Jin raised his eyebrows. “Looking for little green men?”

  “Something like that.” The man’s smile widened, and he took a step back. “Don’t let me keep you from your drinks, detective. I’m sure we’ll catch up another time.”

  “Musgrave,” Jin snapped, stopping the man in his tracks. “Just so you’re aware, if I get any complaints about you trespassing or harassing residents, there’ll be zero tolerance.”

  “Oh, this ain’t my first rodeo. But, detective, I also know my rights.” He smiled at Holly and Fiona before making his way towards the bar.

  “Well, he sounds fun,” Holly drawled, glaring after him.

  “Did either of you pick anything up?” Patrick asked. “He smelt weird.”

  “He smelt weird?” Holly exclaimed. “What does that mean?”

  “It means he pongs like something crawled up his nose and died,” Fiona told her, a smile returning to her face.

  “Ponged like nothing I’ve ever smelt before,” Jin said, sitting back down.

  “Well, I couldn’t sense anything but the aura of arrogant a-hole,” Holly muttered. “But I’m still figuring that stuff out.”

  Fiona looked past them to the bar, where Grayson was talking to the bartender. “He felt distant.” She blinked and shook her head. “Whatever that means. If he’s supernatural, I don’t know.”

  “We’ll just have to keep an eye on him,” Patrick murmured, reaching for his beer, “and make sure he doesn’t ask the wrong questions.”

  “Or look in the wrong places,” Jin added, then looked at Holly. “How is your barrier spell coming?”

  “I think I’ve cracked it. Or at least, enough to give it a try, but I need more crystals.”

  “There ought to be enough at Samantha’s,” Patrick told her. “The house might look pristinely human, but there are plenty of hiding places where she kept all kinds of magical objects.”

  Holly sank back in her chair. The moment she’d been avoiding was finally here, forced upon her by some random podcaster. How utterly random was that?

  She’d have to acknowledge that Samantha was gone and open the orange envelope. It wasn’t just about the money or the house, it was about the Trine’s secrets. The full truth of their two centuries rule of Dunloe now belonged to the last Burke witch.

  “We can go with you if you want,” Fiona said, resting her hand on Holly’s arm. “If you just need crystals…”

  “No, it’s fine,” she said. “I think this is something I need to do on my own. The last stroke of the pen on the page of the past…” The Trine was broken, never to reappear, and as the last of the Burke bloodline, it was left to her to carry their Legacy into the future.

  Samantha’s worldly belongings were simply the last physical memory of all they’d been through. Deciding what to do with it would finally close the book and allow them all to move on to the next volume—Dunloe now belonged to the descendants of spirit and earth.

  “Anyway, that’s something I’ll worry about tomorrow,” Holly declared. “For tonight, let’s forget about all that. Dinner, and drinks, are on me.”

  CHAPTER 8

  The following morning, Holly unlocked the front door of the Dunne family home.

  The moment she’d been dreading had finally arrived and here she was, being pushed across the threshold.

  “You can go in, you know,” Jin said behind her. “All the ghosts are gone.”

  “Not the metaphorical ones,” she muttered.

  Holly had been here several times, but the first visit had left a lasting impression. The Trine had questioned her about her Legacy, which had still been bound at that point, and had tried to recruit her to uncover if she was the ‘conduit.’ Of course, that’d turned out to be Hazel, and not in the way they’d been expecting, but still… Holly’s entire life had changed that night.

  Inside, the house was cold, the lack of human habitation already rendering it a little musty. Looking around the front sitting room, she could hardly fathom how she’d gone from being attacked by Samantha in the diggings to mourning her loss.

  “We’re just looking for magical stuff,” she said, turning to Jin. “The rest can wait for another time.”

  “Good. The last thing I want to do is to sort through Samantha’s underwear drawer.”

  Holly groaned and dragged the empty black plastic storage tubs into the house. “You take the back half; I’ll start here.”

  Jin disappeared, and a moment later, she heard him opening and closing drawers in the kitchen.

