Page 55 of My Blind Date is a Ghost

“What if you are wrong?” I ask. “It sounds like the town, and you and your wife personally, have had issues with this family in the past. If you go barging in there and making baseless accusations, that isn’t going to sit well with them. If you thought you had an enemy before, you’ll be in for a world of hurt after.”

“What are we supposed to do then?” Cora asks me, her eyes pleading. I know she’s scared, and I know it’s my job to protect her, but there is only so much I can do within the bounds of the law.

“Everything will be all right,” I tell her, rubbing her arms. “You have some of the most powerful witches and warlocks in Mystic Cove here to help you. And me. But I was brought here to uphold the law in Mystic Cove, and I intend to do just that.”

“So, what’s your plan, then?” Jacob asks me, his arms crossed.

I look at my watch. It’s later than I’d realized. “I’ll have to talk to the judge…tomorrow.”

Everyone groans in unison.

“Look, he’s not about to answer his phone this late at night,” I say. “I’ll have to call his office first thing in the morning and see if he will issue me a search warrant. Normally, we wouldn’t have enough for a warrant. But since this is Mystic Cove, he will probably agree that a murder over two hundred years ago could still be very relevant today. Is there any chance that Elizabeth or even Edward is still alive?”

Jacob and Beverly look at each other and shrug.

“Most likely not,” Beverly says. “Witches are long-lived, but not that long. At least, not usually. But there are some spells, banned spells, that could extend a person’s life.”

“And Edward could, at some point, have been turned into a vampire,” Jacob says. “Perhaps the family just kept it a secret. Or he could be a zombie. There’s no telling.”

“All the more reason to do this the right way,” I say. “If we want to have a chance of actually arresting the offending parties, either for killing Cora back then or for trying to kidnap her now, we need to make sure everything is on the up and up.”

Everyone lets out a resigned sigh.

“Fine,” Beverly says. She stomps over to the couch and sits down with her hands folded on her lap. “Then we wait.”

The others go and sit down on the couches as well. I’m left alone, standing in the middle of the room, not sure if I should sit or go and…do something. I understand their frustration. I want nothing more than to protect Cora. But they have to understand that my hands are tied.

“Anyone have a set of playing cards?” Sophia asks, trying to lighten the mood.

“Actually, when we were children—” Cora starts to say, but she stops suddenly when she’s surrounded by a bright light that lifts her up into the air.

Everyone jumps to their feet. I rush forward and try to grab her. Even though the light burned me in the past, I seem to have forgotten and reach for her, feeling the burn again.

Beverly, Jacob, and Sophia surround Cora, each doing their own chants, working their own magic to try and save her. It seems to be working. The light flickers and Cora lowers to the ground. But then she screams again and the light is so bright, we have to shield our eyes. There’s a great flash and boom and suddenly, Cora is gone.

“What happened?” I ask.

“Where is she?” Beverly asks at the same time.

“We have to do something!” Sophia cries out.

Jacob’s eyes are closed and he is chanting something.

“What is he doing?” I ask.

“A map!” Sophia says. “Beverly, do you have a map of Mystic Cove?”

Beverly runs behind the counter and comes over with a kitschy tourist map of the town. It’s not exactly accurate, but it’s something. She places it on the table between the couches. Jacob is still chanting. He pulls a pocket knife out of his pocket and reaches for Beverly’s hand. She gives it willingly. He makes a cut along her palm. She squeezes her hand and lets the blood fall on the map. The blood pools and moves around the map. It finally settles in an area outside of town. Jacob stops chanting and we all bend over to map to see where the blood is.

“What was that?” I ask Jacob.

“A locator spell,” he says. “Cora and Beverly share some of the same blood. That’s where Cora is.”

“At least it’s not far,” I say. “What’s out there?”

“You have to ask?” Beverly says. “It’s the Clarke family home.”

Everyone looks at me and I sigh. “Does magic hold up in a court of law around here?”

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