Baby Spells Trouble by Morgana Best

Author:Morgana Best [Best, Morgana]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Best Cosy Books

Chapter 11

I was lying on the couch. The house and I were watching the latest Jurassic Park movie. I was half-asleep, wondering whether Maccabee could possibly be the murderer. I chuckled. If he was, all I had to do was hide behind the TV when Jurassic Park was on. Then again, maybe he was only pretending to be afraid of dinosaurs. The thought shook me fully awake.

My phone rang. The Caller I.D. announced Ruprecht.

“Did I wake you?” he asked by way of greeting.

Before I could respond, he pushed on. “Get Alder, and hurry over here now! I’ve summoned the others.”

I scratched my head. “But we were coming over later. You want us to come right now?”

“Yes. I’ve discovered something.” With that, he hung up.

Just before the baby’s birth, Alder had turned one of the spare bedrooms into his office. I rubbed my eyes and walked down the hallway.

“Alder, Ruprecht called. He said he has something to tell us.”

Alder spun around in his chair. “What is it?”

I shrugged. “I have no idea. It sounded important, though. He said we have to go right now.”

Alder frowned. “Right now? Not later?”

“No, we have to leave now.”

It was spring in the southern hemisphere and therefore warm in most states of Australia. Today, it wasn’t warm in Bayberry Creek. The weather reports predicted snow for later in the week, but people who lived in the area were used to hearing reports of snow that rarely materialised, at least not in spring. Still, the old-timers liked to say that there had been a heavy frost on every day of the year in Bayberry Creek, historically speaking.

Yet I suspected the chill in the air was not entirely due to the weather. I was still uneasy, and I didn’t know why.

Ruprecht, as usual, opened the door just before we knocked. “Do come in,” he said. “The others are waiting.” He ushered us inside, between the alembics, burr walnut credenzas, and stacks of books, into his apartment.

I was pleased to see the fire was lit. The room felt cosy and safe. “I’ve made some tea,” Ruprecht announced. “It’s a combination of rose petals, rosehip, calendula, lemon balm, lemon verbena, orange peel, sunflower petals, valerian, and cornflower petals.”

Alder came straight to the point. “What’s this about, Ruprecht?”

“Pour yourselves some tea, and I’ll tell you all.”

Camino, who was sitting next to the fire, said, “He hasn’t told us yet. We’re in considerable suspense.”

Thyme and Mint both nodded.

“I will just fetch the book,” Ruprecht said before leaving the room.

“What book?” I asked.

Camino shrugged. “We’ll soon find out.”

And find out, we did. Ruprecht returned with a thick book. Its gold leaf shimmered in the firelight. As he drew closer, I could see it was bound in black leather with a hinged lock.

“This is a first edition of De actionibus spirituum incarceratorum secundum Rembertum Cremonensem.”

At that moment, the air shifted. There was a crackle in the air, a smell like burning metal, and a momentary flash of light. I glanced up at Ruprecht. He did not seem to notice, his eyes transfixed on the book.

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