Spellcasting in Silk: A Witchcraft Mystery Read online

  The sounds were comforting, and I felt a fierce desire to tune out what Carlos was telling me. But I did not have that luxury. There aren’t a lot of folks who know enough, or have the requisite skills, to assist the police with supernatural crimes. Carlos was here because he needed my special brand of help. Such, it seemed, was my fate.

  “There’s more,” said Carlos.

  “Oh, goodie.”

  “Something’s happened, something odd.” His finger traced an invisible pattern on the green Formica table top.

  “Odder than occult-inspired suicide?”

  “Moreno’s store. It’s . . . acting up.”

  “I’m sorry?”

  “After Moreno was arrested yesterday, the forensics team went to her shop to gather evidence.”

  I waited, but he said nothing.

  “And?” I prompted.

  “The place went haywire. According to the chief forensics tech, stuff was flying off the shelves, the lights kept flickering on and off, a statue flicked a lit cigarette at one of the guys, and a bird skeleton seemed to come alive and appeared to start flying.”

  “That’s unusual behavior for a skeleton. Are you sure someone’s not pulling your leg?”

  “I know these guys well, Lily. They’re pros who deal with serious crime scenes every day. Chief forensic tech’s been on the job for years—it takes a lot to throw him off his game. But this time, he and his crew beat it out of the shop in a hurry, and they’re refusing to go back. This is . . . unusual.”

  Indeed. “And you’d like me to take a look.”

  Carlos nodded. “Shouldn’t take too long. See what you see, feel what you feel. Try to figure out what’s going on there, and if it’s connected in any way to what happened to Nicky Utley.”

  “All righty.”

  Carlos gave me a suspicious look and cocked his head in question.

  “That’s it? You’re not going to try to get out of it?”

  I shrugged. “You’ve worn me down, Inspector. Guess I’m the SFPD’s go-to witch, right?”

  He smiled, and I couldn’t help but smile in return. The thing about Carlos was that every smile felt hard-won, and therefore more worth the earning.

  “Besides,” I continued. “This sounds like a job for an expert. If something untoward really is happening at the shop, somebody’s bound to get hurt.”

  Carlos nodded and started to rise.

  “One question, though,” I said, and Carlos sat back down. “You’re one of homicide’s star investigators, aren’t you?”

  Carlos shrugged.

  “So why is the department asking its big gun to work on a case of possible fortune-teller fraud?”

  “I requested it.”

  “May I ask why?”

  “First, because of the strange behavior at the store. I believe I’ve told you I’ve become the station’s woo-woo guy. But, in the interest of full disclosure, it’s also true that I knew the deceased, Nicky Utley, and her husband, Gary, though not well.”

  “Friends of yours?”

  “Acquaintances more than friends. They went to my church, St. Olaf’s.”

  “This would be a . . . Catholic church?” I had met many Catholics in my life—including Carlos— and knew they were good people who lived according to a creed of kindness and respect. Still, organized religions made me nervous, what with the witch hunts and the pogroms and the Inquisition and all.

  He nodded.

  “If Nicky Utley was a practicing Catholic,” I said, “why would she turn to a curandera for help?”

  “You tell me.”

  “Well, of course the two don’t preclude each other,” I said, thinking aloud. “Where I’m from, it isn’t unusual for churchgoers to turn to my grandmother for herbs and charms. But I haven’t run into this sort of overlap here in San Francisco.”

  Carlos stood. “People are people, Lily. They’re not all that different no matter where they live. Listen, I have a quick errand to run. Why don’t I pick you up in, say, half an hour?”

  “I could meet you at the shop if that’s easier.”

  “That would be better, thanks. El Pajarito, on Mission near Twenty-second.” He checked his wristwatch, a sporty model with lots of knobs. “Let’s make it an hour, to be on the safe side. And Lily: if you get there first, don’t go in without me.”

  I nodded.

  “I’m serious.”

  “I can tell. I won’t go in without you.”

  He gave me another suspicious look.

