“I think it most certainly does concern me, cat—if you both want me to find the book before he does.”

  “You are too smart for us,” Lissa nodded a glint of something Jess hoped was pride in her eyes. “I do want you to find it before he does. There are things in the book that will badly shock Gabriel if he opens it. He has no knowledge of what we are and if he finds out, and is curious about what he reads, it may cause horrendous issues in the witchy world.”

  Jess shivered as much from the words as from her mother’s tone of doom. “That sounds awful. But why? Gerald coped with knowing some of what you are.”

  “No he didn’t. Though he was an unpleasant man at the best of times, he only became a zealot when he read about certain spells and potions.”

  “But he didn’t believe you were a witch.”

  “Sometimes it’s not about the labels people put on us and more about what they can get out of having power. He believed I had powers which he attributed to the potions. If he could get his hands on the recipes he would harness the same power—so he thought. It made him do terrible things, because naturally he had no genetic talent for potions and spells. It was hard to watch, but I could never catch him in the act. It was always afterwards that I got a sense of what he was up to.”

  “Couldn’t you smell the bad things earlier?”

  Lissa raised an eyebrow. “Ah, now that is interesting. I could not, but you no doubt can, which means you have extra talents that I do not possess.”

  Jess frowned. “Maestro said we had the same talents.”

  Lissa turned to the cat, who shrugged. “My main role is to keep the secrets of the coven for as long as necessary. Sometimes it is hard to judge when a trainee is ready to hear them or to know which talents they possess until they are fully developed.”

  Lissa didn’t appear pleased by this answer which seemed feasible to Jess. Were they having an underlying argument she could sense but didn’t understand?

  Her mother eventually nodded. “Very well. Jess, we all have different talents or specialties. It appears you have been given yours from both sides of the family.

  Jess’s jaw dropped so far it clicked. “Do you mean from my father?”

  Lissa nodded again.

  “You refused to talk about him, so I stopped asking, but he was a witch?”

  Lissa hesitated again. “He is.”

  The words were faint, but Jess heard them all right. Maestro hissed and sent a look intended to stop her mom saying anything more.

  Jess was not having that. “Is? Are you saying my father is still alive?”

  Chapter

  Eight

  “Who is he? Where is he?” Jess demanded.

  Every inch of Lissa was blue and her bottom lip quivered. “I’m sorry, darling girl. He is in hiding and we cannot contact him. It would mean death for many.”

  Jess lifted her arms to the ceiling. “Whoa. Now I do have a father, but I can never meet him? Well, that is so typical,” she sneered.

  “It is a difficult situation to be sure, and hard to explain.”

  Jess rolled her eyes. “I’m guessing that there will be no explanation forthcoming at this time—if ever.”

  “Regardless of how clever you think you are; you are no match for the forces out there looking for him. You must let go all thoughts and ideas of finding him,” Maestro interjected gruffly.

  “For his sake and yours,” Lissa agreed. “Please trust me on this.”

  If she hadn’t heard the fear and deep sadness in their voices, Jess might have demanded more answers. She could see that this wasn’t quite like all those other times when they kept secrets, and she wouldn’t be responsible for harm coming to anyone. Not even the father she had never known. It was strange that the fact that she did indeed have a father was somehow comforting.

  It wasn’t as if she had ever blamed her mother for not having a father. When you didn’t have one you could hardly miss them. Of course, sometimes it had made her feel bad. Like at school when the other kids brought their fathers in for parent day, but Lissa had always made a point of coming. At least until Jess got a little older and told her mom that it didn’t matter if she was busy. And Lissa believed her.

  “Earth to Jess.” Maestro waved a paw at her. “Can we get on with the business at hand?”

  “What business?”

  Clearly any sympathy he’d been feeling had worn off as he tutted loudly. “The book. You must find the book.”

  “I understand you think it’s there, but I’ve been inside. The house is empty of furniture. If it was there, I would have seen it.”

