Spells & Shelves (A Library Witch Mystery Book 1) Page 8

  Estelle shook her head. “A malicious curse like that… the odds of the killer making sure it reached its target are high.”

  “Or they didn’t care who else got caught in the process,” said Aunt Candace. “Hmm. It has so many possibilities. I’m trying to decide—should I make it a cursed piece of space junk or a lost artefact my characters find on an alien planet?”

  “How about neither?” Aunt Adelaide strode over to us. I looked past her and saw the police had gone, taking Duncan’s body with them. “The best thing to do at this stage is to reopen the doors and carry on as usual. Where’s Cass?”

  “Here,” said Cass, appearing with Sylvester hovering at her side. “You’re seriously going to move on as though nothing happened?”

  Aunt Adelaide blew out a breath. “I know it’s been a rough couple of hours, but I highly doubt Fiona will cancel her classes. That means we need to have the classrooms set up and ready. There’s a group of business wizards from out of town coming this afternoon, too—I’ll handle that one.”

  “I’ll keep working on undoing the curse on the book,” Aunt Candace said.

  “And I’ll help,” said Cass, but Aunt Adelaide caught her arm. “Not so fast. The book only needs one of you, and I’m intending to conduct a thorough sweep of the ground floor in case any more curses are lingering around. That means you’ll run the front desk.”

  “That’s not fair,” she spat. “Aunt Candace will just sneak off to work on her manuscript when she thinks nobody’s looking.”

  From Aunt Candace’s guilty expression, that was exactly what she’d planned on doing.

  “Can’t Estelle do it?” Cass added.

  “Estelle has volunteered to go through the records to find who checked out that book,” said Aunt Adelaide. “She’ll give Rory a rundown of the system, too. Sylvester, do make sure Cass stay put.”

  “With pleasure,” said the owl.

  Leaving a grumbling Cass behind, Estelle and I went to the section of shelves behind the front desk. They contained pile upon pile of dusty record books showing every book that had been removed and returned in the last few decades.

  “The curse was almost certainly put on the book by the last person who checked it out,” Estelle said as we walked. “Unless someone else did it here in the library, of course, but as I said, we’d have noticed. What did Cass do with that record book? It’s supposed to be at the front desk… ah, there it is.” She reached a reading nook, where a large bound book lay underneath two books with spaceships on the covers. She pulled out the bound book and left the other titles.

  “Are those Aunt Candace’s?” I guessed.

  “Oh, feel free to borrow them. Just don’t tell her you’re reading them, it freaks her out.”

  I picked up the two sci-fi titles, while Estelle carried the record book to a nearby desk and opened it.

  “The curse might have been cast at any time, but we’ll know which dates it was removed from the library.” She turned the page. “Deadly curses don’t always lose their potency with time. Usually, we don’t deal with the deadly type. More like the ‘turn your enemy into a toad’ or ‘make their hair fall out’ type. The curse on that book is an advanced one.”

  “And the killer sealed it shut,” I added. “Was that a curse, or a spell?”

  “Spell,” she said. “Curses are typically directed at a person. Spells can be used on anything. You’ll learn more about the classifications when you begin your training properly.”

  I turned this over in my head. The number of things I didn’t know seemed as endless as the books on the shelves.

  “There,” she said, running her finger down the page. “The book was returned yesterday. The last person to take it out was… Alice from the familiar shop. Odd. I didn’t think she dealt with curses.”

  “She wasn’t here for the questioning?” I asked.

  “No. I’ll ask Mum if we can speak to her. Though she wasn’t kidding when she said a lot of people are coming in today.”

  “Even after the murder?” I asked. “Or hasn’t word spread by now?”

  “It will.” Her mouth pinched. “But we might get a few hours of normality, provided none of us is hauled off for questioning again.”

  An almighty boom shook the shelves.

  “Or maybe not,” she said.

  The two of us sprinted out of the archives to the front desk. I stared in alarm at the smoke pouring out of the half-open door to the room containing Aunt Candace and the cursed book, but the other patrons hadn’t even looked in that direction. Nor had Cass moved from her post at the front desk.

