 
### Kacey & Friends: The Ghost of Castle Isle

written and illustrated by

C. Metzinger

Copyright 2014 C. Metzinger, Smashwords Edition

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

Thank you for downloading this e-book. This book remains the copyrighted property of the author, and may not be redistributed to others for commercial or non-commercial purposes. If you enjoyed this book, please encourage your friends to download their own copy from their favorite authorized retailer. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, images, and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. Thank you for your support.

Table of Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter One

"You look worried, Dad," said Kacey. She was concerned because it wasn't often that her father, a minister and a man of strong faith in God, would worry about anything. She studied his handsome profile as she waited for his reply.

"I just spoke to Aunt Mary on the phone. She had hip surgery recently and she sounded rather upset."

"What does her doctor say?"

"She said that her doctor told her that she's making good progress. She still needs to use a walker to get around, though, and she has to rely on others to help her. She's upset because and the people she hired to do the housework aren't doing a good job."

"That can be frustrating," Kacey agreed.

"Not only that, but she's still fussing over some documents that she lost two years ago. I've tried to tell her that it's not important, but she is still upset over it. But in her present condition, I'm afraid her anxiety will be too much for her."

Kacey thought a moment, and then said, "I have a few days off from school coming up. The third week of October is Alumni Week. My classes will be cancelled due to the special events. I could spend five days with Aunt Mary and help her around the house."

Her father's frown transformed into a smile.

"I'm sure Aunt Mary would love that."

"So would I," Kacey added sincerely, "She's one of my favorite people."

"Why not call and offer your services? Maybe you can bring along a couple of helpers," her father suggested.

Kacey beamed, "You mean Emma and Ava? Of course! I'll call Aunt Mary right now."

As Kacey looked up the phone number, she recalled all the fun summer vacations that she had spent with her family at Aunt Mary's big old Victorian house in Marbleton, Massachusetts. The house had six bedrooms and lots of other interesting rooms where Kacey used to play with her older brother, Brian, and her cousins. On warm, sunny days they played on the beach. On rainy days, they explored the old house and attic. It had secret nooks and crannies where they used to play Hide and Seek.

The house had been in her father's family for over a century. It had been handed down to Aunt Mary's husband, Charles Carlson, who died two years ago. Ever since, Aunt Mary has kept the mansion going all on her own. But now that she was eighty years old and handicapped, she had to rely on others for help. Aunt Mary was really Kacey's great aunt, but everyone called her Aunt Mary.

Kacey lived in Westfield, New Hampshire, with her father, a church minister. Her older brother lived in Boston and was engaged to be married. Because Kacey's mom died of cancer when she was in high school, she and her father were very close. She chose to live at home while going to college so she could have her own room, and to help pay for her education by saving her father money. Although they were well-off financially due to her father's wealthy family, they tried to live on his modest salary and give generously to charity. She also liked living at home to be close to her two best friends, Ava and Emma, and her boyfriend, Josha.

Kacey called Aunt Mary's number and offered to help her.

"I would love to have you and your friends come for a visit!" Aunt Mary crowed, "When can you come?"

"I haven't asked my friends yet, but they'll probably be able to come with me on the third week of October, from Wednesday through Sunday."

"Perfect! You can help me decorate the house for Halloween!"

"We'd love to!" Kacey replied, and thanked Aunt Mary for inviting her.

Next, she called her two best friends, Ava Cruz, and Emma Santos, to see if they could go with her. Ava was also a student at Westfield University with Kacey, so she was also available on those dates to join her. Emma had just finished cooking school and was looking for a job as a chef. Because she hadn't found one yet, she was able to join her friends, too. Both of them agreed to help out Aunt Mary in any way they could.

The third week of October arrived. The leaves on the trees blazed orange and gold, and the scent of dry leaves wafted in the cool air. The early morning sun cast a golden-yellow light upon the houses along Emma's street. Kacey pulled her BMW convertible into Emma's driveway.

Her two friends waved from the front door as they said goodbye to Emma's parents, and carried their luggage to the car. Kacey helped them to pack their things into the trunk.

"And don't forget these," Emma said, holding up two more bags.

"Why do you always need to bring so much stuff when we travel?" Ava asked.

"I like to be prepared," Emma replied, "I never know what will happen when I'm with you two. We've tramped through the woods, hiked up rocks, skied down mountains, and even gone to clubs together, so I have to pack for any and every situation."

"We're only driving a few hours to Aunt Mary's house near Salem. It's not like she's on another planet," Ava argued, "I mean, they do have stores in Salem."

Emma replied, "Better too much than not enough, I always say!"

Kacey chuckled at their friendly banter and got into the driver's seat. Soon, they were headed down the road with music blaring from the speakers while they sang along.

As they arrived into the outskirts of Salem, the girls noticed many signs for Tarot card readers, fortune tellers, witchcraft stores and spirit mediums.

"I've never seen so many fortune tellers and witchcraft shops!" Emma exclaimed.

"Yeah, this place is known for its weirdness. This is one of the biggest witch capitals in the country," Kacey replied.

"And all because a bunch of silly girls started accusing other people of witchcraft over three hundred years ago," Ava said.

Emma remarked, "Oh yeah, I remember learning about that in middle school. Weren't some people hung as witches?"

"They were hanged," Ava corrected, "That's the correct past tense of the word 'hang' when it means getting hanged by a rope until dead. And I think there were about twenty people hanged, right Kacey?"

"Yeah. My Aunt Mary knows all about it. She can tell you the details."

At that moment, the girls passed a billboard with a giant figure of Frankenstein.

"Look at that! Frankenstein's Dungeon! Maybe we can go see it!" Emma cried.

Kacey smiled, "Don't get your hopes up. You'd probably be disappointed. Most of those places are just tourist traps and not very scary."

A while later they passed the Salem Witch Museum.

" _That_ place looks creepy!" Emma declared, "It looks like an old haunted castle."

"It does," Kacey agreed, "But the witches from the Witch Trials of 1692 who were accused of witchcraft and hanged were just ordinary people like you and I. They were falsely accused. There are no witches, nor ghosts."

Emma frowned, "I don't know. My brother swears he saw a ghost once, and it scared him to death. I hope we don't see any ghosts here in creepy, old Salem."

Kacey and Ava laughed, "Don't worry, we won't."

But Emma wasn't so sure.

Kacey drove through Salem and continued along the coastal highway ten more minutes until they reached the small town of Marbleton.

As the car pulled into Aunt Mary's long driveway, the view of the house and grounds opened before them.

"Wow! Look at that!" Emma cried, "What a cool place to live! Are all of your relatives rich, Kacey?"

Kacey chuckled, "No, not all of them. But this house has been in the family for over a century."

The girls loved the colorful hanging baskets of flowers on the front porch, and the park-like front lawn. The huge, three-story house was a Victorian masterpiece, complete with decorative white trim and pointed turrets. Pulling into the driveway revealed a beautiful garden in the back with an arched trellis laden with purple flowers.

"Your aunt must have a green thumb!" Ava remarked.

"She does love her flowers," Kacey agreed.

They all carried their luggage to the front door and knocked.

Aunt Mary's Victorian House in Marbleton, Massachusetts.

When the front door opened, an elderly woman stood behind a walker. A smile was etched in her wrinkled face framed by short, curly, grey hair. She wore a tan sweater and dark pants. Her vivid blue eyes twinkled at the sight of Kacey.

"Oh, Kacey! How wonderful to see you!"

Kacey embraced her great aunt and introduced her two friends.

"You must come in and have some tea. I have it all ready for you," said Aunt Mary.

The girls set down their bags in the spacious foyer and followed Aunt Mary into the large parlor. A big fireplace dominated one wall, trimmed with hand-carved mahogany. The room was filled with antique furniture and art. At the far end, a baby grand piano stood in the corner near the entrance to the dining room. A tea service and a plate of cookies were on the coffee table.

Kacey poured the tea while the girls helped themselves to cookies. Soon, they were all talking to Aunt Mary. She asked many questions about what they did, and they were happy to tell her.

"Well, I go to Westfield University, like Kacey," Ava explained, "I'm studying Criminal Justice. Fortunately, Kacey and I don't have classes for the rest of this week because of Alumni Week."

Aunt Mary said she thought it was wonderful that the girls were getting a college education.

"And I just finished a course at the Cordon Bleu cooking school," Emma declared proudly, "Which means I can cook some new recipes if you would like me to."

"I would love it!" Aunt Mary replied enthusiastically.

"Maybe later we can go shopping for groceries," Emma suggested to her friends.

"Good idea," Kacey said.

Ava asked, "Gee, Emma, didn't you bring all your groceries inside your luggage?"

Aunt Mary laughed, and Ava continued,

"I am not kidding! Whenever we go somewhere, Emma brings food, and sometimes she even brings her own cook ware!"

They all laughed, and Emma explained, "Well, I like to be prepared."

"So you should be!" Aunt Mary agreed.

After tea, the girls cleared up the dishes and took their bags upstairs to their bedrooms. Each girl chose a bedroom that she liked best, and they spent some time unpacking.

Afterward, the girls came downstairs and asked Aunt Mary how they could help her.

"Thank you for your kind offer. I hired someone to clean the house, but they didn't do a very thorough job. If you girls would wash the kitchen floor and clean the downstairs floors that would be a big help."

"Of course! I know where the mops and brooms are," Kacey said, and led her friends to the tall cupboards in the room next to the kitchen. Soon they were sweeping and washing the floors. By the time they finished, it was time for lunch. Emma offered to make lunch, and the girls asked Aunt Mary if she would like to eat lunch out on the front porch.

"Let's do that! It's a beautiful fall day, and there won't be too many more like today before winter comes!"

Soon they were all seated on the spacious front porch. The girls brought out some small tables for their drinks. While enjoying salads and fruit, the girls asked Aunt Emma about the town.

"I'm afraid you'll find this small town is not what it used to be," she said to Kacey, "Many of the shops and restaurants have gone out of business. They all relied so much on the castle to bring tourists to town, that when it was taken over, no one came here anymore."

Emma and Ava looked at each other, and asked, "A castle?"

"What do you mean by 'taken over'?" Kacey asked.

"Well, it happened almost two years ago. Your great-great-great grandfather, William Carlson, built that castle on the island over 150 years ago. It was passed down through the family to my husband, Charles. Charles had some repairs done on it, and decided that he would give the castle to the town so they could enjoy it. The mayor suggested that it could be turned into a museum. Since fishing was no longer a very profitable industry here, he thought that tourists might come to see the castle. And boy, did they come! We had people from all over the world come to see the castle. It's one of the few real castles in the United States. It was built to look like a real medieval castle, with a portcullis. Everyone loved it! And the people of the town grew rich from operating tourist businesses, like charter boats, inns and restaurants, gift shops, and even ice cream shops. It was wonderful! Charles and I were so happy that the people of the town could benefit from our donation. Business in town was booming!

"But after Charles died two years ago, a man came here and said he had the deed to the castle that gave him ownership of it. He said he had inherited the deed from his father. I tried to stop him in court, but since I couldn't find our deed and the will from Charles' father, the man's deed gave him the right to ownership. The judge had no choice but to hand the castle over to him. The castle was closed to the public. No more tours, no more tourists. This town has really suffered because of this."

"Who was the man who did this?" Kacey asked.

"His name is Garth Blake Simms, and he is your distant cousin!"

"My cousin? I've never heard of him before!" Kacey declared.

"I tried to find my deed to prove that his was false, but couldn't find it. I hired the best lawyers I could find to try to prove that the deed was a fake, but there was nothing anyone could do," Aunt Mary said, shaking her head sadly.

Emma was frustrated. "Why won't he let the tourists in like they used to?"

Aunt Mary shook her head, "No. He wants it all to himself. He lives there like a hermit. He rarely leaves. I've only seen him once since then, and he gave me a very dark look. He makes me uncomfortable. I hate to admit it, but I really don't like him at all."

