True Crime and Wine (Spirits in Savannah Book 1) by Paula Lester & Lisa B. Thomas

Author:Paula Lester & Lisa B. Thomas [Lester, Paula]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: anonymous
Published: 2022-04-11T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 11

I’d never been to Morganthorpe Estate. It was an old Victorian near Whitefield Square, set at the end of a long driveway lined with oaks dripping with Spanish moss. The place was creepy and slightly run-down, with overgrown gardens and ivy creeping up the gray stone exterior that crumbled in spots. As far as I knew, it was an old sea captain’s home, but no one I knew had ever lived there.

I used the brass knocker, shaped like a monster's gaping jaws with two eyes on top, to rap hard three times on the door, then gripped my purse handle tight, second-guessing my decision to follow Talon’s directive and come here. Could I really be a witch? Something about having grown up in Savannah made it seem less far-fetched than some would imagine. The door cracked open just as I considered changing my mind and fleeing.

An elderly woman with a stern expression peeked out of thick glasses at me. “Who are you? What do you want?”

I smiled in what I hoped was a warm way that would put her at ease. She struck me as a grumpy elderly person who didn’t want to be interrupted. “I’m Salem Flynn. I need to speak to Evelina.”

She squinted, suspicion etching her face with more wrinkles. “Why?”

That made me hesitate. What should I say? Talon said not to bring up his name. “A…friend sent me.”

“Why?” she repeated. Not a very big vocabulary on this one. Then she let loose with a string of words, as though to let me know she knew them. “Whatever you’re selling, we don’t want any.” She shoved at the massive, heavy door with all her might, inching it closed.

“Wait! My mother is Ravena Gheata.” I didn’t know why I said it. Only that Talon had said my mother was a witch and that I’d find answers here. I was guessing the old woman may know my mother’s name.

It worked. She brightened. “Oh! Why didn’t you say so sooner. Come in, come in.” She wrestled with the door to push it farther open. I stepped through as soon as there was room for me to edge in sideways, to save her more work, then helped her shove it closed.

We stood in a large, open foyer area, a winding staircase directly in front of us and doorways to both sides. The floor was marble, cracked in many places, and cobwebs hung from every corner. This would make a great haunted house setting.

“Come along,” the woman ordered, trudging toward a doorway on our left.

I followed dutifully, clutching my purse closer.

We entered a bright den where several elderly women sat, some alone knitting or watching a TV that blared a game show, others in groups, playing cards or board games or just chatting.

This room seemed cleaner. More lived-in, anyway, with soft upholstery and warm colors.

The woman who’d let me in clapped her hands for attention. When most everyone looked our way. “This is Ravena’s daughter,” she announced.

One of the women, a mound

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.