  “Not necessarily,” Lissa chewed her pale lips. “It must be hidden, because I can feel its presence.”

  Jess frowned. That her mom could ‘feel’ things that way was news to her. “How is that possible that you could have a connection with an inanimate object?”

  “I saw the book once—when I was beginning to get sick. I had gone to Gerald’s house and he’d left it out on the kitchen table. I managed to touch it before Gerald snatched it from me and put it away.” Lissa shuddered. “I felt its evilness but was incapable in that moment of devising a way to get it from him. Since then I haven’t been able to get it out of my mind. I’ve searched the place high and low since he died with no success. Then it occurred to me that you might do better with your keen sense of smell.”

  Though her mom gave a tight smile, Jess could see she was nervous about this.

  “I’ll give it a try.”

  The smile was more genuine now. “Thank you, dear.”

  “At least I know now why you freaked out when I told you that the house had been sold.”

  “Was it that obvious? While I don’t know how far Gerald had come to being able to use anything he was trialing to any effect, if someone who does have powers comes across it, it could be disastrous.”

  Jess put a hand up. “Hang on. Are you saying Gerald did have powers?”

  Colors swirled around them as Lissa flitted across the room and back. “I was so sure he didn’t, until I touched that book. I had to consider that he might have had something latent in him. It is extremely rare for a human to be able to dabble in witchcraft and get anywhere, so perhaps a distant relative was a witch or a warlock.”

  For a moment the smell of despair hung in the room.

  “I guess it doesn’t matter now what Gerald really was, Mom. The big issue is how can I get into Gabriel’s house without alerting him that I want to search it?” Jess grimaced. “Unless you mean for me to break in again.”

  “We should avoid that,” Lissa agreed. “You said his furniture arrives tomorrow?”

  “That’s right.” Jess snapped her fingers. “Good thinking. I can use that as a cover. He’ll be busy and might appreciate an extra pair of hands.”

  Lissa nodded enthusiastically. “You must check for any space a book the size of your two hands could be hidden and somehow bring it home before he notices anything is amiss.”

  Jess sighed. That was going to be the tricky part.

  Chapter

  Nine

  The next morning, Jess was a bundle of nerves. The furniture had not arrived yet and if she didn’t leave soon she would be late to the store.

  “Pacing the room won’t help.” Maestro sat by the sitting room window and had been peering next door until then.

  “How about you make a practical suggestion instead of always being so snarky about everything I do.”

  The cat’s eyes bugged. “Someone got out of the wrong side of the bed this morning.”

  “I could say that about you every morning.” Jess could have said more about his manner, but at that moment, Gabriel appeared at his letter box. He checked the phone in his hand, then shook his head.

  Jess seized the opportunity and hurried out her front door and up the path, waving to him to make sure he saw her and didn’t go back inside before she could speak to him. “Howdy neighbor. How’s it going?”

  “It’s not going at all,” he grumbled. “The truck has a flat tire and will be out of action until they can get a new one. I’ve no idea why they wouldn’t have a spare, but I just got a message to say that it won’t arrive until after lunch.”

  “How frustrating.”

  “It is. On board, there’s a filing cabinet full of info on my clients that I need desperately.”

  “Can I help with anything?”

  He snorted. “Not unless you know anything about stocks and big business.”

  She laughed. “That would be a resounding no. I’m just a small business owner with no funds for a stock market portfolio.”

  “Small businesses can grow,” he told her without sounding dismissive. “Are you off to your store?”

  “That’s right. Would you like to tag along and see it to fill in time? It’s only a couple of minutes’ walk.”

  He shrugged. “I guess it’s something to do. Sorry, that was rude. I stayed up late last night cleaning.”

  Jess groaned inwardly at the wasted opportunity. “You should have said, I would have helped.”

  His eyes widened. “Why would you willingly clean someone else’s house? A person you don’t know.”

  “Well, it would be a first,” she admitted. “Maybe I’d get a neighbor of the year award.”