  Surveying the sitting room, Holly sighed. Samantha had an extremely pubic-facing life, what with her community work and lording her social status all over Dunloe. Of course she’d hidden every scrap of her Legacy away from prying eyes. The Dunne grimoire had presented itself to Holly, but everything else wouldn’t be so forthcoming.

  In that, she was right. Their first sweep of the house only dug up a few pieces of crystal hidden in windowsills and in lonely corners. From her research, she knew they’d been placed there to attune energy flow through the home.

  “Check for hidden compartments,” she said.

  “You check for illusions,” Jin added.

  “Illusions?”

  “Theoretically, any illusion cast by the last of the Trine should’ve broken the moment Samantha died because there isn’t any bloodline to carry on the magic. But since we’re not finding anything…”

  “They wouldn’t have taken that chance,” Holly mused. “They’d want their secrets to endure, even after they’d gone.” She looked around the living room. “It’s got to be a relic of some kind.”

  She’d read a little about relics in the Burke grimoire, and from what she understood, they carried a charm or spell that superseded the bloodline rule and took advantage of one of the various loopholes that could be found in all magic—nature’s way of maintaining balance.

  “Look for something old and weird,” Jin advised.

  It wasn’t the most sound advice, considering the house was full of antiques and family heirlooms. But they fiddled with everything, turning ornaments, lifting paintings, checking under the rugs, and even slid out the books in the office. Unfortunately, there was no secret lair concealed by the floor-to-celling bookcases.

  Holly wandered down the long hall, studying the landscape paintings. They all depicted various aspects of the Australian bush and goldfields life. A vista of the Macedon Ranges, a picnic at Hanging Rock, golden fields bordered by eucalypts, and miners of yore working on their claims.

  The ornate frames hung at regular intervals, reminding her of an art gallery. Though as she gazed down the length towards the front door, she noticed there was a gap between two paintings in the middle of the hall.

  “Hidden in plain sight,” she murmured, walking towards the gap.

  She felt along the wall with her Legacy, running her fingertips over the frames on either side. It was the painting of the miners that called out to her, and her magic pulled towards something hidden within like a magnet. When it clicked in place, the gap was no longer a plain wall with its fancy period wainscotting and picture rail.

  The door was just the same as any other in the house—painted eggshell-white and wainscot to match the rest of the hallway—but the moment it was revealed, Holly felt the magic it hid rush back into existence.

  So, the illusion not only concealed the room, but dampened the magical signature behind it—another trick she’d have to add to her notebook. Though, she was a little disappointed there wasn’t any shimmering or sparks involved in breaking the illusion. With a simple touch, the door was simply there.

  “Cool, but anti-climactic,” she said, twisting the handle.

  “Ironic that it was the miners who hid the dungeon of terror,” Jin said, materialising beside her.

  “That’s a bit much. We don’t know what’s inside yet.” Despite her words, Holly felt a brief pang of trepidation as she pushed inwards.

  Unlike the door, the narrow room beyond differed completely from the rest of the manicured house. It was a glittering treasure trove of magic…with a tang of mayhem.

  Holly pursed her lips as she felt the echoes of the Trine’s Legacy hover in the small alcove. It was a different feeling than Fiona’s house and even her aunt’s cottage.

  It must reflect the magic practiced here, she thought, edging into the room.

  Amongst the shelves of crystals, sat jars of dried herbs and other ingredients, jewellery that seemed to contain spells with unknown applications, books and handwritten notes, hooks on the wall that held various wicker woven trinkets, and a rack where several black robes hung.

  “Creepy,” Jin said, scuffing the toe of his boot through the dusted remains of a sigil on the floor. “It smells a little…dark in here.”

  “I’m not surprised,” Holly murmured. “The Trine were into some freaky stuff.” She lifted the fabric of one of the robes, remembering it from the night Samantha attacked her in the diggings.

  “I recommend you and Fiona come back and cleanse the entire house,” the vampire went on. “And scrub the floors.”