  “What?” I asked.

  “All this easy cooperation is making me nervous. Tell me you’re not blowin’ smoke up my caboose.”

  “I’m not even sure how to do such a thing,” I laughed. “I told you: I’m resigned to my fate. But I do have one last question.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Since I’m the SFPD’s official paranormal consultant, do I get dental with that?”

  Carlos flashed me a bright white smile. “You’re official only in my book. If the department knew I was bringing in a witch to consult on this case . . . Well, let’s just say I put up with enough ribbing from my colleagues as it is.”

  Carlos drew aside the curtain. Folks were milling about, crowding the aisles, inspecting long peasant skirts, faded jeans, and fringed leather vests.

  “Quite the hippie convention out here.”

  “We’ve been as busy as Grandpa’s Sunday tie, as they say.”

  Carlos looked amused. “Who says that?”

  I laughed. “I guess we say that back in Texas. Anyway, the Haight Street Summer of Love Festival is this weekend.”

  The Summer of Love Festival was held annually to commemorate one of the neighborhood’s most famous eras. It had been nearly fifty years since hippies sent out the call for “gentle people” to put some flowers in their hair and meet in the Haight-Ashbury to build a new world order of peace, music, and harmony. They hadn’t quite achieved their lofty goals, but the neighborhood had retained its willingness to accept iconoclasts and freethinkers of all stripes.

  Ambitious festivalgoers had been flocking to Aunt Cora’s Closet in search of “authentic” hippie clothes for weeks now. Vintage tie-dye and flouncy peasant dresses were flying off the racks; love beads and headbands were in short supply. Bell-bottom jeans, pants in wild colors and embroidered Mexican blouses, most of which I had picked up for a song at flea markets and yard sales, were in great demand.

  “Sure, the Summer of Love Festival.” He nodded. “I know it well.”

  “It’s my first time; I’m pretty excited. So, do you have a costume?”

  “I’m wearing it.” Carlos passed a hand over his khaki chinos and black leather jacket.

  “Think you look like a hippie, do you?”

  “Even better. I’m a narc.”

  I smiled. “You should at least wear a few love beads around your neck.”

  “Maybe I’ll dig through your treasure chest before I leave.”

  Recently I had started tossing cheap costume jewelry and plastic items—except for the valuable Bakelite, of course—in an old wooden chest that supposedly came to San Francisco with the pioneers. Now cleansed of cobwebs and its sordid past, it had become my “treasure chest.” Everything in it went for under five dollars, and many items were just a quarter. Customers spent a lot of time digging through it with childlike abandon.

  Which reminded me . . .

  “Carlos, hold on. Didn’t you say something about a missing child?”

  “Selena Moreno, age fourteen. And we’re not positive she’s missing. Weird thing is, we can’t get a word out of Ursula. But according to the neighbors, Selena used to live with her grandmother. Hasn’t shown up to school, but it looks like her attendance has always been spotty, so it’s hard to say what’s going on there. Most likely she’s staying with relatives, but I’d feel better knowing for sure.”

  “Do you think something in the shop might point me in her direction?”

  “You know me, Lily. I don’
t think anything in particular.”

  “But you’re suspicious of everything.”

  He gave me a wink and a smile.

  Chapter 2

  A tall, dark, and brooding man strode into Aunt Cora’s Closet just as Carlos and I emerged from the back room. He wore a scowl, boots, and a black leather jacket, and had a shiny motorcycle helmet tucked under one arm.

  My heart beat faster, I smelled roses, and the cacophony of the shop slipped away.

  Sailor.

  “There she is,” he said in a quiet, husky voice. There was something about the way he said it . . . as though he had been looking for me all his life. His dark gaze held mine with an intensity that made me blush.

  Sailor’s eyes shifted and his expression hardened.

  “Inspector,” he said with a nod.

  Carlos returned the nod, but did not speak. For a long moment the two men stared each other down, neither giving an inch, until the inspector turned to me. “Meet me in an hour?”

  “I’ll be there.”

