is worse than his bite.” She tilted her head. “At least this time of the month.”

  What did she mean by that? Did the chief suffer from a male version of PMS?

  The police station was old, and while the main floor looked as if it hadn’t been remodeled in the past fifty years, the second story appeared to have just had a full-size facelift. The chief’s office took up half the space and was a painted a warm coc
oa with massive oak and leather furnishings.

  Chief Neville was a big man, with thinning white hair, and a head that resembled a buffalo. He was behind his desk, frowning at an open folder when I walked through his door. He glanced pointedly at his watch before gesturing for me to sit down.

  Once I was seated in a burgundy wing chair, he said, “So, you had a little mishap yesterday?”

  “Well...” I wondered what he’d consider a major accident. “It was more than just a fender bender. My ex-boyfriend tried to run me off the road and ended up crashing his Hummer through the bridge rail and into the river.”

  “Will said that was what you told him.” Chief Neville’s silvery-gray eyes stared into mine. “But are you sure that’s what happened? Could your boyfriend have been driving too fast trying to catch up with you, lost control of his vehicle, then panicked and driven off after pushing your car into the water?”

  “No.” I shook my head. “He’d already tried to kill me once before. He meant to shove my Camaro into the river. It was just lucky that I got out.” The memory of the arrowhead I was clutching just before I escaped from my car made me glance at my palm. The triangular shape burn was gone. “He was already arrested once for assaulting me. You can check with the Chicago police.”

  “All in due time.” Chief Neville’s voice held a trace of derision. “Why don’t you tell me why you think this ex of yours wanted to kill you?”

  “Uh.” I stopped to gather my thoughts. “I’m not sure where to begin.”

  “Tell me everything.” He leaned back, his big leather desk chair creaking. “Don’t leave anything out.”

  “I guess the whole thing started even before I broke up with him. Gil was an attorney with a prestigious law firm, and to say he was intense would be like comparing the temperature of molten lava to that of cheese fondue.”

  I waited for the chief to chuckle, but he didn’t even crack a smile. Instead, he motioned for me to keep going.

  When I didn’t start talking right away, Chief Neville sneered, “Are you sure you broke up with him rather than vice versa?”

  “Yes.” I nodded. “And it surprised me that it upset him.”

  “Why is that?”

  “I didn’t think he felt that way about me.” I shrugged. “It seemed as if we were just drifting along because neither of us had met anyone better.”

  “So although you were in a committed relationship, you were still looking?”

  “No! That’s not what I meant.” I stared at the chief. I hadn’t said Gil and I were exclusive. “All I meant is that if I’d known Gil’s feelings for me were that strong, I’d have handled things differently.”

  “Right,” the chief scoffed. “Like marrying him without a prenup, then in a year or two divorcing him and grabbing all his money.”

  Oh-oh. Had some gold-digger taken Chief Neville to the cleaners?

  Ignoring his sarcasm, I said, “I would have never married him.” I hurriedly continued when the chief raised a skeptical brow. “It had been at least a month since we’d had any communication, but then, out of the blue, Gil showed up at my door.”

  “And you let him in and made him think you were taking him back?” The chief glared at me. “You probably made him supper and had sex with him.”

  “No!” Damn! This guy had issues. “He broke into my apartment.” I felt my cheeks turn red as I admitted, “I had forgotten to put on the deadbolt and chain, and he forced the lock.”

  “Did you call the police?” Chief Neville asked, but I could tell he suspected the answer was no.

  “Not then, but I did later. I didn’t want to bother the police if I could handle it myself.” My hands were suddenly cold, and I clasped them together for warmth. “I asked Gil what he was doing in my apartment, and he said he’d come to take me to dinner. But something was off about him, so I kept my distance.”

  “Is that’s when you called 911?” Again, it was apparent the chief guessed that I hadn’t.

  “Not right at that moment,” I hedged. “I told Gil I didn’t feel that way about him anymore and didn’t want to date him. I asked him to go. But instead of leaving, he pulled out a pistol and said that the only way he’d ever get over me was if I were dead.”

  “Right,” Chief Neville snorted. “Because you’re so beautiful. Or have you recently gained weight?”

  I ignored the chief’s dig at my size and continued, “Then Gil tried to kidnap me.”

  “So, how did you get away?” The chief still seemed doubtful.

  I rubbed the goose bumps that had popped up on my arms. “I pretended to faint, and while Gil was distracted getting a roll of duct tape started, I grabbed a wrought iron lamp from the end table and hit him.”

  “Was that when you got out of the apartment?” The chief asked.