  Holly nodded. Two plastic tubs wouldn’t be enough to pack away all this ‘history.’ It also needed a bit of renovation—a plasterer to cover the bare walls, a few coats of eggshell-white paint, and some soft furnishings.

  “Some of this stuff looks like it belonged to Kate and Miranda,” she said, running her fingers over one of the shelves. “Or were made by the Trine, at least.” She didn’t know there were so many applications for magic beyond all the ambiguous stuff she’d already done or seen. “I should send some of it to Brian and Simon.”

  “His parents had an actual sense of humour,” Jin drawled, packing some large milky white quartz crystals into a tub. “Simon Ryan. It rhymes.”

  “It’s not that bad, and it only rhymes a little.” Holly rolled her eyes. There was no love lost with him and the Trine, and probably never would be. “Did you have this much of an attitude when you were human?”

  “One…ouch.” He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close. “And two…when did you get so bold?”

  “The moment the mayor asked me for money.”

  “You can curse him, you know. You’re a witch.”

  “Let’s not go there.” She nudged him away, though she couldn’t stop her mischievous chuckle.

  They packed as many crystals as the tubs could hold, and Jin carried them to the front door.

  “If you need to go to the station, I’ll be all right here,” she told him. “I want to have another look in the creepy ritual room.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yeah. I’m just going to do one last sweep to make sure I haven’t missed anything. The last thing any of us needs is for that Grayson guy to find evidence.” Truthfully, she just wanted a moment alone with the house—not that she didn’t want Jin there, it was just something she had to contemplate on her own.

  “I don’t like him.” Jin’s expression darkened. “He’s a threat.”

  “Maybe, but he’s got nothing and we can’t let him rattle us.” Which seemed easier said than done.

  If he was supernatural, it seemed clear he didn’t realise, because why would he want to expose the truth of his own reality to the world? What kind of creature didn’t know they were more than human? Holly had no idea.

  “I want to do a background check,” Jin said. “I want to make sure he is who he says he is.”

  “That seems logical.” She kissed him. “But behave, okay? You can be a little grumpy.”

  “Me, grumpy? I just have a low tolerance for morons.”

  She chuckled. “Said the vampire.”

  He was gone before she had time to blink and suddenly, the house felt gnawingly empty and colder than an ice cave in Antarctica.

  Shivering, she turned back to the hidden room.

  Fiona would want to see some of this, and the witch could help her sort through the spelled items…and hopefully know what they were for. But for now, she had what she needed to complete her barrier spell.

  Holly replaced the relic and the door vanished, leaving behind the smooth white wall with its fancy wainscotting.

  It was in that moment that Holly realised that Samantha and Hannah were truly gone. Stepping across the threshold of Samantha’s house and facing the reality of what’d happened the night they’d freed all those spirits from the diggings had triggered the last piece of closure she needed to finally move on.

  The volume labelled ‘conduit’ had ended, and now the future was free and clear. Apart from a few outstanding items on her to-do list, chapter one of volume two was ready to be written.

  Holly loaded the first box into the back of her car, then went inside for the second. When she shut the heavy door behind her, it felt like a metaphor slamming home. She turned the key, triggering the tumblers in the ancient lock, and just like that, the past was where it belonged.

  Holly turned, her faith in the future restored, raring to step into it with renewed energy. But she found the last person she wanted to see standing on the path before her.

  Greyson Musgrave.

  “Can I help you?” she asked, picking up the tub.

  “Holly Burke,” he said with a smile. “I think you’re the only person who can.”

  “Me? Help you with your alien podcast?” She shook her head. “I don’t think so. I’ve never seen an UFO.”

  “I’ve been hearing some interesting stories about this house today,” he said, ignoring her dismissal. “Some that remind me of a little town in the USA. You might know it. Salem?”

  “What does Salem have to do with a dinky little town in country Australia?” Holly asked with a snort. “You tire of the alien angle?”

  “People say Samantha Dunne was a witch.”

