Page 56 of Upside Down Magic

“Doyou have a better idea?”Iasked brightly. “I’mall ears.”

“Youknow the score,Avery.Iwant in thatChristmasevent.”

Duh.GoodMotherEarthbutIwas thick sometimes. “Yougot it.I’lladd you to the list as soon asI’mback to the shop.”

“DoIhave your word on it?”

“Youabsolutelydo.”Imade sure to really punctuate the middle word.

“Good.Canyou get to the house today?”

“I’mwaiting outside right now.”IgaveIana thumbs up.

“Giveme twenty minutes.”

Thirty-five minutes later,Jimjogged up the flagstone path, a ring of keys jingling in his hand.

“Avery.Cavalier.”HecastIana suspicious glance.

“He’shelping with the research.Lotsof dead people buried at his place.”

“Nokidding,”Jimmuttered, flipping through the keys until he found the one he wanted.Herammed it into the lock, then wrenched sideways.Iwinced at the violence.Thatpoor lock hadn’t hurt anyone!

Thebig, heavy wooden door opened, and the dark, gloomy interior met us.

Slightlycreepy vibes, but nothing screaming horrible dark sacrifices had been made here.

Jimstomped inside, slamming his hand over the light switch.Ifollowed in more cautiously, studying the interior as the overhead lights switched on.

DuringHalloween,I’dthought they had tweaked the lighting to make the inside extra creepy, butInow realized the natural state of the house wasn’t much different.Thedark wallpaper and dim lights made the entrance and hallways almost claustrophobic, and the small parlor opening to the side was just as creepy as whenI’dvisited duringHalloween, except someone had hung garlands around the oldVictorianphotographs.

“Theson’s murder, you said?”Jimasked.

Irealized with a startIhad walked ahead inside the house. “That’sright.Ithappened in the basement?”

“Orso the story goes,”Jimsaid.Hewalked past me down the side hallway. “Hurryup,Idon’t have all day.”

IanandIfollowed him down the hallway with its dark purple wallpaper, around a bend behind the big main staircase, and to the back area of the house.Anarrow set of stairs led to the basement—a big space brightly lit by the overhead lights with several rooms branching out of the main corridor.

Ididn’t want to give away this wasn’t my first rodeo down here, soIletJimlead us to the last room, which was still empty but for a closet space on the side.

Thememory of opening the closet and findingDesmondCrane’sfinger in the middle of a bloody pentagram flashed through my mind.Icouldn’t help the shudder it provoked.Therewas a definite aura ofsomethingclinging to this room.

Jim, apparently oblivious to the evils committed here and the fact the closet was of the same age as the rest of the house and probably as expensive to repair, jerked the closet doors open like it was a particularly difficult plywood cupboard.

“Hereyou go,” he said in a theatrically grandiose tone that had nothing onBrimstone’s. “Thecloset.”

Iheld my breath and peeked inside.

EIGHTEEN

Thecloset was empty.

Mybreath released in a lowwoosh.

Ifanyone had done a spell here, they had covered their tracks well.Thewooden bottom was immaculate, perhaps recently waxed.

“Thisis where it happened?”Iasked, feigning curiosity.

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