"Well, that's understandable," Ava replied.

"Isn't there some way to get the castle back?" asked Kacey.

"Well, I've been searching this house for the will and the deed that would prove that the deed Garth has is false. I'm sure that if I could find it, I could get the castle away from him, but I've searched everywhere. I don't know where it is. The castle was especially popular around Halloween. They say the castle is haunted, you know. Some tourists even swear that they saw ghosts lurking in the hallways at night."

"A haunted castle? Oh great," Emma moaned, and turned to her friends, asking, "Why do you two always bring me somewhere where there is something creepy going on?"

Kacey shook her head, "It's not haunted; I'm sure."

"Oh, I wouldn't be so sure if I were you," Aunt Mary cautioned, "Because I have been in the castle, and I have seen a real ghost with my own eyes!"

Chapter Two

"Oh, no!" Emma groaned, "Don't ask me to go to that haunted castle!"

Emma dreaded going anywhere that might be dangerous or scary.

"Emma, there is probably a logical explanation for what appears to be a ghost. It could be just some kind of light reflection," Kacey assured her.

"Oh, no, it was real," Aunt Mary insisted, "It even spoke to me!"

Emma's eyes ballooned, and Ava asked, "What did it say?"

"It was the ghost of Abigail Simms. She said something like, 'Remember me' or something like that. I was so frightened, I didn't hear her clearly."

"What did she look like?" asked Ava.

"She was wearing a long white dress that flowed down, like a gown. Her long, white hair was loose and her skin was as white as chalk. She appeared in the hallway of the castle on the night of a thunderstorm. I saw her when lightning struck and lit up the dark hall. There she was, just as plain as day. And then a moment later, she was gone."

Everyone was silent as they imagined the experience of seeing a ghost.

"Has anyone else seen any ghosts at the castle?" asked Ava.

"Oh, yes. Some have reported seeing William Carlson, and others have seen Abigail Simms. There have been several sightings over the past fifty years that I know of."

"Sometimes people imagine they see something, but it's not really a ghost, just their imaginations," Kacey said.

Ava asked, "Oh, like those teenage girls who accused people of being witches back in the Salem Witch Trials? Like they imagined everything and believed it to be real?"

Aunt Mary nodded, "Back in 1692, Mary Glover cast spells on the Goodwin children after one of them stole some linen from her. Then the children began having fits. The people all accused Mary Glover of witchcraft and casting spells on the children. Oh, modern day doctors claim it was hysteria or some kind of fungus they ate in rye bread that caused hallucinations. But it still remains a mystery as to why so many people were affected so strangely."

"I wish I knew more about it," Ava said eagerly.

"Oh, I have a book on the library shelf that tells all the history of the witch trials here in America and in Europe. I'll let you take it so you can read it," said Aunt Mary.

"But don't read it before bed!" Emma cautioned, "It might give you nightmares!"

Ava rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"What's the castle like inside?" asked Kacey.

Aunt Mary's eyes grew wide as she said emphatically, "Oh, it's beautiful! Before the castle was built, the island was used as a temporary fort during the Revolutionary War. Then it was abandoned. William Carlson bought the island and used the stones from the old fort to build his castle. He had made his fortune in shipping. He traveled all over the world, exploring and collecting all kinds of wonderful things. When he retired, he decided to build a castle to house his collection. So he bought the island to build the castle.

"It is filled with rare antiques and interesting artifacts from around the world. William wanted to protect his antiques because some of them were priceless. He found a cave on one side of the island, and had a staircase made that leads up from the cave into the castle. The castle has towers with spiral staircases, and hidden rooms. There are full suits of armor, swords and shields, and he made a huge portcullis for security."

"What's a portcullis?" Emma asked.

"Well," Aunt Mary explained, "It's a large iron grate that is hung over the entrance. When the grate is down, no one can enter the castle."

"Pretty cool," Ava said.

"It's a shame you can't go there anymore," Aunt Mary said, "Going there is like walking back in time. But they do have electricity and phone service. That was installed just after the second World War."

"Have you ever asked Garth Simms to let you visit?" asked Kacey.

"Well, after I took him to court over the will, he was quite angry, so I never asked."

"Where is the castle?" asked Emma.

"It's on an island just off the coast. You can see it from the shore, but it's too far out to swim to. Besides, you'd never get inside. He keeps the portcullis down and has 'No Trespassing' signs all around the island."

Ava said eagerly to the girls, "Maybe we can take a look at it sometime."

Aunt Mary replied, "Oh, you can walk down this road out front to the beach. From there you can see the island."

When the girls finished cleaning up the lunch dishes, Aunt Mary insisted that they take a walk to the beach to see Castle Isle.

Kacey, Emma, and Ava walked down the road past large Victorian mansions, framed by colorful, autumn trees. The sun was shining, and an ocean breeze rustled the leaves which wafted down like giant snowflakes.

The beach at the end of the road was deserted except for the sea gulls soaring above them and pecking for food along the shore. A cold, sea breeze drove the waves against the shoreline, splashing against large granite boulders on both sides of the sandy cove.

The girls spotted the island right away. With their binoculars they could see the grey stone castle surrounded by barren trees.

"It looks really spooky!" Emma declared, "I'm glad we can't go on that island."

Kacey smiled, "I'd still like to get a closer look at it. Let's take a boat ride out to the island and drive around."

Ava frowned, "Where would we get a boat?"

"My Uncle John has a fishing boat that he keeps at the Marbleton Yacht Club. I'll call him and see if we can borrow it."

Kacey took out her phone and looked up her uncle's number. Soon, it was ringing, and a man's voice answered.

"Uncle John? It's Kacey."

"Kacey! How are you?" her uncle asked enthusiastically.

They chatted for a moment and then she asked if she and her friends might borrow his boat while they were visiting Aunt Mary.

"Of course! Just go to the yacht club and tell them who you are. I'll give them a call right now and tell them know you're coming. One of the club staff will give you a quick lesson on how to drive the boat. I'm sure you'll find it's pretty easy."

"Thanks, Uncle John!" Kacey replied.

The other girls were excited at the prospect of a boat ride. They hurried back to Aunt Mary's. First, they asked Aunt Mary if there was anything she needed, and if she would mind it if they went out for a boat ride in Uncle John's boat.

"You can get me some milk and bread at the store just down the road," she said, pointing up the street, "But that's all I need. I usually take a nap in the afternoon, so you girls go have some fun."

"I'll make you a really good dinner when we come back," Emma promised.

"That sounds wonderful!" Aunt Mary said, and bid them goodbye.

Kacey decided to go boating first, and to get the groceries on the way home. She knew where the yacht club was located from her family's trips. She parked at the yacht club overlooking the harbor, and they went into the small, grey-shingled building.

As soon as Kacey gave her name to a man at the front desk, he grinned and cried, "Oh, so you're Kacey? Your Uncle John just called me and said you'd be coming. I'm Fred Cummings, and a good friend of your Uncle John. I have the keys to his boat here. Let me give you a quick driving lesson before you go out on your own."

Mr. Cummings took them out the back way to the harbor. Small sailboats and larger power boats bobbed in the water. Many others were tied at the long pier leading into the cove. Mr. Cummings led them along the pier to a large power boat with a cabin, and that seated six people comfortably on the back deck.

"Man, this thing is huge!" Ava remarked, "I thought you said it was a fishing boat!"

"Well, Uncle John uses it to fish," Kacey explained.

Mr. Cummings smiled, "Yeah, this is a pretty nice boat all right."

"Boat? It's more like a ship!" Emma declared.

Mr. Cummings got the motor started and drove the boat out into the cove. He showed Kacey the controls, and told her to drive it back to the pier.

"Good job!" Mr. Cummings said, "You'll be fine. This boat is very safe, even in rough water. But try to get back before it gets dark."

"Oh, we'll be back before dinner," Kacey promised.

The girls sat down and Mr. Cummings climbed out and waved as they headed out of the cove onto the ocean.

The girls were glad they'd worn their jackets because a cold, stiff breeze blew across the water. They huddle together in the cabin while Kacey steered the boat towards Castle Isle.

When they arrived at the island, she slowed down. The boat bobbed up and down while trolling the choppy water. From the boat, they saw large signs warning, "No Trespassing!"

Circling the island, they realized it was much bigger than they had realized. The island was made mostly of solid reddish-tan granite with steep, rocky cliffs surrounding it. A few trees sprouted from the rocks, and more bare trees surrounded the castle at the top.

Soon they came to the portcullis. They were amazed at the size of the grate. It was over twenty feet high and ten feet wide. Waves splashed against it, and Kacey navigated the boat closer to look inside. Although the girls tried to look through the grate, the cave was too dark to see inside.

As she steered the boat away from the portcullis, they suddenly heard a loud BOOM!

A second later, something huge splashed into the water next to the boat, sending a surge of cold water into the air and over the sides.

The girls screamed in surprise, and then another BOOM came, followed by a splash on the other side of their boat. The shock waves sent the boat rocking wildly from side to side. Emma grabbed onto her seat and held on tightly, fearful that the boat would capsize.

"Let's get out of here!" Ava yelled.

Kacey turned the wheel and threw the throttle into high gear. As the boat picked up speed, another explosion came and a large, black object came hurling directly toward the boat.

Something huge splashed into the water next to the boat, sending a surge of cold water into the air and over the sides.

Chapter Three

Everyone ducked as the object came speeding toward them. Kacey jerked the wheel to the right and evaded the ball by inches. It hit the water with such force that it sent a sheet of water over the entire boat, soaking everyone and everything.

Ava cried, "It's a cannon ball!"

They sped over the water heading towards the harbor at high speed. When Kacey looked back, she shouted over the roaring motor,

"Is everybody okay?"

"Yeah!" Ava shouted back. But the girls and their boat were soaked. Small objects and life preservers floated on the surface of the water in the boat. Kacey looked back, but didn't see or hear any more cannons firing. She slowed the boat down as she approached the harbor. She drove the boat slowly to the pier where Mr. Cummings was running toward them, looking worried.

"Are you girls all right?" he cried anxiously.

"Yeah, we're fine," Ava replied, "But pretty wet."

Mr. Cummings said, "When I heard those explosions, I ran outside. I thought your boat had exploded!"

"It almost did!" Kacey replied as she tossed Mr. Cummings the lines to tie up the boat.

"Somebody was shooting cannon balls at us!" Ava explained.

" _What?_ " Mr. Cummings cried.

"Yes! Cannon balls! The size of bowling balls! Who shoots cannon around here?" Kacey demanded.

"It must have come from the island," Mr. Cummings said, "There were no other boats out there just now."

Emma stood up and found her knees shaking.

"I think I'm going to faint!" she cried.

The other two girls helped her out of the boat. Kacey looked at the boat and said, "I can bail the water out if you have a pump."

"Don't worry. I'll have one of the workers do that. I'm just glad you weren't hurt," he said.

"I'm glad the boat wasn't damaged," Kacey smiled, "That would've been hard to explain to Uncle John."

"But it's not your fault," Mr. Cummings said, "You were lucky you didn't capsize!"

"I think the cannon was just intended to scare us away," Ava said.

"Yeah," Kacey agreed, "If whoever was shooting wanted to sink us, they could have easily done it. We were sitting ducks."

"Well, I'm reporting this to the Coast Guard," Mr. Cummings said urgently, "You girls better go get some dry clothes on before you catch pneumonia."

"Sorry about the boat," Kacey said as she handed him the keys.

"Oh, the boat will be fine as soon as the water is pumped out. Don't worry about it."

"Thanks," Kacey said.

The girls were wet and cold and began shivering as they hurried to Kacey's car. Once inside she turned the heat up on high.

"We'll have to go home and change before we go grocery shopping," Kacey said.

"No kidding," Ava remarked, rubbing her hands together.

