“I… umm…”

  I waited, but she didn’t say anything else. Clearly, she was anxious about something and she seemed especially shy, so I decided to try a different tack. “I’m Poppy and I’m the owner of this store, so whatever you’re looking for, I can help you find it.”

  Still nothing, so I smiled a bit more broadly. Sometimes people just needed to get their courage up to discuss whatever maladies they were suffering from. “What’s your name?”

  “Katie.” She swallowed audibly. “Katie Sawyer.”

  “I haven’t seen you around town. Do you live in Haven Hollow?”

  “I live in…” She shuddered as if she’d just walked through a spiderweb, before she appeared to remember herself. Then, taking a deep breath, she walked right up to the counter and said, “I came here because I bought this vintage mirror at a garage sale and… it’s haunted.” She took a deep breath and seemed pleased with herself that she’d been able to get the mouthful out.

  I raised my eyebrows. “Why do you think the mirror is haunted?”

  “I don’t think it’s haunted. I know it’s haunted.”

  “Oh,” I answered, not able to hide my surprise—when it comes to ghosts, people in my experience usually aren’t so sure-fire convinced. “Why is that?”

  “Because… there’s… there’s someone in it.”

  “Someone in it?”

  She nodded and began nervously playing with the hem of her turtleneck. I could see her fingers and hands shaking. “I know it sounds crazy, but I keep seeing the reflection of a person in the mirror—a woman.”

  “It doesn’t sound crazy,” I assured her even though it certainly was one of the odder things I’d heard lately. “Can you tell me more about the woman?”

  Katie nodded. “She’s wearing a long dress and an apron and a bonnet like what you might see someone wearing in pioneer times—like when they traveled in covered wagons, you know?”

  “Yes, I can imagine.” I took a breath. “And you’ve actually seen this entity in the mirror?”

  “Yes, every time I look into the mirror, she’s there.”

  “Didn’t you see her when you bought the mirror at the yard sale?”

  She shook her head and hesitated. “It was outside and the sun was really bright that day and when I looked into the mirror, I could only see myself. I figure the sun just blinded me to seeing what else was there—the woman. But, as soon as I got the mirror home and took it out of my car, I spotted the woman immediately.”

  “I’m sure that scared you.”

  “It still scares me and I don’t know what to do about it, which is why I brought it to you.” She rubbed her fingers together and continued to fidget.

  “How come you didn’t just get rid of it?”

  “I wanted to,” Katie answered immediately, nodding like that was the most obvious question. “But, then I’d remember the expression in the woman’s eyes and I couldn’t just dump it… and her somewhere.” She paused as she sighed. “I know that sounds crazy, but the woman in the mirror just looks so scared… so panicked that I thought maybe there was something I could do to help her.”

  “That was nice of you,” I answered, wondering what in the world could have happened to the poor woman that would have resulted in her getting stuck behind a piece of glass for over a century.

  “I know it sounds like I’m losing my mind,” Katie starting, shaking her head.

  “It doesn’t at all,” I ensured her. “Believe me, I deal with the paranormal on a day-to-day basis so I understand what you’re going through.” I’d just never heard of anything like this before and wasn’t exactly sure what to make of it or how I could help Katie or the woman trapped in the mirror.

  Katie sighed audibly and that was when the tears started. I walked up to her and, short of hugging her—which might have seemed too personal a gesture between strangers—I placed a hand on her shoulder and gave her an encouraging smile. Then I asked, “Did you try to talk to the people who were having the garage sale—the ones who sold the mirror to you?”

  Katie nodded repeatedly. “I’ve gone over there a few times and knocked on the door, but they never answer. I think they… just wanted to get rid of it.”

  “Or maybe they never could see the images of the spirit in the first place,” I said, and Katie looked at me with a question in her expression. “Not everyone can see spirits.”

  Katie nodded. “Do you think you can help me?”

