Witch Hunt Read online

  Witch Hunt

  Cozy Mystery with Magical Elements

  Morgana Best

  Witch Hunt

  Cozy Mystery with Magical Elements

  (His Ghoul Friday, Book 5)

  Copyright © 2019 by Morgana Best

  All rights reserved.

  ISBN 9781922420558

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to any person, living or dead, is purely coincidental. The personal names have been invented by the author, and any likeness to the name of any person, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

  This book may contain references to specific commercial products, process or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise, specific brand-name products and/or trade names of products, which are trademarks or registered trademarks and/or trade names, and these are property of their respective owners. Morgana Best or her associates, have no association with any specific commercial products, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise, specific brand-name products and / or trade names of products.

  Contents

  Glossary

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Connect with Morgana

  Also by Morgana Best

  About Morgana Best

  Glossary

  Some Australian spellings and expressions are entirely different from US spellings and expressions. Below are just a few examples. It would take an entire book to list all the differences.

  The author has used Australian spelling in this series. Here are a few examples: Mum instead of the US spelling Mom, neighbour instead of the US spelling neighbor, realise instead of the US spelling realize. It is Ms, Mr and Mrs in Australia, not Ms., Mr. and Mrs.; defence not defense; judgement not judgment; cosy and not cozy; 1930s not 1930’s; offence not offense; centre not center; towards not toward; jewellery not jewelry; favour not favor; mould not mold; two storey house not two story house; practise (verb) not practice (verb); odour not odor; smelt not smelled; travelling not traveling; liquorice not licorice; cheque not check; leant not leaned; have concussion not have a concussion; anti clockwise not counterclockwise; go to hospital not go to the hospital; sceptic not skeptic; aluminium not aluminum; learnt not learned. We have fancy dress parties not costume parties. We don’t say gotten. We say car crash (or accident) not car wreck. We say a herb not an herb as we produce the ‘h.’

  The above are just a few examples.

  It’s not just different words; Aussies sometimes use different expressions in sentence structure. We might eat a curry not eat curry. We might say in the main street not on the main street. Someone might be going well instead of doing well. We might say without drawing breath not without drawing a breath.

  These are just some of the differences.

  Please note that these are not mistakes or typos, but correct, normal Aussie spelling, terms, and syntax.

  * * *

  AUSTRALIAN SLANG AND TERMS

  Benchtops - counter tops (kitchen)

  Big Smoke - a city

  Blighter - infuriating or good-for-nothing person

  Blimey! - an expression of surprise

  Bloke - a man (usually used in nice sense, “a good bloke”)

  Blue (noun) - an argument (“to have a blue”)

  Bluestone - copper sulphate (copper sulfate in US spelling)

  Bluo - a blue laundry additive, an optical brightener

  Boot (car) - trunk (car)

  Bonnet (car) - hood (car)

  Bore - a drilled water well

  Budgie smugglers (variant: budgy smugglers) - named after the Aussie native bird, the budgerigar. A slang term for brief and tight-fitting men’s swimwear

  Bugger! - as an expression of surprise, not a swear word

  Bugger - as in “the poor bugger” - refers to an unfortunate person (not a swear word)

  Bunging it on - faking something, pretending

  Bush telegraph - the grapevine, the way news spreads by word of mouth in the country

  Car park - parking lot

  Cark it - die

  Chooks - chickens

  Come good - turn out okay

  Copper, cop - police officer

  Coot - silly or annoying person

  Cream bun - a sweet bread roll with copious amounts of cream, plus jam (= jelly in US) in the centre

  Crook - 1. “Go crook (on someone)” - to berate them. 2. (someone is) crook - (someone is) ill. 3. Crook (noun) - a criminal

  Demister (in car) - defroster

  Drongo - an idiot

  Dunny - an outhouse, a toilet, often ramshackle

  Fair crack of the whip - a request to be fair, reasonable, just

  Flannelette (fabric) - cotton, wool, or synthetic fabric, one side of which has a soft finish.

  Flat out like a lizard drinking water - very busy

  Galah - an idiot

  Garbage - trash

  G’day - Hello

  Give a lift (to someone) - give a ride (to someone)

  Goosebumps - goose pimples

  Gumboots - rubber boots, wellingtons

  Knickers - women’s underwear

  Laundry (referring to the room) - laundry room

  Lamingtons - iconic Aussie cakes, square, sponge, chocolate-dipped, and coated with desiccated coconut. Some have a layer of cream and strawberry jam (= jelly in US) between the two halves.

  Lift - elevator

  Like a stunned mullet - very surprised

  Mad as a cut snake - either insane or very angry

  Mallee bull (as fit as, as mad as) - angry and/or fit, robust, super strong.

  Miles - while Australians have kilometres these days, it is common to use expressions such as, “The road stretched for miles,” “It was miles away.”