  “Aren’t you worried about your aunt?” I asked her.

  Cass shrugged. “If she blows herself up, guess who gets her royalties?”

  So much for family love.

  Estelle and I hurried through the Reading Corner and found Aunt Candace in the empty classroom, waving her wand to dispel a thick cloud of smoke. Her eyebrows were gone, her hair was even wilder than usual, and the book remained where it was, floating within the circle. The smell of burning filled the room.

  “The book is cursed,” she announced.

  “You don’t say?” Estelle said. “What did you do this time, try to blow the covers off?”

  “Excuse me?” a loud voice intervened. It was Samson of the ever-accumulating late fees. “Can you keep it down?”

  “My aunt nearly blew herself up,” I told him.

  “Yes, I know. I have an exam to study for.” He scowled at the floating book. “I thought you were running a library, not a laboratory.”

  “Samson,” Estelle said. “If you wish to use one of the quiet rooms, there are plenty available. And have you returned those books yet?”

  A pause. “No.” He sloped off back to the Reading Corner.

  “Sorry,” she said. “He’s not our biggest fan. He and Cass get into fights at least once a week.”

  “Why does he come here if he doesn’t like our family?”

  “Because we’re the best library in town,” Aunt Candace said.

  “You mean the only library in town.” Sylvester flew over our heads and sniffed at the spell circle. “Next time you might want to try shielding.”

  “I did,” said my now eyebrow-less aunt. “I think the book might have a defence mechanism on it.”

  “I can’t imagine what might have given you that idea,” said Sylvester blandly.

  With a wave of her wand, Aunt Candace’s eyebrows were restored. “Blasted book. It’s safe to say it’s immune to most regular spells.”

  “Any luck?” asked Aunt Adelaide, appearing behind us.

  “There you are, Mum,” said Estelle. “Rory and I have found out who last checked out the book—Alice. You know, from the familiar shop. Can we head over and speak to her now, or do you need us to help handle things here?”

  “Oh, go ahead,” said Aunt Adelaide. “Try to be back within the hour, though—I need some assistance preparing the conference room.”

  “I’ll come and take care of it,” said Aunt Candace, with a disgruntled look at the floating book.

  “I’ll hound her until she does,” Sylvester said.

  Estelle, meanwhile, led the way back through the library and outside into the bustling square. Today, there were plenty of people walking around. I’d been too overwhelmed to take it all in yesterday, but now I spotted a bakery, a flower shop, a bank. The library occupied the central spot, taking up an entire side of the square, and you couldn’t help but look in its direction as you passed by.

  “There it is.” Estelle led the way to a small red-brick shop at the northwest corner of the square. “Alice owns the town’s only familiar shop. I can’t think why she’d have wanted a book of curses, though.”

  She pushed open the red-painted door, and we entered the small shop.

  Spacious cages lined the walls. Birds flew freely, nesting in the beams criss-crossing the ceiling. Cats of all shades and sizes napped in the cages or prowled around the floors. Brightly-co
loured fish filled tanks along one wall, while cages containing rabbits and odd-looking rodents occupied the other. A riot of sound filled the small shop, squawks and purrs and growls.

  I ducked when a little black bird swooped dangerously close to my head.

  “Jet!” said a stern voice.

  A curvaceous young woman popped out from behind a shelf. What appeared to be a furry snake coiled around her neck, its head peering between strands of dark curly hair.

  “Hey there, Estelle,” she said, eyeing me with interest. “You’re new.”

  “Rory’s my cousin,” Estelle said. “She just moved here.”

  She beamed. “Hey, Rory. I’m Alice.”

  “Nice to meet you,” I said.

  “We’re in a bit of a situation at the moment,” said Estelle. “I don’t know if you heard yet, but Duncan was murdered this morning. He died at the library.”

  “Really?” Her face fell, and a chorus of shrieks broke out from among the cages.

  “Can the animals understand us?” I couldn’t help asking.

  “Some of them,” she said. “He’s dead?”