Emma shook her head, "I just knew something bad was going to happen! We always find some way of getting into trouble! We could've been killed out there!"

"Relax, Emma," Kacey assured her, "Whoever did that was just trying to scare us off, which makes me even more determined to find out why!"

"Maybe we should let the Coast Guard handle it," said Ava.

"Yeah, if somebody's willing to shoot cannon balls at us," Emma reasoned, "They probably wouldn't hesitate to shoot guns at us, either!"

The girls went home and told Aunt Mary about their adventure at Castle Isle. She told them to change clothes while she started a fire in the fireplace. After drying off and changing, they were soon back in the living room where Aunt Mary had hot cocoa waiting on a tray near a warming fire. The girls were grateful as they sipped the cocoa and warmed themselves by the fire.

"We still need to go to the grocery store," Emma reminded them.

"Oh, don't worry about that," Aunt Mary said, "Just drink your cocoa and rest here."

"We'll be fine," Kacey assured her. After the girls finished their hot drinks, they headed out to the grocery store. Emma had a whole list of items she needed for cooking dinner, plus milk and bread for Aunt Mary.

Emma served a hot, steaming dish piled with linguine and Alfredo sauce, topped with shrimp and mushrooms. As the girls ate, they told Aunt Mary more about their experiences at Castle Isle. They asked if there had been any cannons at the castle.

"Oh, yes. Remember, it was a fort at one time, so there are still some cannons there facing out toward the ocean."

"Do you know anything about Garth Simms, Aunt Mary?" asked Kacey.

Aunt Mary took a sip of tea and cleared her throat.

"Well, I am not one to gossip, but I have heard some rumors about him."

The others looked at her expectantly, so she continued.

"I have heard that he practices the occult...dark magic. And he has a group of people they call..." she searched for the word, "a _coven_. They meet at the castle to do their black magic."

"Really!" Ava declared, looking intrigued.

"So there must be people in town who know something about him," Kacey concluded.

"Uh-huh," Aunt Mary nodded, "Some of the witches in the witch shops know him. There are several here in Marbleton, and many more in Salem."

Ava looked at Kacey, "Well, we could always talk to a few witches to find out more about him."

"Good idea," Kacey agreed.

"It sounds too creepy to me," Emma said, making a face. She took another helping of linguine.

Aunt Mary suddenly remembered something.

"Oh, I just remembered! I have some things I want to give you girls," she said. Getting up on her walker, she went to a tall cabinet with glass doors on top and opened one of the bottom drawers.

"When I heard you were coming, I put these things aside for you girls."

They helped her carry several packages wrapped in tissue paper to the table. Aunt Mary sat down and picked up a small one.

"This is for you, Kacey. I hope you like it."

"Oh, Aunt Mary," Kacey protested, "You don't need to give us anything! We came to help you, that's all!"

"I know, dear," Aunt Mary nodded, "But I've been clearing out a lot of things. I've enjoyed having these things a long time, and now it's time for someone else to enjoy them. I'm getting older, and someday I'll have to probably sell this house and go to a nursing home. I've already made arrangements for most of the books in the library to go to the Harvard University Library, but if there are any you would like to have, please take them with you."

Kacey accepted the small package from Aunt Mary and said 'thank you' before she opened it up. "Oh, I love this!" Kacey declared. The others gave a longing, "Ohh!"

Kacey held up a beautiful gold cross, intricately worked and studded with small rubies, about one and a half inches tall. It hung from a long gold chain.

"I know how important your faith is to you," Aunt Mary said, "And I wanted you to have this. It is not only an antique, but it is solid 24 carat gold. It's quite valuable."

"Oh, Aunt Mary, are you sure you want to part with this? It's really special," Kacey said.

"Oh, I haven't worn it in years and years. It'll look lovely on you," she replied.

Kacey had fastened the necklace on and touched it lovingly.

"Thank you, Aunt Mary. Every time I wear this I will think of you!" she smiled and kissed her aunt's cheek.

Aunt Mary picked up a larger package and gave it to Emma.

"When I heard that you like to cook, I thought you might enjoy having this."

Emma thanked her and opened her package. Inside was a black iron, round instrument with a closed pan at one end and long iron handles.

"What is it?" she asked.

"This," Aunt Mary said, opening the round pan by separating the handles, "Is an old-fashioned hot sandwich maker! I used to love it when my mother made sandwiches in this! You butter two slices of bread and put one on each of the round pans, then you fill it with whatever you like. My favorite was chicken with gravy and dressing. Then, you close the pans together and slide this clip down over the handles to keep it tightly shut. And then," she said, getting up and holding the pans out by the handles, "You hold it over the fire for a few minutes on each side. When you open the pans again, you get a nice, hot sandwich with a crispy outside and a warm, delicious filling inside."

"Oh, that sounds great!" Emma cried, "I can't wait to try it out!"

"This sandwich maker is an antique. It's over one hundred years old. It used to be my grandmother's," Aunt Mary said.

"Thank you! I love it!" Emma cried, and gave Aunt Mary a hug.

"And now, something for you, dear," Aunt Mary said, handing a package to Ava.

Ava thanked her and opened the tissue paper package.

Inside was an intricately carved silver necklace. It had all kinds of animals twisted together in a unique design.

"It's called an amulet," Aunt Mary said, "And I think it came from England, or Scotland. It was given to me when I was a little girl, but my mother wouldn't let me wear it because she thought it might bring bad luck. But I wore it when I was older and never had bad luck. In fact, I later learned that its purpose is to ward off evil. It's very old, and I think it's beautiful."

"Oh, it is! Thank you!" Ava said enthusiastically. She asked Emma to fasten the necklace around her neck.

"I hope you will all look over the library and find some books that interest you," Aunt Mary reminded them.

"Thanks, Aunt Mary. Let's wash the dishes and clean up the kitchen, and then we'll look at your library."

Chapter Four

The next morning the girls worked around the house, washing windows, polishing the furniture, and cleaning out closets. By lunchtime, they were ready for a break.

Emma showed off her cooking skills by making hot ham and cheese sandwiches in her sandwich maker, and served them with tomato soup.

"This is so delicious!" Aunt Mary exclaimed, "I just love having you as my cook!"

"Thanks!" Emma beamed, "Maybe someday I'll open my own restaurant."

"And when you do, I'll be your first customer," Aunt Mary promised, "Which reminds me. Would you girls mind going into Salem to do some shopping for me?"

The girls eagerly agreed to help. Aunt Mary gave them a list of things she needed and suggested a few stores where they might get them.

The girls drove into Salem and parked the car in a lot off a cobbled street. They found the bathroom items in a home goods store, and then looked for the store where they would find office supplies.

"Hey, look over there! A witch's shop!" Emma pointed out. The girls saw a small shop with antique storefront windows. All the wood trim was painted black, and the sign hanging over the door read 'The Crystal Cauldron', engraved in gold letters. Every window was decorated for Halloween with bright fall colors and jack-o-lanterns.

Emma, Kacey, and Ava outside the Crystal Cauldron.

"Let's go inside!" Emma said, enticed by the exciting storefront.

Ava shrugged, and Kacey followed.

The small shop smelled of burning incense, and ethereal music droned in the background. The shelves were filled with all kinds of unusual things such as crystal balls, tarot cards, books, candles, and jewelry. Every nook and cranny was decorated with autumn colors.

"Oh look, a Witch's Cook Book!" Emma exclaimed, picking up a copy.

"Hmm, I wonder if it has any good recipes in there for cooking children," Ava teased. Emma rolled her eyes and browsed through the book while the others looked at the jewelry and candles.

Someone came from the back store room asking, "May I help you find something?"

"Oh, we were just looking around," Ava said, and then she stopped when she saw who was behind the counter.

"Brittany? Brittany Cooper?" Ava asked.

"Ava? Ava Cruz? Oh my gosh! I can't believe it's you!" Brittany cried, running from behind the counter. The two girls hugged, and then Ava said, "Do you remember Kacey Carlson?"

"Kacey!" Brittany exclaimed and embraced her.

"This is our friend, Emma Santos. She was a year behind us at Kent High," Kacey introduced.

"Yeah, I think I remember you," Brittany nodded, "You were dating Dave Edwards, right? He was a good friend of my boyfriend, Kyle."

Emma smiled and said, "Oh, yeah, I still am. I think we met once when you and Kyle came to a football game at school. Dave was on the team."

"Right! I remember that," Brittany exclaimed.

Kacey asked, "So are you working here while going to school?"

Brittany made a face and said, "Well, not exactly. I work here full time. I dropped out of school. It just wasn't for me."

"You were going to Salem State, right?" asked Ava.

"Yeah, I was. But the only reason I went is because Kyle. He was accepted into the computer science program. School was okay, but Kyle and I broke up, and I started working here, I decided to drop out."

"That's too bad," Kacey said.

"Well, I really like this job," Brittany told them. "It's the first time I've ever been really excited about anything. Magic is so cool! I met the witch who owns this shop and she and I hit it off right away. She started telling me all this stuff about magic and spells and I really got into it. I'm becoming a witch myself, and joining her coven. She even knows this really cool guy who's the high priest of her coven, Garth Simms."

"Garth Simms!" the girls cried.

"You know him?" asked Brittany.

"He's Kacey's cousin!" Ava declared.

Brittany's eyes grew wide as she looked at Kacey with her mouth wide open.

"Oh my gosh! His _cousin_? _Really?_ "

"Well, a distant cousin," Kacey explained.

"Oh my gosh! Garth is like the rock star of magic! He has a coven and they meet at his castle on an island. Have you been there? What's it like?"

Kacey shrugged, "I've never been in it, actually."

Emma laughed, "Yeah, we went there by boat yesterday, but somebody at the castle fired cannon balls at us!"

"They nearly blew us out of the water!" Ava laughed.

Brittany hugging Ava in the Crystal Cauldron.

"Oh, that's awesome!" Brittany laughed, "But my witch sponsor, Hannah Hawthorne, is taking me there on Friday for a séance. I've never been to one before, and I can't wait to go!"

"That sounds spooky," Emma remarked.

"I know!" Brittany cried excitedly. "Hey! Why don't you three come with me? I'm sure I could talk Hannah into letting you come along, especially since Kacey is Garth's cousin!"

Ava looked at the other two. Emma's face displayed her uncertainty, and Kacey shook her head.

"Maybe some other time," said Kacey.

"Oh, please! You've got to come! It's going to be so cool! It's in a real castle! And Garth would love to meet you--his cousin!"

Kacey hesitated, but Ava said, "You know, I think you're right, Brittany. We should go. Let's do it!"

"Oh, great!" Brittany exclaimed, "It'll be fun! Come here to the shop on Friday about six o'clock. That's when we close. We're going over to the island by boat. Wear something dark, like black or brown because the spirits prefer a dark environment. And I should get your phone number--just in case our plans change."

Emma and Kacey looked at each other in surprise as Ava said, "Great! We'll see you at six on Friday!"

Brittany and Kacey exchanged phone numbers, and as soon as they were done, Ava quickly said, "Well, we've got to go and finish our errands for Kacey's Aunt. Bye, Brittany! See you on Friday!"

She quickly hustled the other two girls out of the shop as Brittany bid them goodbye.

Once outside, Kacey asked, "What's that all about?"

"Yeah, how come you said we'd go to her séance? I don't want to go to a séance!" Emma declared.

"Neither do I," Ava explained patiently in a low voice, "But we do want to get inside that castle and look around, don't we? We may get some clue as to where Garth keeps the fake deed to his castle."

"Oh, I imagine he has it locked in a safe where we'd never find it," Emma replied.

"Maybe," Ava admitted, "But maybe it's not. Some people keep things in desk drawers or filing cabinets. We might find out where it is if we do a little snooping."

"No! Bad idea!" Emma declared, "Every time you get these crazy ideas, we end up in trouble."

