Page 19 of The Vanishing Bookstore
‘Yes.’
‘Well, I do too. I also believe that sometimes we are born to find each other and become soul mates. That our destinyis written in the stars long before we even know about it and sometimes you can’t fight it, you have to follow it.’
Katie stood up. He sounded sad, and she felt stupid. Maybe he wasn’t a psychopath, maybe he was a sensitive soul who believed in past lives and true love, which was kind of corny, but sexy as hell.
‘Are you going to hurt me if I open the door?’
‘Why on earth would I want to hurt you? I have no desire to do that to you.’
She wiped her eyes, which had tears rolling from them, and tore a strip of toilet paper off the roll to blow her snotty nose. As she ran her finger underneath the cold tap, she never heard him whisper:
‘I won’t hurt you; I’m going to kill you, but only after you’ve told me what I need to know.’
Katie turned off the tap, dried her hands on the soft pink towel and ran her fingers through her hair, then she slid the lock across and opened the door.
12
SALEM, PRESENT DAY
As Sephy drove into Salem, Dora perked up. She looked at the plain white welcome sign on a board on the side of the road and felt something stir deep inside her. Sephy navigated the warren of streets, driving past Dairy Witch Ice Cream store towards Essex Street. The ice cream shop was busy; there was a queue outside with kids hanging off their parents’ arms, huge cones clutched like prizes as they licked the drips. Dora had to admit the ice cream looked pretty good and she realised she was craving something sweet. The sign above the shop was her first glimpse of a witch, she was flying on a broomstick and clutching an ice cream cone in one hand. It wouldn’t be her last though; as Sephy drove farther every available signpost was adorned with orange and black flags with a silhouetted witch on them.
‘They’re so cute,’ she said, pointing towards a prominent one outside a dry cleaners. ‘Are there witches everywhere in Salem?’
Lenny side-eyed Sephy, who laughed. ‘There are witches on every street corner, dear. This whole town isn’t called witch city for nothing.’
‘Not like the old days at all. Back then, you murmured the word witch and before you knew it Corwin would have yourounded up and put in those stinking cellars of the county jail in a room so small you couldn’t bend at the knees.’
‘Lenny, you have to let it go. It’s been a long time, we never expected things to turn out like they did, but it worked out.’
‘Did it? Look at this place, Sephy, all these people cashing in on the horror and heartbreak brought upon those poor souls by that Betty Parris and Abigail Williams. Those little girls started the whole crazy panic. They have a lot to answer for. And for what? Because they got scared their father would find out poor Tituba had told their fortunes as a joke when they were bored out of their tiny minds with their strict Puritan upbringing, desperate for some attention they never were given.’
Dora had never seen her normally cool, calm and collected aunt so angry.
‘I can’t let it go and neither should you.’
‘Then you’re going to have a simmering pot of anger inside your chest for a long time to come. I’m just as angry about it as you but I’ve learned to make my peace with it. You know, maybe it’s time you did too, Lenny.’
Lenny tutted and turned to look out of the window. Sephy smiled at Dora and shrugged. Dora had no idea what Lenny was so angry about. It wasn’t as if she’d been there. They turned onto Chestnut Street, filled with beautiful old Federal-style mansions, all of them three storeys high with huge entrances in the middle, some with double doors. There was a mixture of styles of houses, many with gardens to the side that wrapped around to the rear, filled with beautiful blooms of roses and lush greenery.
Dora sighed. ‘Oh wow, these are amazing.’
Sephy nodded. ‘It’s nice. I prefer it here, it’s steeped in so much history. It was built as a haven for the wealthy mariners who wanted to escape the hustle and bustle of the busy waterfront. Plus, the houses are mainly single family homes and the neighbours keep mostly to themselves, it’s a little morerefined than some of the streets. The neighbours are so busy doing their own thing, they don’t care what anyone else is doing. That’s always a good sign if you want good neighbours. How are you feeling now, Dora?’
She’d momentarily forgotten her sickness, but the mention of it brought it back with vengeance, and her stomach suddenly ached so much she wanted to either be sick or lie down with a hot water bottle.
‘Not too good.’
Sephy nodded. She pulled up in front of a quirky pale pink house with a pristine white picket fence. It was like something out of a fairy tale and Lenny growled.
‘You didn’t?’
‘I most certainly did. And what’s it to you? It’s not like you live here.’
‘Pink?’
‘Pink is my most favourite colour after black. I would have painted it black but that black house a few blocks away in Salem is enough in this area, don’t you think? I didn’t want the tourists mistaking this for that fool Corwin’s house and standing outside all day and night in fancy dress while taking photos of each other for Instagram.’
At this Lenny laughed. ‘Well, I suppose pink will deter them although it still stands out.’
