Witchy Woman Read Online Free PDF Page B

buy the damn thing to show her that it wasn’t bad luck—for her own good, of course. To cure her of her so-called phobia.
    Then again, maybe it was irresponsible of her to have left the cat statue where it was, to tempt innocent people like Judy and Nate. Maybe if she talked to Anne-Louise, the woman would tuck the figurine away somewhere where no one could find it. Of course, the longer Anne-Louise kept the statue, the more severe her own contact with the curse.
    Tess was still trying to decide if she was ethically bound to act in Anne-Louise’s behalf when Nate emerged from the shop less than five minutes later, empty-handed. She couldn’t help breathing a sigh of relief that he hadn’t bought the cat.
    “Got it,” he said triumphantly as they continued up the sidewalk. “Anne-Louise bought the vase from some slick dealer out of New York—even gave me his card. Oh, and you don’t have to worry about the cat anymore. She sold it.”
    Tess stopped abruptly. “Sold it? When?”
    “Just a couple of hours ago. I was thinking of buying it, just to prove to you—”
    But Tess wasn’t listening. She did an about-face and headed back to the shop.
    “What the hell?” Nate demanded, two paces behind her.
    She jerked open the door, sending the chimes into a frenzy, and walked straight up to Anne-Louise. “Who did you sell that cat statue to?”
    Anne-Louise’s welcoming smile faltered. “I don’t know who bought it. I was taking a late lunch, and my assistant handled the sale.”
    Tess softened when she realized her abrupt mannerwas offensive to the innocent shopkeeper, herself a victim of the cat’s curse if that cast on her leg was any indication. “Is there a credit-card receipt?” she asked gently. “A check, maybe?”
    The other woman’s smile returned. “No, I believe the transaction was in cash. My assistant, Jenny, just left, but she’ll be back on Monday if you want to ask her about it then. If one of her regular customers bought the statue, she’ll know who.”
    “Yes, I’d like that.” Tess fished in her bag for a card. “Would you have Jenny call me first thing Monday morning?”
    “Of course, but why are you interested in who bought it?”
    “I, uh …” Oh, dear. Now she’d have to tell another lie. Lying was getting to be a habit lately.
    “She knew I liked it,” Nate supplied, “and she wanted to buy it for me.”
    “Hmm, odd,” Anne-Louise mused. “First no one wants it, now everyone does.”
    “Was there someone else inquiring?” Tess asked.
    Anne-Louise nodded. “A man came in here not thirty minutes ago asking Jenny about the statue. I only heard bits and pieces of the conversation, but he claimed the cat was stolen from him, and he wants it back. He was most upset when he found out it had been sold.”
    What could that mean? Tess wondered frantically. Once someone had rid himself of the evil creature, why would he purposely seek it out again? She knew, from hearing family stories, that the statue was almost impossibleto get rid of. And the curse, once it was visited upon you, remained with you forever. Damn, now she wished she’d paid more attention when Morganna had tried to teach her about this stuff.
    “Did he tell you his name?” she asked.
    “I believe it was … Tristan. Tristan Something. He was a swarthy gentleman, very, er, strange looking.” Anne-Louise waited expectantly, perhaps hoping for some explanation from Tess. But Tess could think of nothing else to say. The man’s name and description meant nothing to her.
    “Are you ready to go?” Nate asked, sounding decidedly impatient.
    “Yes, I’m done.” She thanked Anne-Louise and they left. She noticed, as Nate held open the door, that he almost put his hand to her waist in a gentlemanly gesture, to guide her out of the store. Almost, but not quite.
    She found herself almost aching for that incidental touch, which was exceedingly odd. She usually tried very hard to avoid touching. One of the