"It's no big deal!" Ava insisted, "If it gets too risky, we just skip it and stick with the séance."

Then Kacey said, "Well, I'd like to see the inside of the castle, but I'm not participating in any séances. It goes against my faith in God."

"What do you mean?" Emma asked.

Kacey explained, "It says in the Bible that we're not to consult witches or fortune tellers or any kind of magic stuff. We're supposed to trust in God and seek His will, not turn to others for help. I mean, just pretending about believing in spooky things, like on Halloween, is okay, but not when it's treated as something real."

"Believe me, I don't think it's real," Ava assured her, "You can just watch, but I'm curious about what goes on in a séance. I know they try to raise the spirits of dead people and talk to them, but I also know it's all fake. It'll be interesting to see how they try to pull it off," Ava reasoned.

"Okay, so I guess we're going to a séance on Friday night!" Kacey announced.

"What I don't get is how Brittany got involved in magic," Ava said, "I mean, she was so cool in high school, and now she has quit school and she's becoming a witch? Where's that going to get her?"

"Nowhere, I'm afraid," Kacey admitted.

"She was such a talented artist," Ava recalled, "I thought she'd get her degree in art and really go places someday."

"If she thinks that being a witch will pay the bills, she's deluding herself," Emma remarked.

"Yeah," Kacey admitted, "I hate to see her go down that path, for a lot a reasons. Maybe we can talk some sense into her and get her to quit magic."

Ava and Emma agreed.

"Which is another good reason why we should go to the séance with her," Ava said, "We can prove to her that this spiritualism thing is all fake."

"Yeah?" Emma challenged, "Well, what about ghosts, huh? Your Aunt Mary saw a ghost at the castle."

Kacey smiled, "I don't think she really saw a ghost because ghosts are not real. I think she saw something that made her _think_ she saw a ghost."

"Well, I watch this show on TV where they take cameras into haunted places and they show real ghosts. They even measure their energy," Emma insisted.

"Oh, yeah, I think I saw that one, too," Ava teased, "I think it was _Ghostbusters_!"

"Ha-ha, very funny," Emma replied, "But this was real."

"Emma, they use special effects to pretend that there are real ghosts," Kacey told her.

"Why would they do that?" Emma asked.

"To sell the show, silly!" Ava replied, "Who's going to watch a TV show about haunted places if there are no ghosts to see? So they do a bunch of camera tricks to make it look real because some people want to believe in ghosts."

"Well, I don't!" Emma insisted.

"Then don't!" Ava replied.

Kacey sensed the tension between them and interjected, "Let's focus on Brittany, shall we? We need to show her that these spirit mediums like Garth Simms are just frauds."

"How are we going to do that?" Emma asked.

"We'll think of something," Kacey said, and Ava agreed.

When they arrived home, the girls brought all of Aunt Mary's things into the house, and she was thrilled that the girls had found everything she needed. They helped put things away for her and then told her about their friend, Brittany, and the séance they had been invited to attend.

"Oh, my!" Aunt Mary exclaimed, looking worried, "Perhaps you shouldn't go."

"Why not?" asked Ava.

"Oh, I've been to séances before and they are very frightening! Very frightening indeed!"

"But Aunt Mary, there's nothing to be afraid of," Kacey told her.

"Oh, you may think that way now, but once you see what goes on, it's _very_ frightening!" Aunt Mary insisted.

Kacey smiled and took her hand.

"Actually, I'm just going to observe. If Ava and Emma want to participate, they can. But I don't believe that anyone can communicate with the spirits of the departed. We're hoping to figure out how Garth tricks people into thinking he is a spirit medium. We have to prove to Brittany that these things are not real, so she'll give up the idea of becoming a witch."

Aunt Mary looked at Kacey and the girls closely.

"Make sure you all say a prayer for protection before you start the séance," she told them.

Kacey tried to hide her smile as she nodded, "Okay, Aunt Mary, if you insist."

"And I'll say a prayer for you, too," Aunt Mary promised.

Kacey hugged her, "Aww, you're always so thoughtful. Now, what shall we prepare for dinner?"

Emma's eyes lit up, "Actually, I was just going to suggest that I make you one of my specialties--Taco Casserole. It's really good!"

"I'll make a salad to go with it," Ava said.

"And I'll heat up the rolls we bought," Kacey said, "And pour the drinks. Let's get cooking!"

The girls went into the kitchen and began preparing food while talking. Aunt Mary came in and sat at the kitchen table to watch. Soon, all the girls had finished preparing dinner. When the casserole was placed in the oven to bake, they decided to go for a short walk down the street and back until the casserole was done cooking.

The vivid green front yards of each huge house were shaded by big oak and maple trees in the peak of their autumn colors. Colorful baskets of yellow and orange chrysanthemums and marigolds hung over the porch railings and filled decorative pots. Most houses were decorated for Halloween with jack-o-lanterns, witches, monsters and ghosts.

"Boy, people around here really get into the Halloween spirit," Emma remarked.

"Yeah, because Salem has always celebrated Halloween in a big way, it's just as popular here in Marbleton," Kacey replied.

Emma took out her phone and called her boyfriend.

"Dave? It's me!" she said, "How are you?"

They chatted for a few moments, and then Emma told him about going to the medieval castle to attend a séance. As she listened to Dave's reply, her face grew into a grin.

"Sorry, Dave, this is by invitation only. But you can come around on Saturday if you like. Maybe we can all go out Saturday night if you can get the other guys to come."

He replied, and Emma asked the others, "Dave says he thinks he can get Joshua and Rick to come here on Saturday with him. What time should I tell them?"

"Why not have them come for dinner, and then we can all go out someplace?" Kacey suggested. The others agreed, and Emma told Dave about their plans. He promised to call the other two guys who were Ava's and Kacey's boyfriends, to see if they could make it.

Emma hung up and the girls discussed some ideas on what to do on Saturday night. Ava suggested going out to a dance club, and Emma suggested taking in a movie.

"Maybe we can do both," Kacey said.

Emma said, "Dave said he wanted to go with us to the séance. Being a magician, he'd love to see it." The other girls knew that Dave performed magic at parties and some special events.

"Does Dave ever tell you how to do the magic tricks?" Ava asked.

"No," Emma shook her head, "He says that a true magician never tells his secrets to anyone."

"It's too bad the guys can't come with us," Kacey said, "Josh would love to see the castle."

"Yeah, so would Rick," Ava agreed. Rick was Ava's new boyfriend who she met in one of her classes. He was an ex-military guy who was now attending Westfield University.

"Well, I'm sure we'll all have fun, no matter what we do," Emma said, "Hey, we should head back. The casserole will be done soon."

On Friday morning the girls came downstairs and made breakfast for Aunt Mary. They talked about the séance that they planned to attend in the evening. Afterwards, they cleaned the kitchen and asked her if there were any other jobs that needed doing.

"Well, if you feel like it, you can bring down the Halloween and Thanksgiving decorations and put them up. I haven't been able to crawl around in the attic since my surgery. Hopefully, by Thanksgiving I'll be back to normal."

The girls told her they would be happy to get the decorations down, and she gave them directions on where to go.

The old house had a third floor attic, which was one long room with a low ceiling and a window at each end. They found a light switch, and soon they were digging among old items and clothing to look for the boxes of decorations.

"I found the Christmas decorations," Emma announced.

"Well, the Halloween and Thanksgiving ones are probably near them," Kacey said.

"Hey, look at this!" Ava exclaimed. The girls navigated through the boxes and things. She stood next to an old, wooden sea chest with a rounded top and wood slats. It had black wrought-iron hinges and latches on the front.

"Can we look inside?" Ava asked.

"I don't think Aunt Mary would mind. It's probably just old clothing."

The heavy wooden top to the chest creaked as Ava lifted it. The inside was filled with old framed photographs, books, and small boxes.

"That's my great-Uncle Charles when he was a World War II pilot," Kacey said, holding up a framed photograph.

"Hey, he was kind'a cute," Emma remarked.

Ava opened one of the small boxes and said, "Look at these war medals! He must have been some kind of hero or something!"

The girls inspected the medals and noticed that one was a bronze cross with an eagle in the center, labeled "Air Force Cross- for extraordinary heroism". The girls were impressed by all the medals that Charles Carlson had received. They hunted through the rest of the items and found many large envelopes with papers in them.

"These must have been some of his important documents," Ava reasoned.

Kacey wanted to see what else was in the chest, so she began to lift out several large, thick manila envelopes. She found some old photo albums and took one out to look at it. The other girls decided to find the decorations and left her to hunt through the papers.

Emma found a door along the long wall and asked, "I wonder what's in this closet?"

She opened the door and leaped back in fright, screaming at the top of her lungs, " _Ahhhhh!!!!!!"_

Chapter Five

Ava ran to Emma to see what had happened.

"A...a... _s-skeleton_!" Emma stammered.

Ava opened the closet door slowly and cautiously as Kacey came running to them.

When Ava turned on the closet light, she saw a full-sized human skeleton hanging in the closet. She sighed and turned to the others, saying calmly, "I think we just found the Halloween decorations."

Kacey started to laugh, but Emma protested, "Well, how was I to know it was a fake? It looked real in the dark!"

"It looks like your family _does_ have skeletons in their closets after all," Ava remarked to Kacey.

"Well, Aunt Mary probably hung it up there because she didn't want to get it broken by squeezing it into a box. Let's get this stuff out," Kacey said, taking a jack-o-lantern from the shelf. Ava told her she and Emma would do the job while Kacey put things back into the sea chest.

Kacey returned to the pile of envelopes on the floor and searched through the remaining things in the chest. There were more, old photo albums that looked interesting, but Kacey decided to leave them. She picked up the thick envelopes and stacked them back into the chest neatly. As she picked up the last one, the contents fell upon the floor. Upon inspection, Kacey saw that the envelope had come unglued at the bottom. She found another envelope and began putting the papers into it. Suddenly, her eye saw something on an old paper sticking out from the pile, that read, "and Testament" written in Old English type.

She pulled the paper out and began to read it. Across the top it read, "Last Will and Testament"

"Oh, Wow! Look at this!" Kacey cried. The others came quickly, asking, "What did you find?"

"I think this is the missing will that Uncle Charles' father left, and look! It also has the deed to the castle!"

The girls were excited that they had found the papers which proved that the castle had been left to Uncle Charles, and not to Garth Simms.

"Let's go tell Aunt Mary!" Ava cried.

The girls ran downstairs and found Aunt Mary sitting in the library reading a book.

"Look what we found!" Kacey said excitedly, "I think these may be the papers that you have been searching for!"

Aunt Mary's eyes widened at the sight of the papers. She took them and began to read them.

" _Yes!_ " she cried, "Yes, this is the will from Charles' father! I have been searching everywhere for this! Where did you find it?"

"It was in an old sea chest with all of Uncle Charles' papers and things," said Kacey.

"Oh, my! I put all of those envelopes and papers in there after Charles died. I didn't know that the will and the deed were in them. Oh, my! I can't believe you found this!"

She and Kacey embraced.

"Aunt Mary, does this mean you can get the castle back?" asked Emma.

Aunt Mary nodded, "Yes, I think so. But I'll have to take these papers to my lawyer first thing on Monday morning, and he will tell me for sure."

She inspected the deed to the castle and shook her head, "To think I almost threw all those papers away. I didn't think there was any purpose to keeping them, but they belonged to Charles, and I just couldn't part with any of his things."

"Well, it's a good thing you didn't!" Emma exclaimed.

"I guess so!" Aunt Mary replied, "I thought I'd lost these papers forever!"

"Let's put them in a safe place. Where should we keep them until Monday?" Kacey asked. Aunt Mary thought a moment, and then said, "There is a safe here in the library. We'll keep them in there."

She went to one of the bookshelves and moved a section of books. On the wall was the door to a safe. She expertly dialed the combination and opened it, saying, "I kept looking in here for them, but couldn't find them. Now we know why."