  I took a big breath because I wasn’t sure. “I’ll see what I can do,” I promised. “If the mirror is haunted, maybe I can banish the spirit and get her to move on.” I just wasn’t sure how to accomplish that. Anointing the mirror with potions and maybe a spell from Wanda could be the way to go, but I had no experience with this type of stuff. Hopefully Wanda did. And if not, I figured I could always ask Betanya Tayir and Olga Fischer, the other two witches in Haven Hollow.

  “That sounds good.”

  “Where is the mirror now?”

  “It’s in the back of my car.” She paused. “Should I bring it in?”

  “Sure.”

  Katie walked out. A moment later, she returned carrying a large, rich mahogany mirror with a claw-foot base and a full-length oval frame. The top was dusted with snow from her short walk from her car to the store.

  The glass was currently facing away from me so I couldn’t see any pioneer women. Katie placed the mirror in the center of the shop floor and then turned it around as she stood back with another shiver. She remained at a generous distance from the mirror as though she didn’t want to get near it.

  Sure enough, a medium-built woman was visible inside the mirror. Dirt and grime smudged her dress, her apron, and her hands. Her bonnet hung loosely by its strings behind her neck and her disheveled hair framed a sooty face. A face that was clearly panicked as evidenced by her wide eyes and the fact that she was screaming, though I couldn’t hear any sound.

  From what I could tell, she couldn’t see us—at least, she wouldn’t make eye contact with us, anyway. Her eyes darted around in wild desperation as she pounded the glass with her fists. Her mouth moved in silent yells.

  “Do you see her?” Katie whispered.

  “Yes,” I answered.

  She nodded and there was relief in her eyes, as if she were worried I wouldn’t be able to see her which would mean she was going nuts. I could understand her nervousness regarding the mirror—it wasn’t everyday you dealt with this sort of thing.

  “I don’t understand what’s going on or how she’s trapped in it,” Katie almost whispered.

  “It looks like she might be a residual spirit.”

  “What’s that?”

  “A spirit who isn’t sentient.”

  “Sentient?”

  I nodded. “She doesn’t realize she’s a spirit which is why she hasn’t moved on, but she’s stuck replaying the situation that led to her death repeatedly. Only in this case, she’s somehow stuck inside the mirror.” And that was the part that was throwing me for a loop. I took a deep breath as I continued to study the woman inside the glass. “Whatever is going on, it appears she’s in extreme danger… or was.” I took a closer look at her clothes, hair, and face. “Like she’s been in a fire or an explosion or something.”

  “Yeah, there’s soot all over her.”

  I nodded. “Maybe she was trying to escape a fire?”

  “And now she’s trying to get out of the mirror?”

  I studied the mirror again and slowly nodded. “It does seem like that, doesn’t it?”

  “Can you get her out of the mirror?” Katie shuddered again. “I don’t know if I actually want her out, though. I mean… what if she gets out and haunts me for like the rest of my life?”

  “I doubt she’s any danger to either of us—or anyone else, for that matter. I think she’s just helplessly caught between life and death.” I took a breath. “Most ghosts are only ghosts reluctantly, and if she’s trapped by the fear of whatever killed her, we’d be doing her a favor to release her from that trap.”

  “If you can do that, I’d be grateful.”

  “Well, that’s the sticking point because I’m not sure how to do it,” I admitted on a sigh. “I’ve never dealt with a case like this before.”

  “So, you don’t think you’ll be able to help her?”

  “I will do my best,” I promised. “First, I need to do a little research though so I can figure out what I’m dealing with and… how best to deal with it.”

  “Oh,” Katie said and visibly deflated.

  “Don’t worry,” I answered, and gave her another smile. “We’ll find a solution.”

  I glanced back at the mirror and watched as the woman kept moving from one side of the glass to the other, and calling in one direction and then the other. Maybe she was searching for someone?

  When she sidestepped to the left, I saw my store reflected behind her. Katie and I stood side by side… and then I noticed something else, something darker that appeared to be standing behind me—very close behind me. I pointed at it.

  “Do you see that?”

  Katie peered behind the pioneer woman to the place I was pointing. “See what?”

  “There’s like a shadow or something right behind me.”

