To Scratch a Witch, page 10
Phoebe started to fade, the body hollowing out until just the black outline of the shell remained. AJ found her hand moving, lifting the pebbles up to her bowl, about to toss one in and end the vision.
However, the books behind Phoebe, on the bookshelf, were now dancing. Where they had space between them, they swayed oddly back and forth, as if blown by winds. Where they were tightly packed together, they slid forward and back, like a silent keyboard.
What, was there a second compartment there? Behind the bookshelf? Or was there something hidden among the books?
On the lower left side, a group of books started glowing.
AJ gasped.
Those were Gladys’s collection of books, held together with a strap.
What was Phoebe doing with those? How were the two murders related?
A loud bang broke AJ’s concentration. It echoed in her ears, like a gunshot. She sat back, dazed. Had it come from the vision? She hadn’t seen anyone else.
“What happened?” she asked, her words slurred. She worked her jaw around and swallowed, her entire throat dry.
“I don’t know. You tell me,” Elliot sneered. “You were having some sort of fit, staring into the water. You were shaking, eyes big, mouth open. Looked like you were about to start drooling. But I didn’t do anything, didn’t disturb you, as you asked.”
AJ nodded and immediately regretted it. Her headache was worse, so much worse. Ice picks now stabbed her eyes. Her stomach rolled. She was going to be sick. Chills wracked her body, the shivers sending shooting pains down her arms.
“Excuse me,” AJ said, pushing herself back from the table.
“What, so you can go do a disappearing trick on me? Not a chance,” Elliot said.
It would serve him right if AJ threw up all over him. However, she couldn’t bring herself to do that. Not at this point. Instead, she shoved herself from the table and tottered over to the wastebasket in the corner. Her lovely dinner came back up, followed by yellow bile, sour and harsh against her throat.
When AJ finished, she took the stinking can out of her reading room, walking directly into her kitchen so she could stick her head under the faucet in the sink. The cold water shocked her system, but in a good way. It grounded her, bringing her all the way back from her vision, into the present.
The headache retreated slightly. AJ had a touch of vertigo as she straightened up, wrapping her towel around her head.
She turned to go back to the reading room, only to find that Elliot had followed her into the kitchen.
“Sorry about that,” AJ said, indicating the trashcan that she still needed to empty.
Elliot peered closely at her. “You aren’t faking that, being sick, that’s for certain,” he said slowly.
“No, I’m not,” AJ said. “That reading took a lot out of me.”
“What did you see?” Elliot asked. He finally seemed curious and not challenging her for once.
“I think I saw where Phoebe kept her books. In a hidden compartment. In an office,” AJ said. “With a lot of bookshelves across the back.”
Elliot nodded. “That could be either her office at her house or her office at the bookshop.” He paused, expectant. “What else can you tell me?”
AJ felt a strange reluctance to share more details with him. “Visions have symbols in them, like tarot cards. It becomes a matter of interpreting them.”
“Then let’s go look,” Elliot said.
“Not tonight,” AJ said firmly. “Not unless you want me to be sick all over you this time.”
Elliot grimaced. “You’re sure you saw where she kept her books?”
“Yes,” AJ said. “I believe I have a clue now.” She wasn’t completely lying. The books could be in that compartment beneath her desk. But there was something hidden in the bookcase in that office as well.
“And you can’t tell me?” Elliot said.
“I think going there would be the best,” AJ said firmly.
Elliot blew out a breath and glared at her, obviously frustrated.
AJ didn’t blame him. She was frustrated as well, betrayed by her body. She felt as though she was tantalizingly close to solving both murders.
The thought brought her no joy, not with how her head was pounding. She was afraid that if she bent over, her skull would split open and spill her brains out all over the floor.
“Will you be better tomorrow?” Elliot asked.
AJ took a shallow breath and released it, as a deep one would have been too much effort. “No,” she said. “I’m sorry. I have to work, then I have clients to see. I could do Saturday, though.”