She put the will and the deed into the safe and locked the door. After helping her to replace the books, Aunt Mary thanked Kacey again and hugged her.

Kacey said, "You're welcome. Now that one problem is solved, let's work on decorating the house!"

The girls returned to the attic and each brought down an armful of Halloween and Thanksgiving decorations. Aunt Mary laughed when she saw the big skeleton.

"We used to hang that right by the front door on a string. When we opened the door to the trick-or-treaters, the skeleton would pop up and scare them! Uncle Charles rigged that up, and we had so much fun with it!"

"Can we put lights in these jack-o-lanterns and set them on the porch?" Emma asked.

"Oh, yes! They'll need batteries to light them up. I have some in the kitchen drawer next to the sink. Go get them, please," Aunt Mary said.

They took all the decorations out of the boxes and Aunt Mary told the girls where to hang them. Most of the large hanging ones went into the front windows. A wispy ghost was hung up on the porch and the jack-o-lanterns were set outside on the steps. Ava helped Kacey to string up the skeleton next to the front door so it would pop up when the door was opened.

"Hey, let's test it by having Emma ring the doorbell. Then we'll open it and hear her scream," Ava teased.

"Ha-ha. Very funny," Emma replied, "If you'd seen that thing hanging in the dark closet, you would've thought it was real, too!"

The girls teased one another as they placed the decorations around on the dining room table and on the fireplace mantle. They packed up the unused items and took the boxes back up to the attic.

"Wow, Kacey," Ava said as they closed the attic door, "I can't believe that someone in your family owns a castle!"

"Well, Uncle Charles wanted to lease it to the town, so I imagine that's what Aunt Mary will do."

"Why doesn't she give it to her own kids?" asked Emma.

"They live in New York City. They only get to visit her once in a while, and can't spend much time at the castle. Besides, an old castle takes a lot of work and money to keep it maintained. By leasing it to the town of Marbleton, the town pays for the upkeep and handles all the maintenance so Aunt Mary won't have to worry about it. The castle will still be owned by her, and someday she'll probably leave it to her son and daughter who will probably continue to lease it to the town as a museum. Now they can reopen it to the public."

"And we'll be able to come and visit it with the guys any time we like!" Emma smiled.

"Right!" Kacey replied, "And now, we don't have to sneak around in the castle looking for the fake deed because we have found the real one."

As they headed downstairs, Ava replied, "But we're still going to the séance, right?"

Kacey nodded, "Of course. I'm curious to see what kinds of things go on so I can try to explain them to Brittany."

Emma sighed, "Well, I guess I'm the only one trying to keep an open mind. You both might be wrong, you know. Maybe there _are_ such things as ghosts, and maybe we'll see one tonight!"

The girls remembered to wear dark colors and warm jackets, and they met Brittany at the Crystal Cauldron a few minutes before six. She was just turning off some of the displays and putting the 'closed' sign on the door.

"Come in and I'll introduce you," she told them.

"This is Witch Hannah, my mentor. Hannah, these are my friends from high school that I told you about: Ava, Kacey, and Emma."

Pleasantries were exchanged, and then Hannah told them to follow her to the harbor where they would be boarding a chartered boat for Castle Isle. Hannah drove Brittany and the girls followed in Kacey's convertible. The harbor was only a five minute drive, and when they arrived, they saw others heading down toward the pier. Some were dressed in long, black capes, and others wore ordinary black clothing. Kacey counted twelve people besides herself once they were inside the boat. It appeared to be a kind of tour boat with bench seats for everyone.

Hannah gave the captain some money and he cast off from the pier. Soon they were heading out of the harbor into open sea.

Emma had never been in a boat at night before, and although there were lights in the harbor, it was very dark out on the open sea.

"I hope we don't have a crash out here. Is it safe to drive the boat in darkness?" she asked.

"I'm sure the captain knows these waters very well," Kacey replied, "Besides, there are two lights on the island to guide him. See those red and green lights ahead?" she pointed.

Emma leaned out to see the tiny lights through the darkness. As she did so, the speed of the boat cutting through the choppy water frightened her. She nodded to Kacey and huddled closer to her.

As the boat picked up speed, the wind grew fierce and cold. The girls were glad that it would only be a few more minutes until they reached the island.

Approaching the entrance to the cave, the captain slowed the boat and guided it expertly despite the choppy water. The giant portcullis was raised, making a loud, grinding noise. Finally, it stopped, and the captain steered the boat into the black mouth of the cave.

At first, everything seemed dark. Gradually, the girls could distinguish the walls of the cave and two lights mounted on the walls. The boat slid forward, bumping against the landing dock.

The captain tied up the boat and helped the passengers climb out of the boat and onto the dock. Hannah led them up some stone steps. Emma looked back at the boat and saw that the captain was casting off. She was beginning to regret her decision to come, and was tempted to run back to the boat. But she knew it was too late to back out now.

The group climbed a narrow, stone staircase. Their footsteps echoed in the hollow stairway that led first to the right, and then curled around in a spiral toward the top. Kacey began counting the steps and when she reached the number 27, she heard the sound of a creaking door.

A few more steps brought them through the heavy oak door and into a wider hallway lit by burning torches. Their footsteps echoed along the stone hallway for a short distance before reaching another heavy, oak door.

As they went through the oak door, Emma grabbed Kacey's hand. Kacey smiled and squeezed her hand assuring her that everything was all right, even though it was mysterious the way that no one spoke a word.

The only sounds were their own echoing footsteps and the guard dogs barking outside.

The next room was smaller and they all crowded together. Once the door behind them closed, another door ahead opened.

A man stepped into the room. He was only average in height, and in his early thirties. His jet black hair rested upon his shoulders. His eyebrows formed a V over his dark, deep-set eyes. Silver rings pierced his nose and ears. His black clothing was indistinguishable in the semi-darkness except for the silver pentagon he wore around his neck. His sinister appearance frightened Emma.

"Good evening," he announced in a deep voice, "Welcome to my castle. I am Garth Simms. Please follow me."

He turned and led them into another room. When the girls entered, the ceiling seemed to soar high above them like a cathedral. The stone walls bore suits of shining armor, shields, battle axes, spears, and other weapons of war.

The huge fireplace to their right was large enough to stand inside. A roaring fire lit the room and cast dancing shadows across the walls. On their left, two tall pillars of stone flanked what appeared to be an altar, with a large ornate chair in the center of the stage. The cavernous room was dimly lit, and moving shadows gave it a mysterious air.

The girls looked all around them as they followed the group through the spacious main hall.

They were led through a tall archway at the opposite end. More steps up a spiral stone staircase led them to the next floor. Next, they entered a hallway and walked past an opening overlooking the immense main hall below. The majestic pillars, lit by flickering light, stretched upward to the ceiling.

They arrived in a smaller room where a fireplace glowed in one corner. Shelves of magical artifacts lined two walls. In the center of the room was a large, round table with thirteen high-backed, antique chairs, each beautifully carved in wood. One chair had a red, velvet, tufted back. Garth Simms stood by this chair and waited until everyone was seated.

After they sat down at the table, Kacey noticed several objects on the table: candelabra with four lit candles, a bell with a long handle, a large, old, open book, and a wine glass turned upside down.

Garth spoke.

"Tonight we will summon the spirit of a long-departed one. To begin, we will each place our fingertips of one hand on the glass. Do not push the glass; just allow your fingers to touch it. You see the letters in the center of the table, arranged in a circle. The spirit will move the glass to spell out its name. Let us begin."

Everyone except Kacey put two fingers upon the glass and waited.

Garth Simms called out, "Oh, spirit, come! Tell us your name!"

At first, nothing happened. Everyone remained silent. Kacey looked around and saw that everyone was staring at the glass intently.

"Everyone must think about the spirit so that it can be revealed to us," Garth warned, "Think of nothing else!"

Kacey waited while the others stared at the glass. Ava looked as though she were playing a part in a play, but Emma's expression was anxious.

Suddenly, the glass began to move. It first slid to the letter A, and then B. Next, it traveled to I,G,A, I, and L.

"Abigail!" called out Garth, "Are you Abigail Simms, the one for whom this castle was built long ago?"

The glass slid to the letters Y, E, and S. Garth took his fingers away from the glass and the others followed.

"Show us your presence," Garth intoned, "Make your presence known to us. We will now join hands."

Again, Kacey sat back in her seat as the others joined hands around the table. They waited for a minute, and then felt a cool breeze accompanied by the scent of lilies. The pages of the large, open book on the table began to shudder. Then, two of the pages moved and turned by themselves. There was an audible gasp by some of the members.

Next, the bell on the table began to clang, even though it was not moving. Suddenly, the candles in the candelabra blew out.

"Keep your hands joined together, do not break the circle!" Garth warned.

Suddenly, the candles sparked and one by one lit up again.

Faces at the table wore a look of rapture, but Ava remained stoic. Kacey knew her friend was not convinced that there was a spirit in the room, but Emma's wide eyes expressed fear.

Garth said, "Tell us, Abigail. Do you have a message for us? If you do, please ring the bell again."

The bell clanged twice.

"Let us place our hands on the glass again," Garth instructed, and everyone but Kacey placed two fingers on the glass.

Slowly, the glass began to move. It spelled out a message, and after each word, Garth spoke it, "The...truth...shall...be...known."

The glass stopped moving, and Garth released it. The others followed.

"Thank you, Abigail, for your message. We shall indeed know the truth that your spirit dwells among us, as do all the spirits of those we summon."

The scent of lilies and a sudden breeze blew the candles out once more. But just as before, they soon flickered on again.

Everyone looked wide-eyed at each other.

"The spirit of Abigail has departed from us," Garth announced. Gradually, the lights in the room became brighter and the chilling atmosphere of the séance faded.

"If you would all follow me, I have refreshments prepared for you."

The people at the table stood up and followed him out of the door. Some were whispering to each other and talking excitedly in low tones.

"Well, what do you think?" Kacey asked her friends.

"It was...interesting," Ava replied.

"It was creepy, and I hope I never go to another séance as long as I live!" Emma declared.

The girls followed the crowd through the hall past the opening to the floor below. They descended another winding staircase down to another hall. Passing through the arched doorway, they entered a large room with a long dining table. Upon it were three candelabras, plates of appetizers and wine.

Hannah served the wine while Garth invited the members to eat. Most of them stood holding plates or wine, and a few sat at the table. Two people warmed themselves at the fireplace.

The girls gazed around the room, noting the tall, glass-door cabinets along one wall filled with dishes, cups, silver tea settings, and goblets. Darkened windows filled the adjacent wall. A gold-framed, antique painting of a fruit bowl hung over the fireplace.

"This castle is awesome!" Ava remarked, "I wonder if he'll give us a tour."

Brittany brought a plate of appetizers over to her friends and offered them some food.

"The crab rolls are delicious! You should have one. Kacey, I'd like to introduce you to Garth. I think he'd like to meet his long-lost cousin."

Kacey smiled, "Okay."

She followed Brittany over to Garth and was introduced to him.

Garth' two dark eyes pierced into her.

"A cousin, you say? How are we related?"

Kacey replied, "My great-great-great-grandfather was William Carlson, the one who built the castle."

Garth looked skeptical. "Really?"

"Yes. It was handed down through the family to my great Uncle Charles."

Garth stiffened. He forced a smile.

"Yes, that was what they used to think. But it was my great-great-grandmother, Abigail, who passed the deed to the castle through the family to my father. When he died, I inherited the deed, so it belongs to me now."

"Really?" Kacey echoed, "Well, things never stay the same very long, do they?"

Garth did not reply. He turned to the others, saying, "Please, enjoy some refreshments and wine before you leave."

Brittany spoke up, "Garth, would it be possible to see some of this awesome castle before we leave? I've never seen a real castle before."

