Would-Be Witch by Kimberly Frost Page A

took a person with special powers over the dead, which Doc Barnaby wasn’t, to control one. He’d raised her, and now she was on the loose without anyone to stop her. Jiminy Freakin’ Crickets! What the hell were we going to do?
    “No, she ran off toward the distilleries. I drove straight home, and the house was already like this.”
    “Did you mix the ingredients here?”
    He nodded.
    “What about the incantation?”
    “Part of it here and some of it in the cemetery.”
    “Where in the Sam Houston did you figure out what to do?”
    “I read it in a book.”
    “Good grief,” I said with a shake of my head. Most spells wouldn’t work for the average person, but with some of my witch blood and in the middle of a town with a powerful tor, who the heck knew what would happen? Well, apparently now we knew exactly what could happen.
    “Did you do any part of the spell in the yard?” I asked, thinking of the hammock.
    “No. Tammy Jo, I need more blood, just a few drops so I can put her back.”
    “We’ll need some help, I think. We want to do that right.”
    “Yes, we do,” he said.
    “I’ll come back in a few hours. Just take it easy until then. And whatever you do, no more spells.”
    I got up. Zach stood with his arms folded across his chest, shaking his head.
    I walked toward the door, and he fell in step with me for a few paces. “The guy’s looney toons. I’m sorry as hell I didn’t believe you yesterday.”
    “It’s okay. Nobody’s perfect,” I said. “Least of all, you.”
    He barked out a laugh.
    “Let’s go get my car,” I said.
    “That’ll have to wait. I’ve gotta arrest him and take him in. It’ll probably take me an hour to get the paperwork done.”
    “Arrest him for what?”
    “Poisoning you.”
    “Oh, I’m not goin’ to press charges. He’s sorry enough.”
    “Tammy Jo, the man is dangerous. He’s delusional, and I’m gonna lock him up.”
    “All righty, good luck with that then. But I don’t know how you’ll prove anything, seein’ as how I’m not going to be able to make a statement on account of my head being pretty fuzzy about what happened and all.” I held my head like I was dizzy and then let my hands drop. “Now, come on. I’ve got things to do, and I need my car.”
    I walked away from Zach as he sputtered, “Girl, what has gotten into you?”
    I found Mercutio stationed on an overturned table in the center of everything. His head moved side to side and those big eyes watched all the doorways.
    “Will you look at that,” I said to myself. I shook my head as I got to him and scooped him up. “When we’re done fighting evil, I’m gonna buy you a big box of catnip.”
    I didn’t let Zach convince me to go to the station with him. And I ignored his lecture about how I shouldn’t have gone along with Dr. Barnaby’s delusion by acting like he really had raised his wife from the dead. I wondered if Zach might sing a different tune when a partly decomposed Mrs. Barnaby started raiding farms. I wasn’t sure what ghouls like to eat, but I think, like most undead things, they go for blood. I wasn’t sure she’d be strong enough to take down a cow, but you can count on the fact that the chickens wouldn’t be safe.

Chapter 6
    I waited until we were alone in my car with the shiny new bumper to discuss what I suspected with Mercutio. He licked his paws thoughtfully as I talked.
    “There was a lot of destruction there. Who’s got that kind of strength? Vampires, but I can’t see them using the energy. They’re kind of like cats that way, no offense. They’ll do something when it gets them what they want, but they’re not known for kicking up a fuss just for the sake of it. Shape-shifters always have energy to burn, but they’re not drawn to witch magic any more than vampires so far as I know. A ghoul or a zombie, but who raised it if it wasn’t Mrs. Barnaby? Unless maybe Dr. Barnaby raised more than his wife.” I shuddered. “If not the doc, maybe