A Witch Before Dying: A Wishcraft Mystery Read Online Free PDF Page B

the Bumblebee. “I have to make some calls.”
    I was left standing there on the lawn alone. It took me a second to realize that Missy had gone into the house. What else to do but follow?
    A blast of cool air greeted me as I tentatively stepped over the threshold. It had to be around sixty degreesinside the house. Yvonne and Missy stood just inside the doorway, in what I assumed was the living room. It was hard to tell. Boxes and bags and clothes and trash and
stuff
were piled at various heights all around us, looking a lot like a mountainous garbage range. A snaking shoulder-width path had been raked through the clutter and led to the dining room. I was suddenly claustrophobic.
    A stale smell permeated the air—the scent of an unused space. Of must, of dust. Almost like an attic that hadn’t been aired out in decades. I gaped in wonder.
    Yvonne and I stood sideways, hip to hip, on the narrow path. She patted my arm. “It takes some getting used to.”
    Some? That was the understatement of the century.
    Connor came back into the room, raking a hand through his shaggy hair. “Same as always. Nothing’s missing.”
    I didn’t know how he was so certain. “With the burglaries before, nothing was taken?”
    “Nothing obvious, anyway,” Connor said.
    Again, I was reminded of big bad wolves.
    The room felt like it was closing in on me. To keep from hyperventilating, I focused on a wall covered in shadowboxes. A diploma and tassel in one. A 5K race bib and ribbon in another. A baby-themed box held a card with baby footprints on it, a silver rattle, and a tiny knit hat. Another had a Girl Scout sash with dozens of badges.
    I recognized the wall for what it was—a Wishcrafter’s “photo” gallery. Wishcrafters were visible on film only as white starbursts—so there could never be any photos of us. Even though Elodie was only part Wishcrafter, she would have the same problem. This wall represented Elodie’s childhood, from birth to high school graduation. It was a sweet way to keep the memories alive, and I hated seeing the thick layer of dust on each box.
    I glanced around and was having trouble taking in theamount of
stuff
. It would take days just to clear this room alone—maybe longer, since I had to go through each individual box and bag looking for treasures. The kitchen space didn’t look much better. Had Elodie grown up like this? To what degree had her father been able to keep the hoarding in check while he was alive?
    Nick came back inside. “Find anything missing?”
    Connor shook his head. “No.”
    I shivered. “Why is it so cold in here?”
    Connor said, “The air-conditioning is broken. Only runs at one temp, and we can’t afford to get it fixed.”
    I glanced at it. It was one of those enormous seventies-era thermostats. The little plastic piece you pushed to adjust the temperature was gone. “Why not shut it off?” I asked. It seemed like a reasonable question.
    “Elodie wouldn’t hear of it. Some of the things in here need to be temperature controlled. Artwork and stuff.”
    Looking at the walls, I inventoried the art in the room. Beside the shadowboxes, there were several hanging tapestries, a couple of oil paintings, and a wall of antique portraits.
    I was feeling light-headed as Yvonne said, “Patrice would hate this. People in her home, the police involved. Elodie should never have hired anyone to clean this place out. What if Patrice comes home and finds all her things gone?”
    None of us said anything. I was touched and humbled that Yvonne still held faith that Patrice would be back.
    Yvonne shuddered. “I just wish we knew where Patrice was.”
    Nick’s gaze shifted to me. He knew that I, as a Wishcrafter, was obligated to grant the wish.
    I turned under the pretense of examining the extent of the clutter behind me (which was monumental) and mouthed the wishing spell under my breath. “Wish I might, wish I may, grant this wish without delay.”
    “We may never know, Mom,”