  “You are teasing me, right?”

  Jess grinned. “I am, which isn’t to say that Good Fortune doesn’t have something like that.”

  He laughed. “Give me a minute to lock up and I’ll be right with you.”

  Maestro made a rude sound when he was gone. “And how does this get you into the house?”

  “It doesn’t but if I can keep him talking and we get friendly enough, maybe at some stage he will invite me in. Unless you have a better idea?”

  He looked away. “Not right now.”

  Jess hadn’t thought so.

  “Your cat looks annoyed.”

  Gabriel startled her and she shrugged to cover it up. “He could be, but to be honest he often has that resting sour patch face.”

  He snorted. “I’m a dog person. No offence.”

  “None taken.” She looked at Maestro pointedly as they headed up the street. “Dogs are more loving, aren’t they?”

  “I agree,” he said, matching his long-legged stride with hers. “He is a cute kitty though.”

  She rolled her eyes and grinned. “I wish you hadn’t said that. Maestro has a big enough opinion of himself already.”

  “You’re so funny,” he chuckled. “I guess most pet owners think of their pets as having real feelings and that they can converse in their own way.”

  “Trust me, Maestro lets me know if things aren’t going his way or if he doesn’t want to do something. He can be like a petulant child, and he’s fussy when it comes to food.”

  “Can’t you simply ignore him?”

  “Good grief! Absolutely not. He’d probably tear up the furniture or something worse.”

  He looked worried for a second, then caught her teasing tone and laughed again.

  “Here we are,” she stopped outside the store and heard the pride in her voice, not sure when that had come along, but it felt true. “My mother made it what it is today and people come for miles to get her potions and lotions.”

  He turned to her with a frown. “Sorry to be indelicate, I thought you said she was dead.”

  Jess nodded quickly. “That’s right. I make them now and my assistant helps with some of them, but everyone knows they are her recipes and that’s why they are so popular.” Embarrassingly her voice hitched and she yanked opened the door grateful to see Jenny behind the counter. “Jenny, I’d like you to meet my new neighbor, Gabriel Lester.”

  “The man in the suit,” Jenny muttered before hesitantly making her way around the counter and holding out her hand which quivered slightly. “Pleased to meet you.”

  Her odd behavior seemed to confuse him for a moment, then he smiled warmly and shook her hand. “Are you two sisters?”

  The women laughed, though Jenny’s was much less enthusiastic.

  “We get asked that all the time.” Jess explained. “No, we aren’t related and never met until a few months ago.”

  “Really, the resemblance is uncanny.” He looked around the room. “This is a lovely store. It feels relaxing.”

  “That’s what mom was going for. Jenny handles all the arrangements of stock now. She has a better idea what our main sellers are and a great eye for making them look inviting.” Jess noticed Jenny’s blush, but it was all true. “Gabriel mentioned needing a few things for his house,” she told her.

  “Anything in particular I can help you with, or would you like to browse?” Jenny offered.

  He thought for a moment. “I have a small hall table, so something attractive for that would be nice, and something to make the place smell—less of old people.”

  Jess snorted, while Jenny’s mouth pursed.

  “Perhaps you mean not so musty. We have a lot of more mature customers who smell perfectly fine and you must remember that the house has been shut up for a while.”

  He grimaced. “Oh dear, I’ve offended you.”

  Jenny blushed again but didn’t deny it and Jess felt the need to clear the air. “Jenny can be a bit sensitive. Her friends are mostly retirees and she’s right, they aren’t musty at all,” she said lightly.

  As if they’d been summoned, the door opened and in walked Daphne and Amy.

  “There they are, Daph. Didn’t I say I saw Jessica walking out with a well-dressed man?”

  “Does Officer Fine know?” Daphne demanded.

  “I don’t know what’s racing around in those busy minds of yours, ladies, but you can put the brakes on your imaginations right now. This is Gabriel Lester, my new neighbor who wanted to see the store.”