Garth smiled at her wickedly, and replied, "I'd love to show you my castle. As soon as everyone has eaten, I'll take you on a short tour. There isn't time to show you everything, of course."

"Cool!" Brittany exclaimed excitedly, and hurried back to tell the other girls.

True to his word, Garth invited Brittany and everyone else on a short tour of the castle. The crowd was delighted and followed him through an arched corridor to a doorway.

"This is the library. It has one of the finest collections of antique books and first editions. Many are signed copies, and extremely valuable. Of course, the most valuable ones are locked in glass cases. I also collect old objects of fascination, as you can see."

The shelves held hundreds of books, but also a few human skulls and bones.

"Are those skulls real?" asked Brittany.

"Yes, they are, though I can't tell you who they once were," Garth replied.

A huge oak desk stood in the center of the room, with a richly-carved wood chair behind it. The library exuded a feeling of antiquity and wealth.

"And if you'll turn back to the hallway, I will show you one of the bedrooms. Follow me."

He squeezed past the crowd and led them back through the hallway and into a tall stone tower where another spiral stone stairway led upward.

At the third floor, they went through a rounded doorway and entered another corridor. He opened the first door to the right and went in.

Once inside, they observed a four-poster bed with a red velvet cover. Red velvet curtains hung behind the bed and at the sides. The room had a small fireplace, an antique chair and a tall chest of drawers.

"This is my bedroom. Inviting, isn't it?" he asked, looking directly at Brittany. She smiled back shyly.

Garth looked at his watch.

"Well, I see it's almost time for the boat to arrive. Follow me."

He led them back out into the hall. As they proceeded, Kacey looked down the hall and saw other doors that probably led to more bedrooms. When she entered the stairway, she looked up and wondered how many floors were above them. She knew the castle had many more rooms than what Garth had shown them.

The group reassembled in the dining room and Garth thanked everyone for attending the séance. They thanked him and followed Hannah back out through the hallway and down the curving steps.

As they walked, Garth stepped next to Brittany and took her hand.

"May I have a moment?"

Brittany stopped and looked at him.

"Yes?"

"I hope you enjoyed the séance. Hannah tells me that you are interested in the occult and have shown a true dedication to the dark arts. If that is so, I would like to discuss this with you personally. Would you be able to come here tomorrow night with Hannah?"

"Oh, yes!" Brittany replied eagerly.

"Good. Hannah will give you further instructions. Tell no one else of this meeting."

"All right," Brittany agreed, "See you tomorrow!"

He nodded in reply and let her move ahead with the rest of the group.

They followed the same path down to the cave where the boat was waiting. The members all climbed in and the captain drove them back to the harbor. As soon as they were back on land, Kacey thanked Hannah and Brittany for taking them to the séance.

"I hope it has opened your eyes to the spirit world," Hannah replied, "Not everyone can see the power of the spirits as we do. They are invisible to disbelievers."

Ava responded, "Oh, we saw everything very clearly, didn't we?" she asked Kacey, who agreed, but Ava's intended meaning escaped Hannah.

"Good. It was nice meeting you. I hope you'll come to my shop again," said Hannah. Brittany said goodbye and invited her friends to come to the shop and talk with her about the séance.

"We'll try to stop in tomorrow afternoon," Kacey promised.

"Okay! See you then!" she waved and followed Hannah to her car.

Emma was rubbing her hands together.

"Let's get in the car! I'm freezing!"

The girls got into Kacey's convertible and she turned on the heat. As they drove back to Aunt Mary's house, Ava asked, "Well, what do you think of Garth Simms?"

"I think he's a fraud and a thief," Kacey said bluntly.

"What do you mean?" asked Emma.

"Everything that happened in that séance can be explained. And he's a thief because that castle and everything in it legally belongs to Aunt Mary."

"Yeah, and from what little we saw, I bet that old stuff is worth over a million dollars!" Ava remarked.

"Well, Garth won't be in that castle much longer, now that Aunt Mary has proof that it belongs to her," Kacey said.

Emma shook her head.

"All I can say is that the séance seemed real to me. How did Garth make the pages turn in the book, and the bell ring when he and everyone else were holding hands?" asked Emma.

Ava replied, "I bet there's a fan hidden in the room. Did you smell the lilies? That's probably nothing more than air freshener that's sent into the room when the fan is turned on. And you can bet that Garth was moving that glass to spell out words on the table."

"What about the bell ringing?" Emma asked.

Kacey replied, "That could easily be triggered electronically. And those candles going off and on? I have a set of trick birthday candles like that. Every time you blow them out, they go back on again. They're treated with a chemical that makes them do that."

Emma was unsure that the girls' explanations explained everything.

Ava said, "Emma, I read about séances in that witchcraft book that Aunt Mary let me take up to bed last night. It told about how all those things were done and some of it is pretty clever and convincing, but there are no real spirits or mediums. They're all fakes. The famous magician Harry Houdini proved that back in the 19th century."

Emma slumped down in her seat.

"You seem disappointed," Kacey remarked.

"Well, I am. I was starting to believe in everything I saw."

"Sorry, Emma," Ava said, "And I hate to be the one to tell you this, but...Santa Claus isn't real, either."

"Ha-ha. Very funny!" Emma said sarcastically.

It was just about midnight when they arrived back at Aunt Mary's. She was up, wearing her robe and slippers, waiting with a pan of warm milk and a plate of sugar cookies.

"I thought you might like something to warm you up before bedtime. How was the séance?" she asked.

The girls gave her a detailed description for everything they saw. Ava and Kacey explained how they think the special effects were done. Aunt Mary seemed indignant.

"Shame on that man for deceiving people!" she said, "I won't be sorry to see him go!"

"Neither will we," Kacey agreed.

After clearing up the dishes, the girls bid good night to Aunt Mary and went to bed.

Chapter Six

The next morning, Kacey and her friends made fresh, hot, blueberry pancakes, and served them with real maple syrup. Afterward, they finished washing some windows, and vacuumed the rugs. When Kacey asked Aunt Mary what else they could do, she suggested that they might rake a few leaves.

It was a beautiful fall day. Golden sunlight filtered through the red, orange, and gold leaves. Leaves wafted slowly to the ground and scattered upon the lush, green grass. The air was cool with a crisp aroma of oak and maple.

The girls each took a rake and raked one section of the front yard. Soon all the leaves were gathered in a pile and then packed into large leaf bags. They pulled a few weeds and then worked in the large back yard. The girls watered the flowers and put clean water in the bird bath on the patio. By lunch time, everything was done.

After lunch, they cleaned up the kitchen and told Aunt Mary that they hoped to visit with Brittany before the guys came later in the afternoon for dinner.

"Why don't you go now?" Aunt Mary asked. She assured them that she would be fine on her own since she wanted to work on the sweater she was knitting.

The girls piled into the convertible and drove to the Crystal Cauldron.

Brittany was busy with a few customers when they arrived, so they browsed through the shop. After the customers left, Brittany came out from behind the counter asking,

"So, wasn't it amazing last night? Isn't Garth Simms incredible?"

Kacey smiled and looked at her friends, who waited to hear what she would say.

Kacey replied, "Yeah, it was pretty interesting, but-"

"And weren't you scared when you saw the candles go out and the book pages turn by themselves?" she asked with wide eyes.

Kacey began, "Well, to tell you the truth-"

"And then when the spirit of Abigail came and spelled out that message, I was so, so--" she searched for the word.

"Brittany, I hate to tell you this, but none of that was real," Kacey said bluntly.

Brittany's face fell. She demanded sharply, "What do you mean?"

Kacey hesitated, searching for a way to explain things to her friend without offending her.

"What I mean is, all those events can be logically explained. If we got a chance to see that room in daylight, we'd probably find lot of special effects props."

Brittany was offended, "You mean, you don't believe any of that really happened? That is was all fake?" she asked, looking at all three of them.

Ava shrugged, "Yeah, that's what we mean. I know it was pretty convincing. It was really well done. But I've been reading about séances and mediums, and..." she shrugged, "they're just not real."

Brittany huffed and replied maliciously, "Well, if that's the way you feel, I'm sorry I wasted your time last night!"

"Oh, we loved going to the séance," Kacey said hastily, "And we're very grateful that you invited us. But we're really more concerned about you than the séance."

"Me? Why?"

"Because of what all this magic stuff is doing to you and your life. You're getting caught up in a world of deceit and lies, and it's only going to disappoint you someday, or lead you into something worse. Not only that, it's taking you away from achieving your dream to be an artist."

Brittany looked down and didn't answer at first, but then said spitefully, "You're beginning to sound like my mother."

Kacey shrugged, "Well, we want you to be happy in life, and we're afraid that witchcraft will only lead you to unhappiness."

Brittany shook her head, "You're wrong. I'm happier now than I've ever been. The people in my coven like me. They accept me for who I am, and they don't treat me like a freak.. They want me to join them. I feel like I belong."

"That may all be true, but what about your future? How will becoming a witch help you lead a better life? You can't serve two masters. Either you believe in God and trust Him with your future, or you trust Satan. Whatever you may think, Satan doesn't not love you like God does. God knows your heart and soul, and He wants to help you if you let Him, but you have to make the choice yourself. Satan is just a deceiver, Brittany. He'll use you for his own purposes and then throw you away when he's done."

Kacey stepped closer, and said sincerely, "And we want to help you, too. We're your friends, and we're concerned about what's happening to you. The best thing for you to do would be to quit magic and go back to school."

"I tried school," Brittany snapped, "It didn't work out for me."

"But you weren't there long enough to really give it a chance," Kacey said compassionately.

"School is hard for everybody at first," Kacey continued, "But after while, it gets better. You just have to give yourself a chance to get used to it."

"But I hate all those dumb courses they make you take, like algebra and history-"

"Then go to an art school where you won't have to take them," Kacey suggested, "I can help you find one if you like. There are lots of art schools in Boston and Manchester. I'll even help you apply for financial aid if you can't afford to pay for school."

Brittany was silent. She recalled how much she missed the art classes she took in high school. She had many artistic friends there and they all admired her and her artwork.

"Why not think it over?" Kacey suggested, "And we can talk about it later. Our boyfriends are coming for dinner tonight. Would you like to come for dinner and go out with us later?"

Brittany thought it sounded like fun, but then remembered her other commitment.

"Can't. I already have plans for tonight. I'm going to the Castle with Hannah. Garth wants to see me."

Kacey and her friends exchanged concerned glances.

"I'd be careful around him, if I were you. He can't be trusted," Kacey warned.

"Garth is fine!" Brittany insisted, "He's the high priest of my coven. I trust him."

"But this coven won't be around much longer," Ava interjected, "Then what will you do?"

"What do you mean?" Brittany asked.

Emma blurted out, "She means that Garth won't have the castle much longer. We found the real deed to the castle and it belongs to Aunt Mary. Garth will have to move out."

Brittany scowled, "What?"

Kacey and Ava exchanged looks that expressed their exasperation with Emma for telling this.

Kacey explained, "The coven will not be able to use the castle once Aunt Mary gets it back."

"But Garth said his father left the castle to him!" Brittany argued.

Kacey replied, "Unfortunately, his deed is a fake. We found the real one, and Aunt Mary wants the castle to go back to being a museum for the public."

Brittany looked angry. She turned and walked behind the counter, refusing to look at anyone.

Kacey began, "Brittany, I'm sorry-"

"I have work to do! You can leave now!" Brittany said spitefully, without looking at her.

The girls took the hint and left the shop.

Once outside, Ava turned to Emma, demanding,

"Why did you have to tell her about the deed?"

"Well, why shouldn't I? It's the truth, isn't it?" Emma asked defensively.

"Yeah, but you don't have to tell everybody!" Ava insisted.

Kacey stepped in, saying, "Let's not argue about it. I'm sure no harm was done. I don't know if I talked any sense into Brittany or not."

Ava said, "Well, at least you tried."