Elliot slid his hands into his pocket and looked away from her, his jaw clenched.
What, was he considering forcing the issue? AJ wasn’t kidding. She’d throw up all over him if he tried.
Plus, she was standing next to the sink. There was water there. And more, well, liquid, in the stinking trashcan beside her.
If he came at her, she’d be more than happy to use her magic and that water to slap him silly.
“Fine,” he said after a few moments. “I can wait until Saturday. But don’t try to put me off any more.”
“I won’t,” AJ said. “I want to solve this as much as you do.”
She had some clients on Saturday, so she and Elliot agreed to get back together Saturday evening. Elliot would meet her at Phoebe’s bookstore, to check the office there. If that turned out to not be the place, they’d go up to Phoebe’s house.
AJ was grateful that he would be driving, and that she could just walk to Reed’s Reads. She still hadn’t bought a car yet. It had been on her list of things to do that weekend. Maybe she could still go car shopping Sunday afternoon…
In the meanwhile, she strongly suggested that Elliot leave. AJ needed to go lie down.
After he left, AJ cleaned out the yucky trashcan because leaving it until the morning was even grosser than cleaning it up now, despite her headache.
As quickly as she could, AJ went to bed with a blissfully cold pillow across her forehead and eyes. It wasn’t going to touch the pain in her head, not for a while. The pillow might grow warm before it had done its job. Luckily, AJ had a second one in her freezer, ready to use up its coldness as well.
Despite how awful she felt, she couldn’t help but think about the vision she’d just had. Why did Phoebe have Gladys’s books? How were the two murders related? Was there a secret compartment under her desk? Or was it behind the bookshelf?
And what had been that loud bang, that had broken AJ out of the vision?
She would swear it hadn’t come from the vision itself, but from Elliot. However, he hadn’t made the sound, had he? Shouted at her? Something? He’d claimed he hadn’t disturbed her, despite how she’d been behaving.
There was another mystery there, but her poor aching head wasn’t in any sort of shape to solve it at this point.
Chapter Fifteen
AJ felt just as bad the next morning. She would swear that her head would split open if she moved it wrong. Even putting on her cutest gray-and-red striped blouse with nice gray slacks didn’t cheer her up. Her face looked pale, and dark lines marred the skin under her eyes. It took a lot more makeup than usual to make herself at least vaguely presentable that day.
After she finished upstairs, AJ dragged herself down to the kitchen. Normally, she had a hearty bowl of steel-cut oats that she added liberal amounts of frozen fruit to, along with a good dollop of vanilla protein powder. That morning, all of it turned her stomach. Despite nothing being in her system, she could only force down a couple of spoonfuls.
Not even coffee sounded appetizing.
However, it was Friday, one of the busier days at the inn. She was going to work the front desk for part of the morning as well as most of the afternoon. She’d been assured that normally, by the second weekend in October, the inn wouldn’t have that many guests. The large group of writers had really made a difference.
Generally, AJ only worked every other weekend. However, because of starting her psychic business, she’d been able to schedule most of her weekends off for the month of October. Come November, she’d work every weekend, as well as over Thanksgiving.
This Friday, she would also take a longer lunch, so that she could stay later that evening if needed. Unfortunately, she couldn’t sleep her entire lunch break. Instead, she had a call with Ursula scheduled.
Could she put off her talk with her mentor?
Despite how much her head hurt, her instincts told her no, she shouldn’t.
Crap.
Could she cancel her appointments for the evening? Even though she’d told Elliot she was busy?
She’d have to think about that.
The day outside was cold and blustery, gray clouds chasing each other across the sky, hiding the cheery light of the sun. The tide was on its way out, the edge of the water in the mid-distance. The waves looked sullen as they pushed themselves along, lapping at the shore, as if resenting being pulled back. Seagulls whirled overhead, their caws sounding mournful, embodying the old tales of carrying dead sailors’ souls.
