Page 55 of Cursed
They found a place that offered takeout sandwiches and settled onto a bench under a tree to eat and people-watch.
“Savannah loves its restaurants,” Evan said with a mouthful of barbecue. “I’d gain so much weight if I lived here. Everything’s delicious!”
“I was thinking that all the people we’ve passed walking are tourists, but maybe they’re just working off their last meal.” Seth wiped sauce from his cheek after a particularly messy bite of his sandwich.
The casual pace was a strange transition from the danger of the past few days. Seth reminded himself that they could go slow, since for once no one was chasing them and nobody’s life hung in the balance.
“I’ve already got the tickets for tomorrow, so we don’t have to worry about getting anywhere too early,” Evan told him as they finished their meals and chucked the plates into a nearby trashcan. “I’m trying to make this as chill as possible.”
“Thank you. I think we both need that.” There might have been a time when Seth resisted admitting he needed a break, but Evan had gotten him past that.
They headed for Mystic as the sun set.
“Caden and the others are in the back room,” Nash greeted them from behind the bar. “Go join them. I’ll be with you as soon as I wrap up a couple of things.”
Seth and Evan ordered drinks and then wandered toward the private room. Caden, Teag, Tristan, and Rowan greeted them when they entered.
“Glad you made it,” Caden said. “I’m the unofficial host while Nash does his bar stuff, so come on in, fix yourselves a plate, and say hi to everyone.”
The snack buffet in the center of the room held serving trays of charcuterie, nachos, stuffed jalapeños, avocado fries, and more. Pitchers of orange punch sat at the end of the table with glasses.
“That’s a Savannah concoction, Chatham Artillery Punch,” Caden told them. “Brandy, whiskey, rum, champagne, and lemons, plus sugar. Treat it with respect—it’ll knock you flat on your ass if you’re not careful!”
Seth and Evan filled plates, and Evan took a glass of the punch before heading to join Rowan, Tristan, and Teag at a nearby table. Seth stuck to soda and only had a taste of Evan’s drink since he had to drive back to the RV.
“Recover from yesterday?” Teag asked as they sat.
“Mostly,” Seth replied, and Evan nodded in agreement. “Took it easy this morning, slept in, then did some sightseeing. It was nice to have downtime. Doesn’t happen very often.”
Over in the corner, someone played guitar, working their way through a popular list of hits across the years quietly enough that conversation didn’t come to a halt.
“I will fully admit to not getting up before noon.” Teag bit into a stuffed jalapeño. “I’ve learned my lesson with reaction headaches.”
Rowan nodded. She sipped her drink and nibbled a few nachos. “I took my time getting up and about. We threw a lot of energy around last night. That takes time to replenish. No sense going back to Charleston and being completely wiped out.”
“The energy in the city should feel a lot lighter, even for people who aren’t ‘sensitive’ to spirits,” Tristan said. “We helped a lot of ghosts get their vengeance and pass on. That makes a difference.”
“Thanks again for taking that awful carving back to Charleston,” Evan said and suppressed a shiver. “I’m glad Cassidy has ways of getting rid of things like that.”
“You’d be surprised how often things like that come into Trifles and Folly,” Rowan replied. “Sorren and Donnelly make sure they’re taken care of—permanently.”
Caden joined them with a full plate of goodies. “Can I talk shop long enough to give you an update?”
“Sure,” Seth said and the others nodded.
“Raids were carried out at Vernon’s main restaurant on wage and hour law violations plus health code, so it’s shut down permanently,” Caden told them.
“Then the feds raided Vernon’s cargo ships,” Caden said. “Turns out his import/export company had some serious lapses in their paperwork. They found a lot of questionable items like unidentified meat, questionable ingredients for magic and gourmet consumption, as well as ritual items of dubious provenance. Looks like he transported cargo for some of the other witch-disciples, so he was involved in para-pharmaceuticals and trafficking, which should link back to the disciples you’ve dealt with, and might cause problems for the ones still on the list. But it’s all shut down now. The police got an anonymous tip that the monster restaurant was using horse and illegal game meat,” Caden continued, and the little smile on his face gave Seth a clue about who might have made the report.
“The monster restaurant had a ‘suspicious’ fire and burned to the ground. No one could find any payroll records. And the old turpentine plant Vernon used for his ritual blew up last night,” he added.
“Just to be absolutely certain that all the supernatural energy is wrapped up, Sorren and Donnelly will drive down and make sure everything is shut down properly,” Teag added. “No loose ends.”
“So, it’s over?” Evan sounded like he was afraid to believe the good news.
Caden and Seth nodded. “Vernon’s dead, the sacrifice wasn’t made, the ghosts moved on, and his coven members are dead or with the Alliance awaiting judgment,” Seth said.
“I’ll update Cassidy,” Teag said. “She’ll be glad to hear it.”