  Moleskins - woven heavy cotton fabric with suede-like finish, commonly used as working wear, or as town clothes

  Mow (grass / lawn) - cut (grass / lawn)

  Neenish tarts - Aussie tart. Pastry base. Filling is based on sweetened condensed milk mixture or mock cream. Some have layer of raspberry jam (jam = jelly in US). Topping is in two equal halves: icing (= frosting in US), usually chocolate on one side, and either lemon or pink or the other.

  Pub - The pub at the south of a small town is often referred to as the ‘bottom pub’ and the pub at the north end of town, the ‘top pub.’ The size of a small town is often judged by the number of pubs - i.e. “It’s a three pub town.”

  Red cattle dog - (variant: blue cattle dog usually known as a ‘blue dog’) - referring to the breed of Australian Cattle Dog. However, a ‘red dog’ is usually a red kelpie (another breed of dog)

  Shoot through - leave

  Shout (a drink) - to buy a drink for someone

  Skull (a drink) - drink a whole drink without stopping

  Stone the crows! - an expression of surprise

  Takeaway (food) - Take Out (food)

  Toilet - also refers to the room if it is separate from the bathroom

  Torch - flashlight

  Tuck in
(to food) - to eat food hungrily

  Ute /Utility - pickup truck

  Vegemite - Australian food spread, thick, dark brown

  Wardrobe - closet

  Windscreen - windshield

  * * *

  Indigenous References

  Bush tucker - food that occurs in the Australian bush

  Koori - the original inhabitants/traditional custodians of the land of Australia in the part of NSW in which this book is set. Murri are the people just to the north. White European culture often uses the term, Aboriginal people.

  Chapter 1

  “An ancient evil.”

  I looked at the words in the ancient Oracle Book. An ancient vampire in a bookstore had given it to me. Actually, I wasn’t sure he himself was a vampire, but he told me vampires had written the book. It was supposed to foretell the future, but all it did was speak in riddles.

  As I was pondering the words, I heard a knock. It was after seven—The Bachelor had already begun. I wanted to see if he was going to give this series’ troublemaker a rose.

  I flung open the door to see Aunty June standing on my doorstep. Without so much as a word of greeting, she waved her arms in the air and screeched, “Murder!”

  I was aghast. “Who’s been murdered, Aunty June?”

  “Barry’s victims. He’s murdered several people by now, and I’m sure he’ll murder more.”

  I stood aside for her to enter. “Do we need to stop him?”

  She shot me a bewildered look. “You’re not making any sense!”

  “I’m not making any sense? I don’t know what you’re talking about. Is it something to do with an ancient evil?”

  Aunty June scratched her head and handed me a DVD. “Have you been drinking, Misty? Barry is a show I like on Netflix. I thought we could watch it together. He’s a hit man.”

  “I see,” I said, although I didn’t really. “You’ve come from wherever you live to watch a TV show with me?” Aunty June was entirely secretive. I had no idea where she lived, much less anything else about her life. One thing I did know was that she always appeared before times of trouble.

  “I’ve brought wine,” Aunty June said, brandishing a bottle.

  I fetched some wine glasses from the dishwasher, barely managing not to trip over my cat, Merlin, on the way. Merlin always wanted to be fed cat treats. She had doubled her weight in the last month, but I wasn’t one to talk. “I was looking at the Oracle Book just before you arrived and it said there was an ancient evil.”

  Aunty June’s thinly pencilled eyebrows shot up. “Now that is interesting. An ancient evil, you say? As a matter of fact, that’s why I’ve come to see you. I have a terrible feeling, Misty, a terrible feeling that you’re about to be in danger. Something otherworldly.”

  “Something otherworldly and evil?” I handed her a glass of wine.

  Aunty June nodded slowly. “I do believe so. Is your horrible boss planning to send you on any missions?”

  I hardly thought ‘missions’ was the right word for journalistic endeavours, but I wasn’t about to point that out. “Not as far as I know, but it can happen at any time. We do report on the news, only not very well,” I added with a grimace. “So, do you have any idea what dangers lie ahead of me?”

  Aunty June nodded. “I could think of plenty of things, but I can’t interfere in your life, Misty. Maybe the coming threat is something to do with other dimensions. Other dimensions often contain creatures that are both otherworldly and evil.” She stopped speaking and shuddered. “Like bats.”

  “Bats?” I repeated. "I wouldn't call them otherworldly or evil, apart from Hollywood bats—all those vampire films."

  Aunty June pulled a face. "Ugh. Still, myths do have a basis in fact."

  "You mean vampires are really bats?"

  Aunty June swallowed her wine the wrong way. I jumped up and patted her on the back. She waved me away. "Of course not, Misty! How could you say such a thing? Vampires are perfectly lovely people. Hollywood has a lot to answer for, you know. It's just that in other domains in parallel worlds, vampires are not the sweet, lovely people we are all used to in this world. Rather, they are ravening bats."