  He glanced at Sailor. “Alone.”

  “Sure thing. See you there.”

  He gave Sailor another hard look, then left.

  “What’s up? Another . . . situation?” Sailor asked as the door shut behind the inspector.

  “It seems so.”

  “And you’re involved how, exactly?”

  “Not involved at all, I am happy—and relieved—to report. Carlos needs some help with an out-of-control store—a curandera shop—in the Mission.”

  Sailor raised one eyebrow. “That doesn’t sound good.”

  “I’m just going to give him my take on the situation, no big deal.”

  “Because that always works out so well. Do you think Rhodes is involved?”

  “No, not at all.”

  He searched my face. “You’re sure? I don’t want you crossing paths with him until we come up with a plan.”

  Not so long ago I had gone up against Aidan Rhodes, self-proclaimed “godfather” to the Bay Area’s witchy contingent. He was a powerful sorcerer, and not one to be crossed without consequence. Sooner or later I was going to have to face him . . . but I was hoping for later. Much later.

  “Carlos will meet me at the store. I’ll be fine. So,” I said to change the subject, “how are you doing?”

  “Great, actually. The mentor my aunt suggested is working out well. It seems to be a good fit. I’m already making progress.”

  “That’s great,” I said. “Who’s the mentor?”

  “A cousin, named Patience Blix.”

  “Well, that seems appropriate.” I smiled. “She’ll need plenty of patience if she’s going to work with the likes of you.”

  Sailor set his helmet down on the counter, cupped my head in his hands, and brought his lips down on mine.

  The world that had dimmed when our eyes met now disappeared entirely. When Sailor held me in his arms all reason fled and I seemed to escape myself, floating on a rose-scented cloud of sensation and desire, love and hope.

  “Lily? Oops, pardon me!” said Bronwyn, fluttering behind us. “Oh, by all means, carry on, you two lovebirds!”

  “Bronwyn, wait,” I said, blushing as I pulled away from Sailor. “Sorry. Did you need something?”

  “There’s a question for you.” Bronwyn gestured with her head to a young woman on the other side of the store.

  The customer held up a pale peach, embroidered organza dress with a square pleated neckline and a silver rhinestone brooch accent. The layered frock was considered semiformal in its day—circa 1950—but was a sight more formal than any of the items people were choosing for the Summer of Love Festival.

  “Is this silk washable?” asked the young woman.

  “No, sorry. It’s not.” Not at all. Maybe I’ve been in the vintage clothes business too long, but I couldn’t imagine thinking a silk antique would be washable. “You can safely assume anything tie-dyed can be tossed in a washer, but almost nothing made before 1960.”

  “Darn. I don’t like to buy anything I have to dry-clean, on account of the environment.”

  “Lily knows a wonderful green dry cleaner,” said Bronwyn. “They’re a little pricey, but worth it.”

  “I still prefer not to buy anything that’ll cost me money to clean.”

  “There are a few washable items on the rack by the dressing rooms. . . .” I suggested, and started over to help her.

  “I have to get going, anyway,” said Sailor. “Just stopped by for a quick kiss, and to ask what time I should arrive for dinner.”

  “Seven?”

  He gave me another long look, smiled slowly, and whispered, “Wild horses, and all that.”

  He picked up his helmet, gave me another quick kiss, and left.

  My gaze lingered on his broad back. I turned to see Bronwyn watching me, a fond, knowing smile on her face. A blush stained my cheeks.

  “What? I happen to like the sight of the man in jeans, is all.”

  “Uh-huh,” she said, still smiling. She started to ring up a customer’s items, and, in a soft, singsong voice, chanted: “First comes love. Then comes—”

  “Do not sing that next line, Bronwyn Theadora Peters. I’m still dealing with the very idea of having a boyfriend, much less anything beyond that. We’re . . . taking it slowly.”