"Yeah," Emma agreed, "If she gets into trouble, it will be her own fault. At least you tried to help her."

"Well, I'm not giving up on her yet," Kacey said, "I'll think of another way to try to convince her to quit magic. If we could only prove to her that Garth is a phony..."

Ava replied, "Once he loses the castle, he may lose some of his appeal."

Kacey nodded, "Let's hope so."

That same afternoon, a black sports car pulled into the driveway and three young men climbed out. They mounted the wooden steps of Aunt Mary's porch and rang her doorbell.

When the door opened, Ava's face lit into a smile.

"Hi, Guys! Come on in! We've been waiting for you!"

The three young men came into the living room where the girls were waiting. They hugged each other and then Kacey introduced them.

"Aunt Mary, I'd like you to meet Joshua Miller, my boyfriend....Dave Edwards, Emma's boyfriend, and Rick Villa, Ava's boyfriend.

"Delighted to meet you!" Aunt Mary smiled and shook their hands. "Please come in and sit down."

The guys took seats in the large living room, and Emma brought in a tray of drinks and snacks.

"Are you hungry? I made some pizza squares if you'd like some. It will be a couple hours until dinner."

"Sounds great!" Joshua replied as he took some snacks from the plate. "So what have you three been up to since you came here?"

Kacey told them about the work they'd done around the house, and Ava told them about their boat trip to Castle Isle which almost ended in disaster. As they ate, the girls told them about Brittany Cooper and the séance they attended at the castle.

"I remember Brittany Cooper," Dave said, "She was a super-talented artist in high school. I thought she went to Salem State to get her art degree."

"Well, that's what she started to do," Kacey explained, "But she quit school when she and her boyfriend broke up. Brittany works in a witch's shop selling magic and occult objects. Now she wants to become a real witch."

"A witch!" Dave exclaimed in disbelief.

"Yeah," Ava said, "Crazy, huh?"

"She gave up school to become a witch?" Josh asked incredulously.

Kacey nodded her reply. Emma said, "And now we're trying to get her to quit that idea and go back to school but she's not listening to us."

Rick pointed out, "You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink it."

"I know," Kacey said, "I just wish I could think of some way to convince her."

Josh smiled confidently. "Knowing you, you'll figure out something."

At six o'clock, Hannah and Brittany locked the doors to the Crystal Cauldron and drove to the harbor. Hannah arranged a boat ride out to Castle Isle, and soon they were on their way. The sun was setting and the wind on the open water was stiff and cold. The boat bucked upon the cresting, white-capped waves. It took longer than usual to get to the island, but the portcullis was up when they arrived.

Hannah told the boat captain she would call him when she needed a ride back, and he left them on the dock inside the cave. They followed the stone stairway up into the castle and knocked on the door. Soon, Garth Simms answered.

"Welcome," he said, smiling, "I've been expecting you. Come into the library and warm up by the fire."

They followed him through the great main hall where a fire was roaring in the spacious open fireplace. Light from the flaming torches danced, casting moving shadows upon the high ceiling.

A fire in the hearth of the library made it warm and snug. They sat in leather, wing-backed chairs, and he poured them each glasses of spiced wine.

They spoke briefly about the Crystal Cauldron, and about the séance. But Garth soon came to the reason why he invited them.

"Brittany, Hannah tells me you are interested in joining my coven."

Brittany nodded with a smile, "Yes, I am."

"I'm very pleased to hear that. I have found the magical arts to be of great advantage. Once you learn the spells and charms, and how to read the tarot cards, you will live your life in confidence. If you become a medium to the spirits, your powers will increase. Soon, you will have the power to create your own destiny."

Brittany smiled in anticipation. She wanted nothing more than to be in control of her own life and make it the way she wanted it to be. Garth continued.

"But first, there are certain requirements that you must pass to join my coven. Are you willing to do whatever I ask to show your loyalty and your trust?"

"Yes, I am," Brittany replied sincerely.

Garth gave a slight smile, "I'm glad to hear that. I assure you, that once you are in my coven, you will no longer fear anything."

Hannah looked at Brittany over her wine glass as she took a sip. Brittany was nodding in understanding. She said, "I want to do whatever I must to become a witch."

Garth smiled, "Good. I will tell you more about that later. Tell me, what did your friends think about our séance last night?"

Brittany looked at Hannah for support, but received none.

"They..." Brittany began hesitantly.

Garth waited, and said, "Don't be afraid. You can tell me."

"Well, they didn't exactly believe in it. They told me it was all fake."

She waited nervously to hear Garth' reaction.

He smiled and nodded, "I'm not surprised. Many people are skeptical of my powers. They don't understand the power that we have because they have never met anyone before with such power. They only believe what they've been told by others: that magic is not real, and that no one can talk to spirits. However, they are wrong."

"That's what I tried to tell them," Brittany said, "But they didn't believe me. They tried to talk me out of becoming a witch. And they said that you wouldn't be staying here at the castle much longer."

Garth frowned, "What? Why did they say that?"

"They said that you will have to move out because Kacey's Aunt Mary has found the real deed to the castle and her husband's will showing he's the owner. They're going to force you out."

Garth' face remained still, but inside he was seething with anger.

"Where are the deed and the will now?" he asked.

"I think they're at Aunt Mary's house."

Garth breathed deeply to control his anger.

"Do you have your friend's phone number?" he asked.

"Yes."

"May I have it, please?"

She took out her cell phone and began to look up the number.

"Here it is. Kacey Carlson. Mary Carlson is her great aunt."

Garth took the phone from her and turned to Hannah.

"Hannah, would you take Brittany upstairs to the guest room and get her ready for the initiation? I have a phone call to make."

"Of course," Hannah replied and asked Brittany to follow her.

She took Brittany up the winding stone stairway to the third floor. She led the girl down the long hallway and opened one of the bedroom doors.

"Wait in here for Garth. Don't be afraid," Hannah smiled.

Hannah closed the door and left her alone. The wind outside shook the trees and moaned through the cracks of her window. She shivered and rubbed her arms. Looking around, she began to feel nervous and afraid. The wind howled again ominously. Brittany began to pace the small room anxiously. She went to the door to open it, but found it was locked.

Chapter Seven

Hannah entered the library and poured herself another glass of wine.

"She is waiting," she said.

"Good. But I have to make a call first. If Mary Carlson thinks she can take this castle from me, she's wrong. No one will take this castle from me!"

He dialed the phone number and waited for an answer.

"Hello?" Kacey answered when she saw Brittany's name on her phone.

"Is this Kacey Carlson?" he asked.

"Yes, who is this?"

"This is Garth Simms. I hear you have found your great uncle's will with the deed to the castle. Is this true?"

"Why are you asking me about that?" Kacey asked him.

"Because I intend to have them. Bring the papers to Hannah at the Crystal Cauldron tomorrow morning at ten o'clock. I have your friend Brittany Cooper here, and she's not leaving until I get word that you have turned those documents over to Hannah. When you do, I'll release Brittany. And don't involve the police. If you don't follow my instructions, Brittany will suffer the consequences!"

The phone line became silent.

Kacey stood stunned by what she heard. Her heart began pounding and she turned to her friends, who were all seated around the dinner table, talking and laughing. Suddenly, they stopped talking, and Emma asked, "Kacey! You look like you've seen a ghost! What's wrong?"

"That was Garth Simms. He knows about Aunt Mary's deed, and he said that we must take the papers to Hannah by tomorrow morning. He's keeping Brittany as a hostage. He said that if we call the police, he'll make her suffer!"

" _What?_ " they cried.

"I'm going to call my dad," Kacey said, dialing his number.

The others waited while her father answered and Kacey told him of their dilemma.

"Kacey, you must call the police immediately and report this!" her father said sternly. "Let them handle it. It could become dangerous, and I don't want you or anyone else to get hurt."

Kacey agreed with her father's advice and promised to do what he said.

When she told the others what her father said, they looked worried.

"But what about Brittany?" Emma asked, "Garth said he'd make her suffer if the police were involved!"

Kacey nodded, "I know. But this is too dangerous for us to handle. We'll have to take our chances."

"She's right," Ava agreed, "The police know how to best handle this. We should leave it to them."

Emma's face brightened, "Wait! I have an idea! Why can't we just make photocopies of the documents and give Garth the copies? He'll release Brittany, and we'll still have the real ones!"

Aunt Mary shook her head and replied, "The real documents have a special seal on them. They have been signed by a notary, and stamped. Let me show you."

She retrieved the documents from the library safe and showed them that the real documents had an embossed seal stamped into each paper, with raised letters that felt bumpy. A signature was on the seal.

Aunt Mary said, "Garth probably knows that a real stamp is embossed, and he would be able to tell that the copies are fakes."

Everyone agreed that it would be impossible to make a copy look real without an embossed stamp. With no other alternative, Kacey picked up her phone and dialed 9-1-1. She reported the situation to the operator, who promised to send police officers to Aunt Mary's house right away.

The Marbleton police arrived five minutes later. Two officers asked them several questions, and the girls answered them truthfully. The officers took notes and then promised to look into the situation right away.

"Will you call us as soon as Brittany is safe?" Kacey asked.

"Yes. What's your number?" one of the men asked.

He wrote it down and promised to call her back as soon as possible.

"What do we do now?" asked Joshua, after the officers left.

Kacey paced the floor as she said, "I guess we just have to wait for the police to rescue Brittany."

She sat down at the table and everyone was silent. As a knot began to grow in her stomach, Kacey said, "I'm sorry, but I'm afraid I don't feel much like going out tonight."

Emma agreed, "Neither do I. Besides, the wind is really picking up, and the forecast is for a thunderstorm tonight."

Ava suggested, "Why don't we just stay in? We can watch TV, or play some games to pass the time."

Everyone agreed that staying home would be fine. Dave had brought some DVDs to watch and they chose a comedy that would hopefully raise their spirits and keep their minds off Brittany and Garth.

Later that evening, Emma and Dave were eating popcorn while watching the DVD. Ava asked her, "How can you think about food at a time like this?"

Emma sighed, "Well, if starving myself would help to save Brittany, I'd do it. But it won't. Besides, when I get nervous, I need to eat."

Ava snuggled next to Rick, glad that he had come. Kacey and Joshua sat holding hands, while Dave and Emma ate popcorn. Because she was tired, Aunt Mary said goodnight to everyone and went upstairs to bed.

Kacey kept looking at her watch. Over two hours had gone by since the police left. Joshua noticed her actions and said, "Don't worry. I'm sure everything will be okay."

She smiled bravely. "You're right. I should let it go and give it to God."

Joshua nodded, "Yup. He's the only one who can help her now."

When the two police officers told Chief Baker about the hostage report, the Chief became angry.

"Dang it all! Every Halloween we get pranksters! It's probably just a big hoax."

One of the officers replied, "They seemed pretty sincere to me, Chief. Mary Carlson seemed pretty worried. She wouldn't go around pulling pranks like this."

The Chief knew Mary from long ago. Her husband, Charles, had been one of Chief Baker's fishing buddies.

"Well, maybe you're right. I suppose we'd better check it out. Pull the car up front and call Charlie Lang. Tell him we need to use his cruiser to get over to the island. I'll see if I can get somebody over there to answer the phone."

The Chief looked up the phone number of Garth Simms from the County Clerk's website where he could access old court records. He knew that Simms had taken the castle from Mary Carlson, and the records of the court case were available online.

The phone rang three times before a man's voice answered.

"Hello?"

"Is this Garth Simms?" the Chief asked.

"Yes. Who is this?"

"I'm Chief Baker of the Marbleton Police. Sorry to bother you, but we had a report that.... that a girl is missing. A girl named Brittany Cooper. Do you know her?"

There was a long pause before Garth answered.

"Yes, I know who she is."

"Well, it seems she's gone missing and a few of her friends think she might be on Castle Isle. Have you seen her?"