  “What?” She laughed. “Like an actual witch with magical powers?”

  “There’s been all kinds of rumours and stories about this place since the gold rush in the 1850s. Satanic worship, murder, conspiracy, rituals…and they all have the same family names attached. Dunne, Doyle, Ryan. Burke.” He narrowed his eyes and took a step towards her. “The strange thing is, the amount of deaths all the families have had throughout the generations, especially your family.”

  “What are you getting at, Grayson?” she asked, her patience wearing thin. She now understood why Jin was so short with the guy last night. He really knew how to press buttons. “I’ve got somewhere to be.”

  “The entire Dunne family is dead. Then the remaining Doyles and Ryans moved out with a lot of other families in an awful hurry…and here you are.”

  “Wow. Are you concerned for my life?”

  He snorted.

  “Oh, so, I’m the local serial killer,” she said with a roll of her eyes. “That’s your theory now? Give me a break.”

  “Are you? You’ve got someone on the inside to cover it all up for you. It’s the perfect crime.” He nodded towards the house. “You inherited a lot of money. Not only from your aunt, but Samantha Dunne, too. And word around town is that she and Hannah didn’t see eye to eye.”

  “Are you bloody serious?” Holly exclaimed, barely able to contain her rage. This guy had some nerve…

  “Am I wrong?”

  “What do you want from me?” she exclaimed.

  “The truth.”

  “Oh, the truth, that’s already been given to you,” she snapped, almost dropping the plastic tub of crystals. “You desperately want this to be some grand conspiracy to do with aliens or some shady government coverup, but I can’t tell you that because it’s not true. Quite frankly, it’s offensive you’re even bothering me with this crap. People I cared about died in tragic circumstances and should be allowed to rest in peace, along with those left behind who grieve them. And my entire family is not dead, thank you very much. My father lives in Sydney!” She stalked past him, lugging the heavy plastic tub. Shoving it into the back of her car with the other one, she slammed the boot closed. “Do yourself a favour and leave me alone.”

  “Or you’ll sic your boyfriend on me?”

  “Actually, yeah. If you threaten me again, I might just make it police-official.” She moved around to the driver’s side door and wrenched it open. “You’d be perfect as a sensationalist reporter on A Current Affair. I’m sure you’d have a blast harassing dodgy landlords!”

  She didn’t bother looking in her mirrors as she tore out of the driveway. She didn’t have to see him to feel him. Grayson Musgrave’s accusing stare felt like the fire of a thousand suns bearing down on her little silver car.

  Who the hell did he think he was?

  Later that afternoon, Holly met up with Fiona and Patrick at the cottage. It was past time to get that barrier up around the anomaly.

  “Just follow the markings on the map and bury the crystals into the ground.” Holly handed the printout to Patrick, along with the tub of quartz crystals she and Fiona had just finished cleansing.

  “That’s all?” the vampire asked.

  “Oh!” She handed him the shovel she’d found in the rickety old shed at the back of the cottage. “You’ll need this.”

  “It’s a reverse treasure hunt,” Patrick declared with a chuckle. “I’ll send a text message when I’m done.” He was gone in a blur, off to find the first crystal point.

  The two witches walked across the bridge spanning Moonlight Creek and into the diggings, their hands shoved deep into their coat pockets.

  “Are you all right?” Fiona asked. “You’ve been jittery since I got here.”

  “Grayson showed up at Samantha’s this morning,” Holly replied, filling her in on all his wild accusations of serial killing, witchcraft, and other assorted nonsense.

  “The witchcraft thing, though…”

  “Oh, I know. I just didn’t think someone like Samantha would entertain a rumour about it, despite it being the truth.”

  “Me neither,” Fiona agreed. “Which smells a little fishy on Greyson’s behalf.”

  She was right. The rumour had to come from somewhere…or had he made it up to see if her reaction, hoping it would prove his theory? Now she was second-guessing everything she’d said to the guy, down to her unconscious facial expressions. Had Holly given something away by accident?