  “But of course!” she said with a warm, oh so innocent smile. Today Bronwyn had crowned her frizzy brown hair with a garland of wildflowers and wore a gauzy purple tunic decorated with runes over black leggings. She was a chubby, fiftysomething Wiccan who personified the amiable creed of that belief system: “An’ it harm none, do what ye will.”

  I smiled and went to help the customer find a washable dress.

  “Oh, by the way—would you mind watching the shop for a while?” I asked Bronwyn twenty minutes later, after ringing up the customer’s purchases—she had bought the peach organza after all, a vintage impulse I knew she wouldn’t regret. The dress had bright, fun vibrations that would be perfect for her personality. “I have to check out a store called El Pajarito.”

  “The botanica in the Mission?” asked Bronwyn. “It’s about time!”

  “You know it?”

  “Of course I know it. Señora Moreno is my main supplier for epazote and juniper berries. I’ve told you about the place—you refused to go with me, remember? Let’s see if Maya can stay late and we’ll go together!”

  “Maybe another time. Unfortunately, this isn’t a shopping trip. Carlos asked me to meet him there, alone.”

  “Is something wrong?”

  “I really don’t know. What can you tell me about the owner, Ursula Moreno?”

  “Not much. I only know her from our interactions at her shop, and we have a few clients in common—I send people to her if they need something I don’t have in stock, and she sends customers to me if they need specialty tea blends.”

  “What about her granddaughter?”

  “Selena? I see her in the shop occasionally.”

  “What is she like?”

  “She’s a little. . . .” Bronwyn trailed off with a shrug.

  “What?”

  “A little different.”

  “How so?”

  “Just . . . different. Even, well, odd.”

  Bronwyn was about the most nonjudgmental person I’d ever met, and she adored children. For Bronwyn to describe anyone, but especially a child, as “odd” was saying a lot.

  “Anything else?”

  “Nothing comes to mind.”

  “Okay, thanks. I’m sure none of this has anything to do with us. Carlos asked me to check it out, so I’ll go do that, and then Maya and I are supposed to go look through some clothes at an estate sale. You can watch over the store?”

  “No problem. Don’t forget to take a jacket!” Bronwyn said over her shoulder as she returned to her herb stand, where a customer was browsing.

  I was again reminded how fortunate I was to have two such energetic and responsible women working with me. B
eyond the thrill and comfort of what was for me a new experience—friendship—their regular presence in the store allowed me to run around town chasing down supernatural mysteries. I hadn’t lived in San Francisco very long, but already I had come to realize that it played host to more paranormal mayhem than seemed normal.

  It sometimes made me wonder whether my arrival in the City by the Bay was entirely coincidental . . . or whether other forces had helped to guide me to the Haight.

  The day was sunny and warm, but I took Bronwyn’s advice and snagged my cocoa-brown vintage car coat before heading out. The weather in my adopted town was famously unpredictable. When the marine layer—a bank of fog that hovered off the coast—moved in, it cloaked the city in chill and damp. The temperature could plummet fifteen degrees in as many minutes.

  I also made sure I was wearing a carved talisman around my neck, carried small jars of salts and brew in my satchel, and my medicine bag was securely fastened to the multicolored belt at my waist. Boy Scout–like, I was ever-prepared. The charms had helped me to face some truly horrifying scenes of demonic mayhem and all-too-human murder.

  Not that I was expecting any such thing at El Pajarito. I was simply checking out an out-of-control store with my good buddy Carlos Romero. No big deal.

  What could possibly go wrong?

  Chapter 3

  The Mission District smelled of beans and tortillas and sounded like a disco. But the area known as the Mission was rapidly changing as wealthy entrepreneurs and well-paid, high-tech professionals moved in, remodeling rundown Victorians and outfitting old art lofts with gourmet kitchens and the latest sound systems. Meanwhile, the artists and immigrants who had made this neighborhood so vibrant and distinctive were now finding it too expensive, and many had fled to the East Bay or out of the area altogether.

  But several holdouts remained: my friend Hervé Le Mansec’s voodoo supply shop on nearby Valencia was one. And El Pajarito, a few blocks away on Mission, was another.