Page 24 of Sinistram
CHAPTER FOUR
“Aricella,wonderful to see you. Please, come in and have a cup of coffee.” Travis was with Jon when the baker came to the halfway house kitchen door.
The slim, dark-haired woman wore an open flannel shirt over a tee in the cool morning air, with jeans and baker’s clogs. “Jon, Travis, glad to see you too. I brought these for the residents, and that little one on top is for us.” Aricella handed over a stack of boxes that were still warm on the bottom and smelled wonderful.
They went to the kitchen, and Jon brought three cups of coffee to the table with fixings. He put the large boxes on the counter and brought the extra one to share.
Travis took a rapturous inhale as Jon opened the box to reveal a mix of pan dulce and house-made churros.
“These look amazing.” He knew from experience they would taste just as good.
Aricella’s cheeks pinked at the praise and she grinned. “I figured everyone could use a sugar boost.”
For several moments, they savored the treats, sipped their coffee, and exchanged neighborhood news. Travis thought Aricella looked tired.
“Have you noticed anything strange lately?” she finally asked.
“Gotta define strange,” Travis replied. “We have a pretty broad range.”
Aricella knew some of what he and Brent did, and lent her own magical protections to help. “Stranger than usual.” She ran a finger around the lip of her coffee cup. “I put down protections around the bakery, and I’ve got a thriving side gig with charms, amulets, and wards for clients and the neighbors. People are jittery.”
Travis and Jon exchanged a look.
“Anything happen recently?” Jon asked as he refilled her cup, and Aricella took a few sips before she continued.
“The ghosts are more restless than usual,” Aricella said. “Some of them have gotten troublesome, but with the others, it’s like there’s been a shift that has them riled up. What scares ghosts?”
“How can you tell a difference?” Travis asked.
“More chatter on the street about hauntings,” Aricella replied. “More requests for banishment rituals and charms. People talking about bad omens, crows, black cats, and that weird black moon. And it’s not just ghosts. There’ve been more sightings ofcreaturesthan in a long time.”
“Pittsburgh is a very old town. There’s been a lot of history here for ghosts—and monsters—to set up shop,” Travis observed.
Aricella shook her head. “This feels different, but I can’t quite put it into words. Like something has woken up what was sleeping and turned them loose.”
“What kind of creatures?” Jon asked while Travis mulled over her last statement.
“Black dogs. Women in white. Bridge trolls. Boo hags. And it’s not just my folks seeing them. I know other neighborhood witches—Italian, Slavic, Black. It’s happening everywhere.”
“Are people getting hurt, or just frightened?” Travis asked.
“So far, just scared, but what happens when someone has a heart attack or falls down the steps or gets in a car accident because of what they’ve seen?” Aricella challenged. “None of us can figure out what’s turned up the volume, but if this keeps up, I’ll be spending more time doing the witchy side of my business than baking.”
“I’ll keep my ears and eyes open.” Travis added Aricella’s neighborhood to the list of streets around St. Dismas that needed more protection. He knew that he and Brent couldn’t protect every alley in the city, but a good cleansing could often drive out dark entities for a while until they regrouped.
And if their hunch was right and the uptick in spectral activity was being caused intentionally, getting rid of the cause would go a long way toward reducing the incidents.
“Thank you.” Aricella finished her coffee and set the cup aside. “I know you can’t be everywhere, but I figured you would want to know. Anything you can do to help is much appreciated.”
Travis and Jon walked her to the door, and conversation turned back to the weather. When she was gone, Jon gave him a look. “I’m guessing that meant more to you than what I probably got out of it?”
Travis nodded. “Yeah. I’m afraid it’s part of the problem that Steve told us about. And if it’s also linked to the issues up in Mark Wojcik’s area, then we’ve got to take a good look at who is powerful enough to make that much trouble and figure out why.” He shook his head. “I really prefer small, easily-fixed problems to mini-apocalypses.”
Jon clapped him on the shoulder. “Can’t blame you on that. You out with Brent again today?”
“Yeah. Might not be back in time for dinner depending on how things go.”
“We’ve got you covered,” Jon replied. “Although I have it on good authority that it’s spaghetti night with the cook’s grandmother’s sauce recipe, so I can’t guarantee there will be leftovers.”