  Aunty June was making even less sense than usual. I stared at her, wondering if something was wrong. She looked the same as ever—bright red hair, bright red batwing glasses, impossibly pale face set off by bright red lipstick, and she was dressed in her usual bright red clothes. I smiled to myself. No, Aunty June looked perfectly normal.

  Aunty June held out her wine glass for a refill. I duly obliged. "So then, that's why I had to come. I feel the pressing of another world into this one." She shook her finger at me. "And that's not a good thing, you mark my words. Misty, I believe you will soon face danger, terrible danger."

  I clutched my stomach. "Worse danger than I've ever faced before?"

  Aunty June appeared to be pondering my question when there was a knock on the door. I looked at my phone on the coffee table. It was just past eight. "Who could that be?" I muttered. I hurried to the door and flung it open. To my dismay, Julie, the nosy parcel delivery lady, was standing on my doorstep.

  "Are you all right?" she asked me.

  I moved to block Merlin from running outside. “Yes. Why wouldn't I be?"

  "There's a car I didn't recognise out the front, so I thought maybe you were the victim of a burglary. Of course, I knew you wouldn't have a boyfriend or anything like that." She made a horrible sound, which I assumed was laughter. Before I could think of something cutting and witty to say, she pushed past me into the house.

  “Do you remember my Aunty June?" I asked her.

  The two of them nodded politely at each other. Aunty June was suddenly tense like she always was around Julie. Julie certainly had a nerve, inserting herself into my life at every opportunity.

  "Craig forgot to give you these earlier, so I thought I'd bring them around. It would save me a trip if you could give one to Cordelia."

  "What are they?" I asked her.

  "How would I know? You don't think I open your mail, do you?" She narrowed her eyes and glared at me.

  I very well knew she did read my mail. Everyone in town knew about her nefarious mail-opening tendencies. "So, did you say Craig forgot to deliver them?" I asked.

  She nodded vigorously. "Yes, he was supposed to deliver these to you and Cordelia today. Actually, don't tell anyone, but Craig forgot to deliver any mail today. These envelopes look quite fancy with all the silver edging and everything. When he confessed that he hadn't delivered the mail, I looked through the van for anything that looked urgent so I'm doing the rounds for everyone now."

  "How kind of you," Aunty June said through clenched teeth.

  Julie glared at her. "If I’d known it was your car, I wouldn't have come. Anyway, I thought this envelope was urgent and it couldn't wait."

  With that, she hurried away. When the door was securely locked, I turned to Aunty June. "That's strange."

  "She sure is.”

  I shook my head. "No, I mean it’s strange that she left in a hurry. Normally, she would insist on a glass of wine."

  "I'm sure the woman doesn't like me," Aunty June said with something akin to satisfaction.

  "Thank goodness for small mercies," I said, as I studied the envelope. "This is quite fancy."

  "Well, don't just stand about. Put Florida Water on it!" Aunty June said before taking a big gulp of wine.

  “Florida Water?” I echoed.

  “Yes, of course. Surely you put Florida Water on your candles to cleanse them before you use them for spells?”

  I nodded. “Of course I do, but I don’t put it on my mail!”

  Aunty June’s hands were firmly planted on her hips. “Where is your Florida Water?”

  I took the hint. I went into my study to retrieve a bottle, and dabbed it all over the envelope. I turned the envelope over in my hands. I ripped it open and inside were brochures about the Hydro Majestic, a famous historical hotel in the Blue Mountains
an hour or so from the outskirts of Sydney.

  "Cordelia has one too," I said, nodding to the other envelope.

  "It looks like your boss is sending you there," Aunty June said.

  I thought it over. "Yes, that does make sense. Still, these were posted the day before yesterday and she hasn't mentioned anything to us yet." I slapped myself on the side of the head. "Of course not! She's been away all week. It's been heavenly without her, I can tell you." I let out a long sigh of relief. Skinny, the editor at the paranormal magazine where I worked, was the boss from hell. It had been the happiest times of my life having her out of the office for a few days.

  "I'd wipe that smile off my face, if I were you, Misty," Aunty June said, setting down her wine glass and stroking Merlin.

  "Why is that?" I asked, as a sense of foreboding settled upon me.

  "Because something terrible lies ahead of you.”

  Chapter 2

  I was sitting at my desk, trying my hardest to look as though I were working. In reality, I was on Pinterest. The sad fact of the matter was that no one could simply pretend to work if they were a magazine journalist and didn’t have an assignment. What could I possibly do? Still, that was something that my boss, Skinny, didn’t seem to understand.

  Skinny only occasionally doled out stories to me, and the situation was now worse as she had recently cut my hours. This in itself was both a blessing and a curse. It was nice not to have to pretend to work so often, because if Skinny caught me messing around on the internet, she would yell and tell me to get to work, even though there was no work to do. The problem was that fewer hours meant less money.