  She took a step closer to the mirror. “I don’t see anything.”

  “You don’t…?” I broke off because I could see it distinctly—a shadow in the shape of a person. It was the blurry outline of another woman who stood right behind my reflection. At least, it looked like a woman, but I couldn’t be absolutely sure. The figure raised its arms above my head as though it was in the process of trying to attack me, but when I turned around, there was nothing there.

  The frontier woman moved into my line of sight again and blocked the shadow image. A second later, she moved to the other side of the mirror and the same watery and dark image reappeared.

  It had to have been the same shadow Wanda had seen. And that meant that we clearly hadn’t gotten rid of it with potions and spells. Dammit.

  Then something else occurred to me: I wonder if I can see the shadow reflected in another mirror or just this one?

  Hurrying to the bathroom, I flipped on the light switch and walked in front of the mirror above the sink. And the only thing I saw reflected back at me was myself. No shadow figures.

  I turned off the light to see if maybe the shadow might be encouraged to show itself in the darkness, but it was the same result—just me looking back at me.

  Finding this whole situation perplexing, I walked back to Katie’s mirror, where she was standing beside it and looking at me with a strange expression. “I was just checking to see if I could see that weird shadow thing in my bathroom mirror, but there’s nothing there,” I explained, to which Katie nodded. Meanwhile, I looked back into her mirror and, as soon as the pioneer woman shifted to the side of the mirror, I could see the shadow behind me.

  Then another thought occurred to me: Why is it appearing now, when nothing bad is happening to you? I asked myself, remembering how Wanda had said she saw the shadow both times I hurt myself, but then it disappeared.

  The instant the thought occurred to me, something crashed through the store’s front window. Katie and I both jumped and screamed in unison at the same time that I spun around, just in time to see a baseball hurtling straight for my head.

  “Duck!” I yelled as I did just that and the ball whistled past my ear, smashing into the brick wall behind the front counter, and bouncing off the cash register, before coming to a stop on the floor in front of us.

  Standing up, I walked over to the ball and picked it up. Then I started for the front window and glanced outside to see if there happened to be any random kids with baseball bats who were missing their ball. I was careful not to step on the glass that riddled the floor.

  “No one is out there,” I said, more to myself than to Katie, as I turned around again and sighed, looking at the newest mess I’d have to deal with.

  Katie looked at me with wild eyes. “It’s the mirror’s curse! I know it is!”

  “What curse?” I asked, frowning at her as I fought to catch my breath. “Who said the mirror was cursed?”

  “Are you kidding?” Katie asked, tears streaming down her face as her voice wavered, revealing her fear. “Look at it!” She indicated the mirror, but stopped short of actually looking at it. “I’m sure it’s cursed! It has to be!”

  “Just because it has a ghost trapped inside it, doesn’t mean it’s cursed.” I was pretty sure I was the only one who was cursed.

  “A baseball just came flying through the window and nearly turned you into a ghost!” Katie argued.

  I took a deep breath and tried to calm myself down. “It could just be bad luck.” Those two little words again—bad luck. I briefly considered explaining to Katie that I was the one with the bad luck curse, but I didn’t want to give the curse any steam—or the benefit of the doubt where believing in it was concerned. And I also didn’t want to freak Katie out more than she was already freaked out.

  Katie glanced again at the mirror before she looked away with an expression of worry mixed with fear. “So… you don’t have any way to free the woman out of the mirror now? I mean…” She looked around the store. “Can’t you put one of your potions on it or something?”

  “I don’t have anything currently that would be strong enough to release the ghost from the mirror. That’s why I said I need to look into it.” And, I was fairly sure I’d need Wanda’s help. Gypsy magic was strong, but paired with witch magic? Yeah, then it was even stronger.

  “I just… I really don’t want to take it back home with me.”

  “Then leave it here. I’ll need some time to research and study up on it, anyway.”

  Katie’s shoulders relaxed considerably. “Okay, that sounds fine to me.”