  “No.” My cheeks got even redder. Boy was I dumb. I hadn’t even thought of running out the door. “I ran for my cell and dialed 911. But before my call was answered, Gil tackled me. I managed to get my hand free, and I snatched a letter opener from my skirt pocket. Then I waited until he pulled me towards him, and instead of resisting, I shoved myself upward with all my strength, slammed my head into his nose, and plunged the letter opener into his chest. But a second later he came at me again.”

  “And yet you’re still here,” Chief Neville taunted. “How is that?”

  “Before he got to me someone pounded on the front door. It popped open because Gil had messed it up when he broke in. When Gil saw my neighbor standing there, he ran out. But he yelled that it wasn’t over and he’d be back.” I shivered, then added, “The police arrested him and held him overnight. I thought I had gotten out of town before he made bail, but evidently not.”

  “You tell quite a story.” Chief Neville heaved himself to his feet and walked around the desk, stopping inches from my knees. “But things don’t add up.”

  “Like what?” I felt intimidated with him looming over me, but he was too close for me to stand.

  “First,” the chief held up one sausage-like finger, “there is no sign that any car other than your Camaro crashed through the bridge rail.”

  “But—”

  He cut me off, “Second, the Chicago police have no record of your supposed 911 call.”

  “I don’t under—”

  Chief Neville cut me off again, “And third, there is no trace of a Gil Osborn ever having been arrested or held in jail.”

  My mouth dropped open. The police had told me they had arrested Gil for domestic violence.

  “In fact,” Chief Neville broke into my racing thoughts, “there’s no documentation that an Alexandria Ravenscraft ever lived in Chicago, or anywhere else for that matter.”

  Oops! Should I tell him that until yesterday that hadn’t been my name? With Gil dead, there was no reason to keep it secret, but a part of me sensed informing him about what had brought me to Echo Springs wasn’t a good idea.

  I could just picture the chief rolling his eyes when I told him about the package I received from Aunt Pandora.

  “Uh, well, you see,” I hesitated, then blurted out, “I used a stage name in Chicago, Lexie Green.”

  It was the best excuse for my dual identity I could come up with at such short notice.

  “You were an actress?” He leaned against his desktop and raised a skeptical brow. “Aren’t you a little,” he made an exaggerated curvy figure in the air, “to be in show business.”

  Grr! He’d implied that I was fat, again. It was a good thing he was the chief of police or I would have slapped him. “I was trying to be one.” Crossing my legs, I hoped to appear relaxed. “I never had much luck.”

  “Your use of an alias doesn’t explain why your boyfriend was never in jail as you claimed.”

  “You need to check again. Unless the cops lied to me or Gil pulled some strings to make the whole incident disappear, he was definitely arrested.”

  Chief Neville stared at me before straightening and picking up the phone. He ordered Faylynn to c
all the Chicago police and re-verify Gil’s lack of incarceration. Once he hung up, he asked, “Is there anything else I can do for you?”

  “As a matter of fact, there is.” Aunt Pandora’s letter had told me to follow my instincts, “I want you to look into my father’s murder.”

  All expression drained from the chief’s face, and he said, “That happened nearly thirty years ago. It’s a cold case, and unless something new comes to light, there’s nothing to investigate.” He turned his back on me. “Now, I have another appointment, so you’ll have to excuse me.”

  Apparently our meeting was over, and as I left the police station, I wondered what had just happened. Why had Chief Neville almost thrown me out of his office when I brought up my father’s murder? And it didn’t make sense that there wasn’t any trace of Gil’s Hummer on the bridge rail, or any record of his arrest in Chicago.

  It had been disturbing enough that my insane ex had found me after all my precautions, but now it appeared he had never even been in jail, I was downright alarmed.

  As I got back into Aunt Pandora’s truck and headed toward Uncle Will’s office, I thought back to Gil’s attack on me, and what I’d been forced to do afterward to ensure my safety. My plan had seemed foolproof, but maybe the trauma of my psycho ex-boyfriend trying to murder me had impaired my reasoning.

  Especially with Chief Neville claiming none of the past seventy-two hours had happened. Was it possible I was losing my mind?

  No. There had to be some mistake, and when the chief checked with the Chicago police department again, they’d find it.

  As I parked in front of Uncle Will’s office and got out of the truck, I noticed Lucas Furman coming out of the diner. He tipped his Stetson at me but didn’t meet my eyes. I watched as he got into a huge pickup and stared as he drove off.

  Just a glimpse of him, and I felt on fire. My breath quickened, and my pulse raced. Either I was coming down with the flu, or the chemistry between us was that intense. At least for me. He hadn’t seemed all that affected.