AJ turned from the water and trudged into town. Going up the shallow incline to Main Street made her head pound more. Black dots danced in front of her eyes. It sounded like the ocean had taken up residence in her head when a sudden whooshing noise filled her ears. She flushed and then had chills again.
Maybe she’d come down with something?
AJ still stubbornly marched on, making her way slowly to the inn.
Willow took one look at her and shook her head. “Goddess! You look terrible!”
“Thanks,” AJ said dryly. She’d thought she’d done a better job of hiding her pain.
“Your aura is all skewed,” Willow went on. “It’s like you’re only half in your body.”
That…actually made sense to AJ. The vertigo that kept returning made it feel as if her head were floating like a balloon and only lightly attached to her body.
Ursula had told her that Willow had no power. But her reading of AJ had certainly been accurate. Maybe her mentor had been wrong about the other woman.
“Should you be working today?” Willow asked.
“I can push through,” AJ assured her.
“Of course you can,” Willow said gently. “Nobody would doubt that. But should you?”
AJ had no answer for that. Instead, she said, “Let me go put my things in the office and I’ll come back up to help.”
Of course, Gladys was waiting for AJ in the office, angry and frustrated as ever.
“Good morning, Gladys,” AJ said as she walked into the nearly freezing air. Gladys was certainly making her presence known that morning. The temperature back there was fifty-nine. There was even the vague outline of the ghost standing in the corner, as if she were looking out the window at the garden.
The pictures rattled in response.
AJ held up her hand. “I think I saw your books in a vision last night.”
The air grew still, expectant. The ghost-like shape filled in, growing more distinct.
“What do you know about Phoebe Reed? Are you familiar with her at all?” AJ asked.
No words came from the ghost. All AJ could sense was additional frustration. Her visual form faded.
“I take it that’s a no, then,” AJ said. She paused. There was something else that she needed to ask about. It took her a few moments to dredge it out of her tired brain.
“The four-leaf clover. Was that to do with the investment group, the Seamair?” she asked.
The air in the room changed. If anything, it appeared to grow colder.
With an abrupt gust that left AJ shivering, the presence of Gladys disappeared.
What was that all about? AJ didn’t understand if Gladys had responded in the negative or the affirmative to her question. Had Gladys been angry? Scared? Upset?
Dang it! None of this was making sense. Or maybe it was and she was just so out of it she couldn’t put the clues together.
AJ sighed, then took herself off to the front desk. She’d considered stopping by the kitchen to see if Payne had any more of Sooli’s magical chicken soup. However, the café was still full of guests—probably the writers—eating breakfast, and she knew better than to disturb him while he was working.
Willow was busy with a guest as AJ slid in behind the desk. Fortunately, another guest came up to check in almost immediately, and the rest of the morning went fairly quickly.
AJ walked slowly back to her house when it was time for her lunch break. It wasn’t just because she was exhausted. The cool air felt marvelous, the wind easing the pain in her aching skull. She just made it home in time to answer the call from Ursula.
“Good morning!” AJ said, determined to be cheerful.
“Good afternoon!” Ursula replied, as it was later where she was, in Georgia. “Tell me how you’re doing, how everything is going. I heard that your first readings went well!”
AJ grinned and told Ursula about everything, how the readings had gone on Saturday and Sunday.
She made sure to ask about Agnes. Ursula assured AJ that she could afford the readings she’d scheduled, as well as quite a bit more. Seemed Agnes actually owned Maureen’s Seafood Shack, down on the beach.
AJ rambled on, also telling her mentor about the full readings she did on Wednesday.
“I see,” Ursula said slowly. “So you did hours of reading on the weekend, followed by more hours on Wednesday?”
“I did,” AJ said.
“So how bad is your headache right now?” Ursula said, exasperated.
“How did you know?” AJ asked, not wanting to admit that she was already contemplating how she could stay on the phone with one of her cold pillows draped across her forehead.
