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Goody Albright looked down at him.

"What's silly, Bartleby?"

"Assuming that Garrik's body is gone just because no one's seen it," he replied. "He does have his body—it's hidden away in the basement of Blackthorn Manor. I've seen it when I was hunting mice. Just for sport, you understand—I would never eat them. Too many little bones," he added.

For a moment, neither Goody Albright nor I said a word. We just stared at him.

"Wait a minute—what?" I exclaimed at last. "You mean Garrik's body is actually in the house?"

"Of course it is." Bartleby looked up at me as though I was the stupidest person he'd ever met. "Where else would it be?"

"Well, I don't know," I protested. "He never told me where it was! And how come you didn't say anything about this before?"

"You never asked," he said, looking completely unconcerned.

I stared at him in disbelief.

"I never asked? Bartleby, we've been talking about how to break Garrik's curse all morning! Don't you think you might have mentioned that his body is lying around in the basement somewhere?"

"Well, I didn't know it was important until now," he said defensively. "Besides, it's not exactly lying around. It's in a special room, all tucked away and preserved by magic. Looks like he's sleeping, actually. Quite peaceful."

"His body is preserved by magic?" Goody Albright leaned forward eagerly. "Are you certain, Bartleby?"

"Absolutely,” he purred and licked one of his paws. “If it wasn’t preserved, the body would be nothing but a skeleton by now.”

I shook my head, trying to wrap my brain around what he was telling us.

"So you're saying there's a secret room in Garrik's basement with his body lying in it, and he's been there for a hundred years?"

"That's right." Bartleby nodded. "Though I wouldn't advise going down there without asking Garrik first. He's rather touchy about that part of the house."

"He's touchy about every part of the house," I muttered.

"Well, I can understand that," Goody Albright said, smiling. "Blackthorn Manor has been in his family for generations. And I imagine it must be difficult for him, being trapped there for so long."

"Yes, I suppose so," I admitted. I remembered the way Garrik had looked when he'd talked about his late wife, Lucinda, and the way he'd seemed almost overwhelmed when I held his hand. It was hard to imagine being alone for a hundred years without anyone to touch or talk to, except for the occasional visits from Cordelia and Bartleby. Poor Garrik. No wonder he was so grumpy!

"Well then—this might be just the thing!" Goody Albright exclaimed, looking positively delighted. "Let me just check that we have all the ingredients and I can get them together for you. Also, I'll make you a magical copy of the spell."

"Oh, that would be wonderful!" I said, feeling a surge of hope. "What do we need?"

She adjusted her glasses and began reading again.

"Let's see…a silver thread spun beneath the full moon, seven petals from a rose that has bloomed in a graveyard, a sprig of rosemary grown on hallowed ground, and a single drop of water gathered from the boundary between the living world and the land of the dead."

"That last one sounds pretty difficult," I said. "I mean, where exactly do you go to collect water from the boundary between life and death? Is there some kind of magical pond or something?"

"Oh, that's no trouble at all." Goody Albright waved a hand. "There's a little spring near the old cemetery where the Veil is particularly thin. I can send one of my Brownies to collect some for you. The other ingredients should be easy enough to find as well."

"Really?" I asked, surprised. "Even the rose petals from a graveyard?"

"Oh yes. We have several varieties of graveyard roses growing right here in Hidden Hollow. They're quite lovely, actually, especially around this time of year."

"Well, okay then." I nodded, feeling encouraged. "What else?"

"One red candle, a length of white silk ribbon, and of course, the sleeping body of the person you wish to restore."

"Check, check, and check," Bartleby remarked. "Well, once we find the body, anyway. I can show her where it is."