Page 87 of Witches of Dubious Origin
“No.” Dr. Hawthorne looked uneasy, as if he wasn’t sure whether the vow of doctor-patient confidentiality extended to the grave.
“I promise there’s a very good reason why we’re asking.” The paper that lined the exam table stuck to my palms. My stomach clenched with nerves. If Mamie had wasted away like my mother, then there was no doubt the same person had murdered them both and was likely coming for me.
“Your grandmother was as fit as could be until the last month of her life.” Dr. Hawthorne crossed his arms over his chest, looking distinctly uncomfortable. “She just started to fade, losing her ability to communicate verbally or nonverbally. It was as if she was trapped inside her own body.” He looked grim. “We did loads of tests, but I couldn’t determine the cause of her sudden decline.” He ran a hand over his face and his previously jovial expression became one of exhaustion. “I couldn’t save her, and in the end, her body gave up the fight.”
I glanced at Olive at the same moment that she turned to me. I took my phone out of my bag and did a quick search for the lunar phases during the last month of Mamie’s life. When I read it, my heart sank even though I wasn’t surprised. “The moon was waning.”
Olive nodded and rose from her seat. “Thank you, Dr. Hawthorne. You’ve been very helpful.”
He looked doubtful, but he turned to me and said, “Toni Donadieu was a brilliant woman with a generous heart. It was an honor to call her my friend.”
If I were a touchy sort of person, I might have hugged him. Instead, I simply nodded and said, “Thank you for that.”
I could feel him watching us as Olive pushed me out the door. Jasper and Eloise rose from their seats when we entered the waiting room. Olive shook her head ever so slightly, indicating that our conversation would wait.
When we reached the sidewalk, Olive glanced around. The rain had stopped and the sun was making a valiant effort to punch through the clouds. Locals and visitors clogged the sidewalk and she tapped her foot impatiently. “We need a place to look at the grimoire where we can’t be overheard.”
“The park?” Jasper indicated the town square. It was small and not busy at the moment.
“Anyone can see us there. I don’t want to risk it.” Olive shook her head.
“What about the Serenity Labyrinth?” Eloise suggested. “It’s a meditation maze on the highest part of the island. It was one of Toni’s favorite places. Zoe could open the grimoire without anyone observing her and we can talk on the way.”
“I’d like to see a place that was special to Mamie,” I said. Since Mamie’s home was no longer in existence, maybe I could feel my grandmother’s presence in the meditation maze. The longing to feel her here with me was so strong I’d visit anywhere if there was a chance of sensing her.
“That works for me.” Olive and Jasper led the way to the car.
Eloise guided Jasper through town along a winding road that parted from the shore at the lighthouse and wound its way up to a peak on the north side of the island. While he drove, Olive shared what we’d learned from the doctor about Toni’s death.
“She was cursed just like her daughter.” Jasper’s naturally deep voice went even lower with the gravity of the information.
“Whoever is after the grimoire is very powerful. A Waning Curse is one of the most complicated spells of dark magic,” Olive said.
“It’s just evil,” Eloise said, her voice full of disgust. She went to tuck her hair behind her ear, but, of course, she had no ear. I imagined being stranded and losing body parts made her fury a bit keener than just her feeling of grief. Again, I felt the pressure to help her coupled with a righteous rage to hunt down whoever had done this to my family.
The sun had won its battle against the clouds and while it wasn’t strong enough to make the day warmer, at least its rays were more cheerful than the dreary rain we’d been dealing with all day.
Jasper parked in the labyrinth’s designated lot. He switched off the engine and said, “I’ll wait here and keep watch just in case any pirates show up.”
Eloise laughed. Her eyes glittered with humor and she said, “It would be a very long walk for the ghost pirates to make.”
A fact that filled me with nothing but relief.
“Good thinking, Griffin. We’ll call you if we need you.” Olive and Eloise stepped out of the car.
I’d opened my door to follow when Jasper reached over the seat and grabbed my hand. I glanced up, meeting his pale gaze, and I felt my heart skitter in my chest at the concern I saw there.
“Remember what you learned last night, love,” he said. “You’re more powerful than you know. You can do this.”
I smiled, bolstered by his confidence in me. Still, I couldn’t help but ask, “Will you kiss me again if I manage to discover what the grimoire tried to show us?”
Jasper’s eyes glinted as his gaze dropped to my mouth. “If Olive wasn’t already glaring at me, I’d kiss you right now,” he said.
I glanced out the front window and Olive was indeed glowering at us. I squeezed his hand and slipped out of the car.
Eloise and I followed Olive to the path that cut through a thick copse of beech trees. Judging by the size of their trunks, they’d probably been on the island since some of the earliest settlers had arrived. As we stepped out of the line of trees, I saw the circle in front of us. Made up of stones varying in size from rocks the size of gallon jugs to boulders that came up to mid-thigh, with precisely raked crushed seashells in between, the massive circle formed a large, intricate maze that was immaculately maintained. I paused, trying to get a sense of Mamie here, but there was nothing but the brisk breeze sweeping across the open area.
The labyrinth entrance was signified by an opening in the circle between the two largest boulders. I knew the maze’s objective was for people to follow the various paths to thecenter while trying to clear their minds. With all that had happened, I knew this was a very tall order, as my brain currently felt like a hive of bees, and not the lazy ones either.
