Page 9 of Ghostmaker

“We went to see Jonas Crawford, the new psychic on Essex Street. We wanted to introduce ourselves and to snoop around and get the measure of him.” Cope shook his head. He wished he’d never heard of Crawford.

“Instead, he got the measure of you all,” Aurora said, coming closer. She carried a glazed bowl which she dipped her fingers into before flinging the liquid at Cope, then Ten, and Carson.

Cope instantly felt more at ease, as if he could relax in his own skin again. Carson and Tennyson looked as if they were feeling more like their old selves as well.

“Explain what happened,” Aurora commanded, taking the empty chair beside Tennyson.

“We saw ads for Jonas Crawford and his new shop. He was offering free readings and there were pics posted all over social media with a line stretching down the block.” Carson took a sip of his drink. “We wanted to introduce ourselves to him and make friends. Our community works better when we’re all pulling the same way on the oars.”

“When I walked into the shop, I smelled sulfur. It was nearly overwhelming.” Cope paused for a moment, his memory recalling something from long ago. “Crawford used the sulfur as a ward around himself to protect his magic and his mind. My mother used it for the same reason and to destroy an enemy’s hold over her and her gifts. Crawford knew we were coming and he was prepared for us.”

“If he knew we were coming, he would have known we came in peace,” Ten said, looking confused. “All we wanted to do was welcome him to Salem and he put a hex or something on us to compel us to spill our deepest, darkest secrets.”

“He asked about the spell, Aurora,” Cope said, hoping she’d understand what he was saying.

“Your mother’s spell?” Aurora’s eyes went wide.

“In magical circles there have been rumors of that spell floating around for centuries. It’s possible Crawford had heard those rumors as well and was fishing for information about it. He kicked Ten and Carson out of his shop, but invited me to stay to share my magic with him. I feel like shit for even admitting this, but there was a part of me that wanted to stay and share.” The thought of how close he’d come to staying made him sick to his stomach.

“That was his magic, Cope, not your own free will,” Aurora said. “You went into the lion’s den unarmed and nearly paid a terrible price.”

“Do you know anything about him?” Ten asked.

“He’s powerful. I felt his magic the second he walked past my shop. Crawford is an old soul, but I’m not sure what that means in his case. Is he the reincarnated spirit of someone else or is he an energy vampire, stealing energy and gifts from others in order to keep his own mask in place? I’m not sure. He’s trouble, no doubt about that. I assume he’s going to do everything in his power to lure your clients away and compel them to return to him.”

“Damn, Aurora,” Cope said. “I thought he was a vampire. I actually turned my camera on him to see if his image would appear. It did, so I figured I was just being ridiculous.”

“Your subconscious was giving you the answer. Instead of working with known facts about vampires, you went with the Hollywood version of these creatures. Not your best moment.” Aurora patted Cope’s shoulder.

“What do we do now?” Ten asked. “Do we go home to our families and let them know we’re about to be run out of business by an energy vampire who wants Cope’s death spell?” Ten shook his head. “Ronan will think I’ve lost my mind.”

“Same with Jude.” What the hell had Cope gotten himself into?

“You’re all going to be okay. I promise. I’ll send you the spell for the cleansing I did when I got here and you all can use it on yourselves as often as you feel you need it. Ward yourselves completely when you get home. Ward the house, your husbands, and your kids. One of you needs to do the same for Fitzgibbon, Jace, and my little namesake.” Aurora stood. “Call if you need anything and I’ll keep my ears open for any information about this guy and how we can get this cancer out of our city. He’s not going to stop with the warning he gave you today. He’ll come for all of us one by one unless we can figure out how to stop him.”

“Thanks, Aurora. We appreciate you dropping everything for us.”

“You’re welcome boys. Blessed be.” Aurora walked off in the direction of her shop.

“Let’s get back to the office and use Aurora’s spell to cleanse it.” Cope was exhausted and there was still so much to do. He wasn’t looking forward to telling Jude about what happened today and the adverse consequences it could have on their lives and livelihood.

Jude had promised Cope he’d be by his side for better or for worse. Cope was about to find out just how seriously Jude took that vow.

5

Jude

His nerves jangled with anxiety, Jude sat in his office and stared at the blinking cursor flashing on his screen. It was half past two and the auditor had yet to make an appearance.

“Where the hell is this guy?” Ronan asked, from the counter near the coffee pot.

“I’ve got a better question, where the hell are our husbands?” Jude had been upset to see Cope was out of the office when he’d come back from lunch after leaving the police station. He wanted to fill his husband in about the meeting with Cisco sooner, rather than later.

“Hello?” a voice called from halfway down the stairs. “I’m looking for Captain Kevin Fitzgibbon.”

Fitz walked out of his office and stuck his head out the door. “That’s me. Are you West Strickland?”

“I am,” the man confirmed. West Strickland was an average-looking guy. He was a few inches short of six feet with dark hair and eyes. He wore a jacket and tie and looked more uptight than a virgin at a prison rodeo. He carried a worn briefcase in his left hand.