  “He was cursed,” Estelle said. “Specifically, by one of our books. Our records said you were the last person to take out the Advanced Book of Curses, so I wondered if you knew anything. You returned it yesterday?”

  “I did.” Her expression shadowed. “Someone used a curse from the book?”

  “Someone put a curse on the book,” said Estelle. “You had the book for a week. Did you loan it to anyone else it during that time?”

  “I did,” she said. “I had to deal with a situation with one of the animals. Turns out it was a spell and not a curse, so I didn’t need the book, and… well, I handed it over to the curse-breaker to help with a client. As usual, he wouldn’t say what he needed it for.”

  “Oh,” said Estelle. “Mr Bennet, right?”

  She nodded. “Sorry that happened. I didn’t know Duncan well, but he seemed like a decent guy. I hope they catch whoever did it.”

  She sounded sincere, and certainly didn’t look like the type of person who’d curse someone to death. I’d pick the vampire as a more likely suspect than her. Not that I could always trust in appearances when it came to all things magical, as I’d learned already.

  The little black bird flew low over my head again, making me cringe. The bird cawed, and Estelle flapped a hand at it. “Shoo.”

  The bird cawed back—and landed on my shoulder.

  I froze. The little black bird sat there, beady eyes fixed on me. His beak looked sharp, but his glossy feathers and round eyes weren’t threatening in the slightest.

  “Er…” Estelle looked perplexed. “I think it wants to be friends with you.”

  I twisted my head to look at the bird. It was hard to be scared of a creature small enough to fit into my palm. “Is it a raven or a crow?”

  “Jet is a crow,” said Alice, her face lighting up. “Interesting.”

  “What’s interesting?” I asked.

  Estelle smiled. “I think he wants to be your familiar.”

  “Caw,” said the crow.

  I blinked. “A crow can be a familiar?”

  “Any animal can,” said Estelle. “Cats are the most popular.”

  “Yes.” Alice smiled. “But we have a lot of variety. If you want to take him, there’s a fee, but it’s discounted for a familiar arrangement. I can use a couple of spells to check if you like.”

  “I…” Had no idea what to say. “I haven’t got paid yet…”

  “I’ll handle it,” Estelle said. “Familiars are great to have, especially if you’re new to magic.”

  “I don’t know about this. Birds and I aren’t exactly—"

  The crow cawed again, climbing around the back of my neck to my other shoulder. I tensed, then gave a nervous laugh when his feathers tickled me.

  “He does like you.” Alice clapped her hands and the crow swooped over to her.

  “Can he understand us?” I asked.

  “Yes,” said Estelle. “You’ll be able to communicate in a way—not with words, but most witches share a close bond with their familiar and have an innate understanding of one another.”

  If I had to pick an animal to share a common understanding with, a bird would be bottom of the list. Okay, maybe one step above sharks and alligators. The little bird sat on Alice’s hand, while she waved her wand at him.

  “Yes, you have the familiar bond, all right,” she said, pocketing her wand with a satisfied smile. “I’m sure it’ll strengthen with time. Birds are self-sufficient as far as familiars go. Don’t worry about paying now—I’ll send the bill through to the library.”

  Jet cawed again and flew over to land on my arm. A familiar. My familiar. The magical world wasn’t out of surprises yet.

  7

  I left the shop along with my unexpected companion, who rode on my shoulder as though he was having the time of his life.

  “What’ll your mum say about this?” I asked Estelle. “I mean, I know you already have an owl in the library, but wouldn’t she want us to tell her before bringing him in?”

  “No, Cass has had all kinds of weird pets. If you ask me, she has one right now, that’s why she kept disappearing this morning.”

  I looked away from the bird. “How’d you figure that one out?”

  “She split up with her boyfriend over the weekend,” she said. “That means she’ll swear off guys for the foreseeable future, and she doesn’t invite other people into her favourite section of the library. Therefore, an animal. I just hope it isn’t a dangerous one this time.”

  “This time?” I said.

  “Cass has… interesting hobbies,” she said.

  No kidding. “And will Sylvester object?”

