Page 77 of The Witching Hours

“It just means I’m notall thatspecial, but I would like to hear more so that I can tell you whether I can be of any help.”

“Of course. What shall I call you? Ms…?”

“Just Valerie is fine. When was the last time you had an extranormal occurrence?”

“I’m at work right now, but if I was at home. The assault is pretty much ongoing.”

“Assault? That’s not a word I’ve ever heard used to describe a domestic peace disturbance.”

“I don’t want to sound overly dramatic, but that’s what it feels like.”

“Does your wife work outside the home?”

“Yes. Part time. For an insurance company. She gets off in time to pick up the kids from school.”

“So, the children aren’t ever left alone in the house.”

I couldn’t tell by his voice or his words, but somehow, I knew he’d shuddered during the brief pause before he said, “Oh, gods, no. That would be… unthinkable.”

I agreed. “Who in your family seems most vulnerable?”

“I think it’s my little girl. She’s nine.”

“The middle child?”

“Yes.”

“Brothers? Sisters?”

“Two brothers. One older. One younger. Well,” he chuckled nervously, “I guess that went without saying after I said she’d the middle child. I just have to know one thing. Did I bring this plague down on us because of my work with magick?”

“Wow, David. You sound like a woman. Trying to find a way to take the blame for whatever goes wrong.” The pauseinformed me that he didn’t know what to say. “And don’t you dare take offense at me saying that was a womanly thing to do or we’re done.” More silence. “I’m just kidding. But now I’m being serious.” It was clear I needed to spell that out. “The answer is an absolute no. Whatever is happening at your house has nothing to do with your study of the magickal arts.”

“That is… a big relief.”

I believed him. I could hear it in his voice.

“Yeah. So. Were there people living in the house when you bought it?”

“No. The last occupants lived there, like twenty years ago?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Is that bad?”

“It’s not good or bad, but it is one of the pieces I’m trying to gather to put a picture together. Has anybody in your family been harmed? I mean physically?”

“No. It was really hard on the kids when we had to take our dog to my brother in Maryland. Baxter was barking all the time. I mean he never stopped. You would think a dog would lose their voice or have to sleep or something, but heneverstopped.”

“You think he was being protective?”

“I know he was. When the vacuum cleaner started wandering around on its own, trailing a cord that wasn’t plugged in… Well. He kind of lost it. He tore into the bag and ripped it to shreds. It was one of those uprights where you put a paper bag inside the permanent bag? I was left with mixed feelings.”

“On the one hand you were so glad to have Baxter trying to protect your family. On the other, a replacement outer bag is expensive.”

“That’s it exactly. I think he was just as scared as we are. We’ve seen everything from window curtains standing straightout like ironing boards and furniture floating two feet off the ground to talking meatloaf.”

Okay. I had to stop him right there. “Talking meatloaf? How, ah, did that work?”