9 Chapter 9

Winnie opened the box and brought out an opal pendant on a gold chain. "Oh, oh, I love it!" She held it up to the light so the gem could sparkle with iridescent brilliance. "It's so...extraordinarily beautiful!"

"Now you can go to the club in style. Since I had a fairly decent year with the shop, I decided to share a little of my good fortune." Afton helped her aunt secure the pendant around her neck. The oval-shaped gemstone fell gracefully as well as dramatically beneath Winnie's fleshy throat and against her breastbone.

"Oh, you're truly special, my darling Afton!" Gushing with excitement, she leaned over and gave her niece a big, wet kiss on the cheek.

"Here's yours, sis." Dev pulled an object from the pocket of his old jacket. "I'm sorry it's not much."

"As I told you, it's the thought that counts."

Accepting her gift, Afton examined the teal porcelain bottle with a unique triangular stopper of topaz glass. "Oh, how interesting-" When she pulled up the stopper, she found a slender paint brush attached, the bristles coated with a pewter liquid.

"It's a summoning potion," her brother explained. "You paint whatever or whoever you wish to summon, like someone in a photograph. Then you burn the picture to set the conjuring spell in motion. If it works like it says it does, that person should come to you."

"Let's try it out. Now whom should we summon?" Tapping her chin, Afton thought for a moment until she had an idea. "I know! Let's get Mr. Leonard Volkes over here, the writer who thinks he knows all about witchcraft and the supernatural. I believe he's currently residing in Florida, South Beach, I believe."

She jumped to her feet and went to fetch Volkes' latest book, The Witches of West Hollywood. Afton had wanted to talk to the author and ask where he obtained his erroneous information about covens and witches who populated Hollywood and even Beverly Hills. The book Volkes wrote before that, The Zombie Códice, focused on voodoo rituals in the Caribbean, including the practice of turning dead people into walking slaves, or zombies. The book actually sold over 200,000 copies.

After ripping off the back cover, she returned to her seat on the rug and then loaded the brush with the pewter substance that looked like liquid mercury. She painted over Volkes' publicity photo until she had it coated thoroughly.

As she worked, Dev went to retrieve the box of matches on the fireplace mantle and her peacock glass bowl from the coffee table to serve as the ash container.

"Okay, here goes nothing!" After placing her painted photo in the bowl, Afton struck a match and lit the edge of the cover. "Do we say anything?" she asked while the paper caught fire and burned swiftly.

"The directions say no words needed," Dev confirmed. His gaze quickly followed the spire of neon green light that now emanated from the bowl and shot up to the ceiling, soon to be joined by shoots of silver strands.

"Oh, how exciting!" Winnie exclaimed as she, too, stared up at the dazzling display of light.

"My goodness," Afton remarked, "what a way to summon someone!"

Suddenly, the trio turned heads when they heard a distinct rapping at the inner shop door. At that moment the shaft of light wound down and then ceased all together.

"It can't be Mr. Volkes already," Winnie ventured with a baffled expression.

Rising, Afton went to the opened folding doors and peered into the darkened shop. "No, it's Mr. Barrett," she announced, and then went to heed his summons. After letting him inside, she reappeared moments later with her guest in tow.

"Hello, folks," Mac greeted. "As I walked by the store window, I saw this strange light coming from inside and I thought maybe Afton's shop caught fire. I'm glad to see it's not true." He spied the bowl now filled with silver ashes. "So, are you playing some kind of game?"

"Yes, we are," Winnie quickly answered as she rose from the ottoman where she had been sitting. "It's an old family parlor trick, but we just finished."

"Nothing to be alarmed about," Afton added. "Would you like to stay a minute and have a nightcap?"

For the first time, Mac took in his surroundings. "Oh, so this is your apartment back here. Say, it's very nice."

"Thank you. Have a seat."

"I don't want to intrude."

"Oh, you're not intruding," Winnie told him as she flashed her pendant. "Devlin and I were just leaving."

"Yes, that's right," Dev agreed. "So, please stay and have a drink with my sister."

"Well, all right, but it will have to be a short one." Mac glanced at his watch. "I'm getting married in about twelve hours. And something tells me I should get some sleep."

"I won't keep you," Afton assured him as she went to the cabinet that served as her bar, actually a black-lacquered cupboard with colorful depictions of Chinese dragons on each door. She opened the doors and revealed her liquor selection. "What would you like? I have scotch, gin, brandy, and I believe some Benedictine."

"Since its Christmas, I'll try the Benedictine but watered down a little."

Setting the bottle on the cabinet top, Afton then picked up her silver ice bucket. "I have ice, too."

"Okay, make that Benedictine on the rocks."

"And how about a pinch of brandy to make it a B and B?" Afton offered.

Mac hesitated for a moment and then decided to shoot the works. "All right, you talked me into it." As she went to the kitchen for ice, he settled on the sofa.

"Merry Christmas to you!" Winnie chirped as she gathered her coat and shawl with one hand, the other lovingly fondling her opal. "Look what Afton gave me for my present." She leaned in so Mac could get a good look at the sparkling gemstone.

He nodded in approval. "My, yes, it's very lovely."

"Merry Christmas from me, too," Dev added with his own bundles in hand. "And congratulations, Mr. Barrett, on your upcoming marriage."

With an elated grin, Mac moved to the edge of his seat. "Well, thank you both. And a Merry Christmas to you as well."