  “Oh, well. That’s all right then,” Daphne announced as she gave the newcomer a thorough inspection.

  Jess was relieved she didn’t ask his pedigree or try to check his teeth as she would one of her horses.

  Amy bounced a few steps until she could grab his hand. “We’re neighbors too. I live on the other side of Jess.”

  “Pleased to meet you, Mrs.…”

  “It’s Amy, dear. Amy Crandle. And this is Daphne Dennison. She runs a farm for waifs and strays.”

  He looked at Daphne with admiration. “That is noble. Children deserve a decent home.”

  The four women stared for a few seconds and then roared with laughter.

  “Amy means animals—not children,” Jess corrected.

  “I see.” He grinned at his misunderstanding. “Well, that is still noble.”

  Amy patted his arm. “It is, Gabriel, and she’s always on the lookout for sponsors to keep them fed.”

  Daphne who hadn’t taken her eyes from Gabriel stiffened. “That’s enough, Amy. I thought you might have learned your lesson from shooting off your mouth last time.”

  Amy was a little shame-faced, but as usual it didn’t last long. “Just trying to help, Daph.”

  Just then Gabriel’s phone rang and he answered it quickly. When he was done he turned back to the women. “Thank goodness. They got a tire earlier than they thought and the moving truck is five minutes away. Sorry, Jess, I’ll have to come back and look at the store better another time. Lovely to meet you all.” He nodded and hurried out the door.

  “What a lovely young man. Is he single, Jess?”

  “Mmm? Oh yes, I believe so,” she said distractedly, planning to drop by Gabriel’s as soon as she could get away. This was a big mistake!

  “Now isn’t that interesting.” Amy tapped her chin, her eyes shining brightly. “He seemed very happy to be around you two.”

  “No, you don’t. No matchmaking for me, thank you very much,” Jess waggled a finger at Amy.

  “Or me,” Jenny agreed.

  Her bubble effectively burst; Amy sighed. “I suppose you are both taken anyway.”

  “Are we?” Jess asked. “That’s news to us.”

  “You know what I mean,” Amy insisted. “You have Brodie and Jenny has Theo.”

  “We’re just friends,” Jenny protested.

  Daphne snorted.

  “Jenny and I are still single in every sense of the word. We’ll be sure to let you both know if or when that changes, but we aren’t in any hurry. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have some potions to make up.”

  Amy make a tutting sound and Jess firmly closed the door of the kitchen behind her, determined to wait them out. She had a small twinge of guilt about leaving Jenny to deal with the two busy bodies—not quite enough to stop her.

  Chapter

  Ten

  When Jess finally got away from the store and closer to home, she saw the furniture truck in Gabriel’s driveway. Skirting the moving men, who were carrying a sofa, she called out, “Gabriel?”

  “Jess?” Frowning, he appeared from behind the truck with. “Did you want something?”

  “Not at all. I thought I would bring you this patchouli dish. It has natural oils that will make the place smell like a garden in spring in no time. Without the allergies.” She winked.

  Flustered, he patted his pockets coming up empty. “Can I pay you later? I don’t know where my wallet is.”

  “That’s not necessary. It’s a housewarming welcome-to-the-neighborhood gift.”

  “That’s very kind of you.” He gave a half-smile. “Excuse me, I better get back to telling these guys where to put things.”

  Since he was clearly distracted, Jess pounced, pushing down a wave of guilt. “I could lend a hand with the small stuff to make it go faster, if you like?”

  He did a deer-in-headlights impression. “What about your store?”

  “It’s quiet now and Jenny likes to be in charge sometimes. Well, all the time really. She’s much better at it than me to be fair.”

  Non-plussed, he shrugged. “In that case, if you’re sure you haven’t anything more important to do, I guess you could unwrap the stuff for the kitchen and put those things away. I’ve wiped out all the cupboards, so it’s all ready to go.”

 

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