  “All right,” I replied. “I’ll let you know when I find something out.” I walked over to the desk and retrieved a pen and a pad of paper, handing both to her. “Write down your contact info and I’ll be in touch.”

  “Thank you, Poppy!” she gushed while scribbling down her number, before handing me the pen and pad again. With a quick wave, she hurried to the front of the store, crunching over the broken glass en route, but luckily she was wearing leather boots, so her feet were probably safe.

  I gazed at the war zone that was fast becoming my life and realized I had my own sizable problem to figure out first—what in the hell was going on in my life? Clearly, there was more to the broken mirror superstition than I wanted to believe.

  And now I could add the front window to the list of broken things I already had to repair or replace. Who knew how much it would cost to get the front window replaced? Hopefully Marty would be able to fix it for me.

  I heaved a long sigh and turned the mirror around so it was facing the wall. I didn’t like hiding the frontier woman when she so obviously needed help, but she didn’t seem to notice anything beyond her own situation. And, besides, I doubted any of my customers would want to see her—talk about giving them nightmares for the rest of their lives. In fact, as soon as I got the glass all cleaned up, I’d move the mirror into my back room.

  I swept up the glass and threw it away as I texted Marty and asked him if he could swing by and take a look at the window. He responded immediately that he was on his way. Then I called Henner Tayir, our local technomancer, about fixing my laptop.

  Chapter Four

  After finishing work and picking up Finn, I returned home, and Marty pulled up behind me in his long, black hearse. I’d invited him for dinner and Finn wanted to watch the newest season of Stranger Things with him. They were TV show buddies.

  “First you have to finish your homework, Finn!” I yelled to the two of them as they disappeared into the living room.

  There was a knock on my door and when I went to answer it, I found Darla, Astrid and Libby standing on the porch outside, all of them freezing in the frigid temperature. Astrid smiled up at me shyly, as if she were suddenly embarrassed to be standing there uninvited.

  “Finn said you guys were starting the newest season of Stranger Things tonight,” she said with a hopeful expression. “And Wanda was out on a date with Lorcan, so I figured—”

  I opened the door for her. “Come on in, but Finn has to finish his homework first.”

  “What kind of homework is it?” she asked.

  “Math, I think.”

  “Oh, good, I’m great at math,” Astrid answered on a smile and disappeared into the living room.

  It was her birthday month and she was turning seventeen. It seemed like lately, a month couldn’t go by without a birthday. November was RJ and Henner’s, December was Wanda’s and now it was Astrid’s. Wanda was planning a little get together for Astrid in a week and it was a surprise—I’d been recruited to make my famous cherry cupcakes. Libby was in charge of the rest of the food.

  Speaking of, I turned to face Darla and Libby.

  “We, uh, didn’t have anything to do,” Libby started, rubbing the back of her neck.

  “An’ we wanted to make sure you was still kickin’,” Darla added. “Since you broke that mirror.”

  “Come in,” I said, frowning at Darla, who beamed at me. Really, these two needed to find a hobby fast. “Libby, you can help me with dinner.”

  “Oh, I’d just love to, Poppy! Shall we make Hamburger Helper?”

  “Actually, I was thinking a German inspired dinner tonight.”

  “Oh,” Libby answered, and clearly had no idea what that meant.

  I shut the front door and walked back into the kitchen, setting the frying pan on the stove as I turned on the burner. After pouring olive oil into the pan, I opened the fridge to take out the bratwurst, knackwurst and some other ‘wurst’ I couldn’t pronounce. Then I grabbed the jar of Bubbie’s Sauerkraut and the three jars of German mustard, placing everything on the kitchen counter.

  “How’s that ol’ curse treatin’ you anyway, dollface?” Darla said from behind me.

  “Not well,” I answered.

  “Oh, yeah? How’s that?”

  I peered my head around the corner to make sure Finn was out of earshot. The last thing I wanted him to find out was that his mother was cursed, especially after dealing with the out-of-control BMW this morning. Seeing that Finn was deeply involved in a conversation with both Marty and Astrid, I turned to face Darla again. “This stays between us.”