Ursula sighed. “You can’t do so many readings in a row. I might be able to do that now, but not when I’d started. You absolutely shouldn’t be.”
“I don’t understand,” AJ said. She tried not to whine. Really.
“Think of using your power like a muscle,” Ursula said. “You wouldn’t spend the entire winter sitting on the couch like a slug, then get up and run a marathon. Not without hurting something fierce. But that’s what you’ve just done.”
“Oh!” AJ said, suddenly understanding. “Okay. So how do I get rid of the headache?”
“Rest,” Ursula said firmly. “Don’t do any more readings. Not for at least a week.”
“I have clients tonight. And tomorrow,” AJ said.
“Cancel them. They’ll understand, or at least the ones who used to come and see me,” Ursula said.
“All right,” AJ said, not bothering to hide her grumble.
“It’s really for the best, dear,” Ursula assured her. “You must rest that head of yours. Let your powers recover. Or you might do yourself permanent damage.”
AJ sighed. She really didn’t want to let down her clients, particularly since she was just starting her business. Didn’t want to ruin her reputation before she’d even begun.
However, she also had to admit that a part of her was relieved at the thought of not having to push herself that evening, to allowing herself some rest.
AJ brought up the client who’d been so disbelieving of her talents.
Ursula told her to never feel bad about not doing a reading. She gave a chuckle. “Those non-believers will never believe. Even if you told them a winning lottery ticket number, that they went and purchased, and then won millions. Their view of the world is set. Though it does sound as though you gave him good advice.”
AJ shrugged. She’d done her best. She’d have to take Ursula’s words into consideration.
“So what about Phoebe Reed?” Ursula asked. “Have you had any visions about her?”
“I did, actually,” AJ said. She wasn’t surprised that Ursula knew about Phoebe’s death. Though the older woman wasn’t that comfortable with modern technology, she’d still managed to install the Milltown app on her phone so she could keep up with all the local gossip.
AJ told her all about her initial vision, as well as the second one, that she’d had the previous night for Elliot Reed.
Ursula paused. “I knew Phoebe Reed. She came to see me, maybe once or twice a year, every year. She was always looking for that lottery ticket, that one deal that would put her on rich row.” She sighed. “I didn’t know she had a son.”
AJ blinked. This was the second person who hadn’t heard about Elliot Reed. “Maybe they’d had a falling out? He didn’t seem too fond of her. Then again, he’s also really frustrated because he can’t find her books.”
“Don’t try to have another vision about those,” Ursula warned.
“I won’t,” AJ said. “Trust me. This headache is going to be really efficient at stopping me.”
“Good,” Ursula said. “But you shouldn’t start pushing the first day you feel better. You need to take the time to fully recover.”
AJ bit back her initial response—Yes, Mom. Instead, she said, “I have one more question. Last night was the first time I’d ever tried having a vision in front of a client, using my scrying bowl. Did you do that?”
“That was very brave of you,” Ursula said. “I would think it took a lot longer than normal, right?”
“It did,” AJ said. She didn’t nod her head because it was still pounding too hard.
“I wouldn’t do it on a regular basis,” Ursula warned her. “It takes too much energy to block out the other person’s aura. You’d be better to do that sort of reading in private. Ask the person to wait in the hallway or something.”
That answer brought AJ a lot more relief. She hadn’t been looking forward to having to do that sort of thing on a regular basis.
“One more thing,” AJ said. “That reading ended with a loud bang, like the sound of a gunshot. But I didn’t see anyone in the vision. And Elliot swears he didn’t do anything, hadn’t made a sound.”
“Phoebe was shot, correct?” Ursula said slowly. “Was she shot in her office?”
“Uhm, no, her body was found in the parking lot of her bookstore,” AJ said.
“Maybe you were getting an echo from the past. Maybe there isn’t a hidden compartment under her desk. Maybe she was shot in her office and moved.”
