“The spell.”She nearly hissed as she said the word.
Rafa couldn’t believe what he was hearing.But he remained silent and let her continue.
“Oh…” She shook her head, and Rafa worried she wasn’t as clear-headed as he thought.“I know you think I’m this crazy old bat.But there’s something in Cedarthorne that points to this town’s origins.My great-grandfather Josiah lost his damn mind because of it.They said there was no one sharper, more cloaked in luck than him.But when he built that house, he stumbled upon something so unfathomable he packed up his things and took his family away, deserting the damn place, and that’s when stuff went south for us.”
“What do you mean?”
“You never heard?Great-grandpa’s luck ran out.We lost all the money, all our poor business deals and shady partners sucking us dry.”She huffed, speaking wildly in a voice that was so unlike her.“No one ever dared to live in that old Greek-revival of a home after they left it.My grandparents tried to sell it, but no one would buy it.The taxes went up so damn high, we ended up donating the land to the town.”
“But so far no one’s bought it?”
“Well, I heard some crazy kid your age wanted to live there!No doubt to hunt for whatever’s mucking up this town.”She took a sip of her hot tea.“I dunno about you, but you live long enough, and even this place gets old.I miss seeing snow without having to travel.”
“Do you think anything there would be valuable?”
“I’m sure.”Vicky took one more sip and closed her eyes, as though trying to calm herself.“If you had something that could explain this never-ending weather, wouldn’t you want to get your hands on it?”
I bet it's something an art curator like Harmon would like,Rafa thought, then gasped.That was it!There must be something in Cedarthorne so valuable that it would be an important discovery, and where did discoveries become public knowledge—in museums that debuted collections at art shows.He sat up straight and leaned forward.His mind raced and his heart pounded as he thought,This, this is what I can do to help Sal.
“And as for your precious Autumn Town… My forefather used to own the land, but when scary things started happening, we gave it to the Campbells, and they put up a medical center and ran that place for generations until it burned down.And I guess that’s where you come in, kid.I’m sorry, but I don’t think there’s more to it than that.”
Rafa took a moment to collect himself so he could plan clearly what he had to do next.But then a persistent curiosity came over him about Cedarthorne.He turned to Vicky and asked, “You said something about a spell?”
“That’s a long story.”Vicky rose to her feet.Her face screwed up as she stretched her back.“But you could read about it in those books.”She pointed to the two black books she had placed on the living room couch.“You can stay as long as you want, just don’t forget to turn off the lights before you go, kid.”
A faint meow that wasn’t Kimmy’s or Hana’s caught his attention just then.Shortly after, a huge, scruffy-looking tuxedo-patterned cat emerged from the doorway that led to the garden.The cat’s fur looked matted, and an ear had gone limp, but its eyes were as yellow and bright as freshly bloomed marigolds.
“Oh, there you are, Chaplin.”Vicky cooed as the cat rubbed against her ankles.
Kimmy and Hana came closer to survey the new cat.They apprehensively sniffed at Chaplin and then licked him.Vicky let out a faint chortle.“I brought you some company, dear,” she murmured to Chaplin as she gently scratched the back of his good ear.She turned to Hana and Kimmy.Both cats were looking wide-eyed at her, like little children talking to a large granny.Vicky bent over.“This old coot gets lonely sometimes,” she said, still scratching his ear.
Rafa watched as Vicky fawned over the three cats.What must it be like to live alone in one’s old age?He imagined it could get lonely.Vicky’s home had noticeable signs of a vivid and adventurous life immortalized in memory with photographs, shelves cramped with trophies, and obscure little trinkets gathering dust that were maybe from her travels.Pictures hung on the wall of people he didn’t recognize, along with several photos depicting Chaplin from kittenhood to his elder years.
He wondered how long Vicky had been living alone like this.A fondness formed in him when he took everything into view; so after finishing his soup and helping Vicky with clean up that night, he took the two black books, tucked them underneath an arm, and told himself he’d return with the cats to keep her company.
***
Later that evening, a new message pinged on Rafa’s phone while he was in the shower.There was still some soap in his eyes when it sounded.He opened the shower curtain and reached for it; keeping his phone near even while in the shower was a habit he developed as a business owner always on call.The soap bubbles were still running past his face and down his abs as he blinked to read the message.It was from Sal.It said,“That’s all really great, just busy now.Talk later.”
He didn’t know what to reply to that message.
Kimmy was already lying in bed after his shower.When he sat on the edge of the bed, the little cat purred.“Maybe I should just leave a voice note, Kimmy.What do you think?”he asked.
Kimmy blinked twice, which Rafa learned in cat body language was a ‘sure-whatever-you-say-human’ response.He chortled and softly scratched the back of her ears.
After a pregnant pause, he resolved to do so.If he sent her a voice note, she would probably send one too, so at least he could hear her voice.Tomorrow is the beginning of the work week.He had a business problem to fix and a new mystery to crack in St.Stephenshire, so he wouldn’t be able to message as frequently.
He sighed as he hit the record button, recorded the voice message, and hit send.
Chapter Eighteen
Nonblesse Oblige
SAL
Saltookituponherself to remain silent as they traveled to their new destination, the National Museum of Fine Arts.
Theola parked her car a little far off since there were few available parking spots, but the walk to the museum was worth it.The heart of old Manila was dusted with old buildings, modern roads, and a mix of architectural hits and misses.It was part of its charm.She believed that’s what made her homeland special; it was a melting pot of culture, a mix of all the things the people had been and fought for, and in a way, weren’t we all like that too?