  “I wouldn’t say he’d be thrilled, but it’s rare for a family to share a familiar, and you are new, so it makes sense that another animal might pick you.”

  The crow took flight and soared close above my head, and I resisted the impulse to wince when his claw caught my hair. I was living in a magical library with flying books and an owl—a crow should be no trouble to adjust to. Besides, it would be nice to have a winged companion who didn’t laugh at me when I fell through the stairs or make sarcastic comments about my lack of magical talent.

  “You can tell him to fly ahead to the library,” she said. “He’s smart, he’ll figure it out.”

  “Sure.” I looked up at the little bird. “I live at the library. If you fly back there, I can meet you. Er, and watch out for the owl.”

  Jet chirped, then flew in the direction of the library. Sorted. At least until I had to explain myself to my aunts later, anyway. I adjusted my grip on the bag and found a business card inside it, along with a handful of free vouchers for what looked like every shop or business in town.

  “Wow, is Alice this nice to all the newbies?” I asked.

  “Only the pretty ones.”

  “I’d introduce her to my friend Laney if I was allowed to bring her here. Also, I have enough free muffin vouchers for a week.”

  “Oh, cool. Duncan used to work as an assistant at the bakery.” She indicated a large, bright shop across from us. “I’d normally pop in there to grab a muffin, but there’s a chance Edwin and the police might be questioning his co-workers.”

  I peered through the glass but didn’t any elves, just a mouth-watering display of tarts, pies and pastries.

  Estelle saw me looking. “Hmm. I suppose we could pay a visit, since you have all those vouchers. I’ll grab some flowers from Harold’s first.”

  She ducked into the flower shop on our right, which was staffed by a short man with a whiskery moustache.

  “He’s a wererabbit,” she said in an undertone, before ordering a bouquet of flowers. The two of them chatted amicably. Estelle seemed to know everyone in the town we’d met so far. Perks of working at the library, I guessed.

  The bakery was a bright, cheerful place filled with delicious smells, but the curvy bla
ck woman behind the counter wore a frown and her eyes were red. Given the number of flowers and cards behind the desk, we weren’t the first to visit today.

  “Hey, Zee,” said Estelle, walking over to her with the flowers. “I’m sorry about Duncan.”

  She sniffed. “You found him, right? I just don’t understand it.”

  “Nor me,” Estelle waved her wand, and the flowers arranged themselves in a jar on the counter. “Can we use these vouchers and get a selection of those muffins?”

  “Sure.” The woman waved her wand and levitated several of the muffins into a bag. “Here you go. Sorry about the state of the place… I guess I’ll be looking for a new assistant.” She blinked, noticing me for the first time. “Oh. You’re new.”

  “I’m Rory. Estelle’s cousin.”

  “Oh, the lost cousin?”

  “I don’t know about lost, but I am new in town. I moved here yesterday.”

  “And you’re working at the library? I suppose I don’t need to ask.” She tried a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “Wonderful place. No wonder Duncan was there all the time.”

  “He was?” I asked.

  “Well, yeah, he was a student,” she said. “Not that he ever did much studying. I think he only went there to write that poetry of his. He talked about it all the time. Said he was going to win awards.”

  Neither Estelle nor I knew what to say to that. By all accounts, his poetry had been awful.

  She let out a heavy sigh. “Sorry for being morose.”

  “Oh, don’t apologise,” said Estelle. “Take care of yourself, okay?”

  We left the shop, and Estelle opened the bag of muffins. “There’s sweet or savoury. Take your pick,” she said.

  “Er… I’ll go with sweet.”

  She passed me the muffin. I turned it over in my hand and took a bite. My taste buds exploded with the flavour of some sort of wild berries. “Oh, wow.”

  “Isn’t it divine?” said Estelle. “That’s Zee’s work. Her witchy talent is for baking.”

  “I can see that.” I chewed, savouring every mouthful. “Was Duncan’s talent the same?”

  “No, he only worked there as a part-time thing,” said Estelle. “To supplement his student loan, I’d guess.”