A Ghost in Time (Destiny Bay Cozy Mysteries Book 3) Read Online Free PDF

our past in Hawaii was part of the bond that held us together. Wasn’t it? I didn’t like it being messed with.  
    “Do you think it was you that changed? Or did she?”
    She shook her head slowly. “You know, I’m so involved in so many things right now, and under so much stress, I really haven’t been paying it much attention.”
    “Oh.”
    And that, it seemed, was that.
    “Was Granma Kalena a witch?”
    “A witch?” She bit her lip, thinking that over. “She never said she was one. But she had magic. So I guess you could call her that.” She grinned. “In a good way. No ugly black hat and broomstick.”
    “Of course not.” I grinned back.  
    “Since we’re talking Hawaii, you might call her a Kahuna. Kahunas are keepers of the secrets. They come in all kinds, just like witches. But she never directly called herself that. I don’t know exactly what name you would call it, but she was definitely a believer in spirits and she called upon them for help every now and then. Even the Goddess Pele.”  
    Bebe thought for a minute, then nodded. “Yeah. In modern day language, she was a witch.”
    I gazed at her levelly. “How about you? Are you a witch?”
    “Me? No.”
    “But you can see ghosts.”
    She shook her head. “Not like you. I’ve only got Aunty Jane. How many ghosts have you seen in your life?”
    I thought about it for a moment. “That I know of? Five I guess, if I include that little boy who used to follow me around in kindergarten. They told me he was my imaginary playmate. I didn’t totally realize it at the time, but thinking back, I’m pretty sure he was a ghost.”
    “There you go. Maybe you’re a witch.”
    I shook my head and winced. “How could I be a witch? I don’t know how to do spells or anything like that.”
    She nodded, looking at me speculatively. “Yeah. Grandma Kalena never tried to teach us any of that stuff, but she could do them.”
    “Really? Could she?” I shook my head. “Sometimes I feel like I was sleepwalking through those years.”
    “You were young.”
    I shook my head again. “So what did she do?”
    She thought for a moment. “Okay, here’s one I remember. I was staying with her and a lady from Social Services came to check up on how I was doing there and she was very snippy and snotty to Granma. Granma offered her some Hawaiian fruit bread that she’d just baked. It was delicious stuff. But when the lady took a bite, Granma muttered a few words in Hawaiian and it all turned to ashes in her mouth. I think they were still burning, because she went running out to her car like the devil was after her.” Bebe grinned. “We never did see her again.”
    “More,” I urged. “What else?”
    “Let’s see. Oh, here’s one. The neighbor lady came over and yelled at Granma because water from irrigating her banana trees was going down and flooding the woman’s lanai. Granma promised to take care of that, but the lady was mean about it. So that night, Granma made some special poi. I snuck out and watched while she walked along the border between the two yards, smearing that poi on the larger rocks and chanting something in old Hawaiian. I can still see her with the starry sky behind her. It was a sight!”
    “And? What happened?”
    “The next day, the neighbor lady’s yard was invaded by an army of toads. Not cute little frogs. Big lumpy, ugly toads, the kind that give you warts and croak all night long when you’re trying to sleep.”
    I laughed. “Did the lady know why she had them?”
    Bebe nodded. “She knew. She came over with a basket full of mangoes as a peace offering and Granma Kalena made the toads go away.” She laughed too. “And that was how Granma made her name in the neighborhood and gained the respect. Nobody wanted to cross her, that’s for sure.”  
    I hesitated, then went ahead and asked. “Was my mother a witch?”
    She stopped and took my hands and looked deep into my eyes. I wondered if she could hear my heart