"No, Chief Baker, I haven't," Garth replied.

"Would you mind if I came with a couple of officers to search around the place? She might be hiding somewhere."

"Of course, please do. I'll make sure the portcullis is up and the guard dogs are in their kennel."

"I appreciate that. We should be there in about half an hour, depending on the weather."

"No problem," Garth said encouragingly.

"Thank you," the Chief said politely, and hung up.

The wind whipped the waves into a fury, as the police cruiser bounced up and down upon them. Although the officers were showered by the sea spray, they were protected by heavy rain gear.

The officers tied up their boat on the dock and followed the steps up to the castle. When they knocked on the heavy oak door, Garth opened it.

"Come inside. Let me take your coats," he smiled.

After the men shed their wet rain slickers, Garth hung them on pegs in the hallway. He led them into the castle.

"You're free to look wherever you like. Since you called, I've searched everywhere but haven't found her. The dogs would have found her if she were outside. Do you know why Brittany's friends thought she would be here?"

The Chief didn't want to make accusations without proof, so he said, "Not really. But it's my duty to check it out, anyway."

"Well, you're welcome to look around, even without a search warrant," Garth said, reminding them of his generosity and kindness.

The Chief mumbled his thanks and told his men to split up. They searched the main floor, and the two floors above where the library and the bedrooms were located. Hannah greeted them in the library and offered them some wine, but they politely declined.

They searched quickly, poking into closets and opening doors. The castle was a maze of hallways and doorways, and the Chief wondered if they were seeing every room there was. He remembered hearing that the castle had hidden rooms, but without a search warrant, he didn't have legal access to every room in the castle.

After a half hour of searching, Chief Baker called his officers together and told them they were done looking.

"Sorry to interrupt your evening, Mr. Simms," the Chief said.

"That's perfectly all right. I hope you find Brittany."

"So do I. Thank you."

After the officers left, Garth and Hannah walked through several hallways that twisted and turned, and then came to a paneled room. Behind one of the wooden panels was a hidden doorway that led to the tallest tower of the castle. They climbed the winding, narrow stairs leading up to the top of the tower and unlocked the door.

Inside the circular, bare, stone room, Brittany was sitting on the floor with her hands tied and a gag stuffed in her mouth.

"They're gone," Garth announced, "Lucky for you that they couldn't find you," Garth said, looking down on her, "Your friends have disobeyed me by calling the police. Now you'll have to pay!" He pulled the gag out of her mouth and she began to plead.

"Please! Please don't hurt me! It's not my fault!"

Garth became angry. "You brought them here! You knew they were related to Mary Carlson! You betrayed me! But don't worry. I wouldn't harm this pretty face," he said, taking her chin in her hand, "You're much more valuable to me the way you are. I know plenty of people who will pay me very well for you. They will sell you, of course, to someone in another part of the world. You'll never see your friends again! And if you want to stay alive, you'll have to learn to do what you're told!"

He shoved her back against the wall and she bumped her head painfully against the stone. She began to cry, sobbing and begging him to let her go. He turned away and Hannah followed, locking the door behind her.

The comedy movie had ended and the popcorn was gone. Joshua peeked outside the window and watched the trees battling the wind. Sprinkles of rain dashed against the window.

"Lousy weather," he commented.

"Let's play a game or something," Emma suggested.

"Okay, what should we play?" Ava asked.

"What about Charades? We can play guys against girls."

Dave frowned, "That's no fun! You girls always win at word games! Let's play something with a little action!"

Just then, Kacey's phone rang and she picked it up.

"Officer Benson here. I just wanted to let you know that we searched the castle and there was no sign of Brittany."

"What about Garth Simms? Did he say anything?" Kacey asked.

"Only that he hasn't seen Brittany. He was very cooperative."

'And lying,' Kacey thought, but didn't say it. She said, "Thanks for checking. If you find Brittany, please let me know."

"Will do," Officer Benson replied.

When Kacey gave the news to the others, they were outraged.

"Now what?" Joshua demanded, "If we hand over the documents, Aunt Mary will never get her castle back, and if we don't, Brittany might be harmed."

"We still have some time," Ava pointed out.

"Yeah," Kacey agreed, "We don't have to bring Hannah the documents until ten a.m. So let's try to think of something."

They looked at one another, waiting for someone to speak.

Then Kacey's phone rang again. When she answered, she heard Garth' voice.

"You have made a very big mistake by calling the police. If you don't turn over those documents _now_ , I'll see to it that no one will ever see or hear from Brittany again! Bring them to me in one hour! And come alone!"

"But how can I get there without a boat?"

"I keep a boat in the harbor tied at the end of the main pier. It's called The Phantom. You can spot it easily because it's entirely black. The keys are kept under the driver's seat inside a pouch. When you approach the island, I'll raise the portcullis. You'd better get going. Time is running out."

Chapter Eight

Kacey's line went dead. Her heart began beating fast. She turned to the others.

"Garth wants me to take the documents to him in one hour," she told the others, "And I'm to come alone."

Everyone sat in shocked silence, looking at one another for answers.

Finally, Rick said, "I think we can get into the castle and rescue Brittany."

"But how?" Emma asked, "That island is so well protected that we'd never get near it. Remember the cannon balls?"

"He's expecting Kacey to come. He won't shoot."

"My dad said we should leave it to the police," Kacey reminded them.

Ava spoke up, "Well, we tried that, and it didn't work. We have no choice but to figure out another way to get Brittany."

Emma asked, "But how will we get inside?"

Kacey explained, "Garth said I'm to use his boat, The Phantom, tied up at the harbor pier. The keys are under the driver's seat."

"Perfect!" Rick said confidently, "You girls have been inside the castle, right?"

They nodded.

"Then we should be able to find Brittany and get her out," Rick said, "We'll make a distraction to bring Garth out and keep him busy while you look for the girl."

"But he said that I was to come alone," Kacey pointed out.

"We'll hide under the boat cover. Once you're inside the castle, we'll sneak out of the boat and into the castle."

Rick was the only one who had served in the military and had fought in Afghanistan. His training and experience gave him the ability to plan a rescue operation.

He asked Kacey for some paper, and she gave him a tablet.

"All right," he said as he opened the tablet and took out a pen, "Let's draw a floor plan of the castle. Tell me what you girls saw when you went to the séance."

Each of the girls described the castle from the entrance in the cave to the main floor, and up to the second and third floors, and Rick drew out a floor plan. When they finished, he said,

"It's not complete, but it's better than nothing. You said that there are guard dogs outside the castle, so we'll need to stop them. Dave and Emma will feed the dogs and then try to draw Garth' attention while Kacey, Josh, Ava and I get inside. Once we're inside, Kacey and Ava will look for Brittany while Josh and I keep an eye out for Garth. If he tries to interfere, we'll stop him. Once you find her, we'll take her out and leave the same way we came."

"What should we do to handle the dogs?" Dave asked.

"Make some noise. That should bring them out. Toss them some meat laced with sleeping pills. Then try to throw some stones at the windows, or pound on the door and then hide."

"What if Garth comes out with gun or something?" Emma asked fearfully.

"That's why you've got to hide. It'll be dark, and he won't see you if you stay hidden."

Emma looked at Dave uncertainly, but he nodded confidently at Rick, "Got it."

Rick continued, "Now, we'll need some rope, some duct tape, sleeping pills, and some meat."

"There are some sleeping pills in Aunt Mary's medicine cabinet," Kacey said, "I don't think she'll mind us taking some tablets."

"Good," Rick nodded, "Do you have any rope or duct tape?"

"Look in the basement," Kacey advised, "I'm sure we'll find everything we need down there."

The group headed down to the basement while Emma found some ground beef in the refrigerator. She began making meat balls with sleeping pills hidden inside.

Once the basement light was on, they found a workshop where Uncle Charles used to refinish furniture as a hobby. Rick found duct tape, flashlights, rope, and a few other things that they might need. He asked Ava to go get the backpack that he had brought with him and empty it. The group headed upstairs.

"I only put one pill in each meatball," Emma told them, "They're very strong pills and I don't want to kill the dogs, just make them sleepy."

They packed everything into Rick's backpack, and put on jackets. Kacey wrote a note to Aunt Mary and left it on the kitchen table.

They left the house quietly, and climbed into Rick's sports car. The wind gusted, sending heavy rain at times and lighter rain when the wind died down. There weren't many cars on the road, so they reached the harbor in ten minutes.

Using flashlights, they ran through the wind and rain to the end of the main pier. Only one boat tied to the pier had a black tarp over the top to keep out the rain. Kacey shined her flashlight over the stern and shouted, "Here it is! The Phantom!"

They all climbed in and found the pouch under the driver's seat filled with maps, but at the bottom were a set of keys. They tried each one until the ignition key fit.

They used the boat cover to hide under while Rick drove the boat and Kacey navigated. The water was very choppy, and the wind blew fiercely once they were out on the ocean. Rain pelted their faces as Kacey showed Rick the island, and they headed the bow toward it.

Beaten as if hit by a sledgehammer, each wave pounded against the hull with deafening force. The group worried that the craft would break up, sending them into the icy, cold depths of the sea.

The wind howled more intensely as they neared the island. Rick had to fight with the steering wheel to stay on course. As soon as the boat was near the entrance, they could see a light and the raised portcullis.

"Okay," Rick shouted over the wind, "You take over from here, just in case he has video cameras in the cave."

Kacey nodded and took the wheel. Rick got under the cover with the others and they sat down on the floor, holding tightly onto the tarp.

Kacey struggled with the wheel but managed to navigate the boat through the rough waves and into the cave. She pulled up next to the dock and tied the boat securely.

Although she didn't see any cameras, she knew they could be hidden, so she left the boat and went up the stone steps into the castle alone.

Kacey followed the winding stairs up from the cave, through the heavy oak door, and into the dimly lit stone hallway. To her right was another oak door that she hadn't noticed on her first visit. She pressed the wrought-iron handle and the door creaked open. Immediately, she felt a cold wind from the darkness. Dogs began barking viciously.

She closed the door and waited quietly for her friends.

The lights went out in the cave as the portcullis was lowered. As soon as it was down, the cave went completely dark, and the group came out of hiding. Rick turned on his flashlight and spoke softly.

"I'll shine my light on the floor. Everyone stay together. We'll try to find a way to the outside of the castle for you two," he said to Dave and Emma.

Soon, the shadows from Rick's flashlight reflected against the stone walls as Kacey awaited her friends.

"Look," she whispered to the others, "Here's the door outside!"

Dave came forward with Emma in his wake.

"Great! Where should we meet you guys?" he asked Rick.

"We'll meet at the castle entrance. Keep out of sight. Good luck!"

Dave nodded, and he and Emma slipped through the doorway carrying the bag of meatballs.

Rick told Ava and Josh, "Let Kacey go up first. Once she has Garth' attention, we'll sneak in and take him prisoner."

Kacey nodded and left the group. On her way she said a silent prayer for God to help her and to enable the group to save Brittany.

The thick oak door to the castle entrance was closed. She looked around and noticed a tiny camera lens the size of a small battery mounted above the door frame. She tried the handle and the door opened.

The hallway into the castle was unlit, but the shadows of flames from the huge fireplace flashed madly in the main hall. She walked forward slowly, following the light.

As she entered the main hall, Garth was sitting upon the throne chair. He looked at his watch.

"I was beginning to think you wouldn't come. I'm glad to see that you value your friend's life more than your own. It's quite dangerous to take a boat out alone in this weather at night."

"Where's Brittany?" Kacey asked firmly.

"She's safe--for now. Do you have the papers?"

"I want to see Brittany first. If you release her, I'll give you what you want."

Garth' expression changed to anger.

"You are in no position to argue with me! Give me the papers!"

"If you want them, you'll have to come and get them," she said.

Garth stood up. He dismounted the stage where his throne stood and walked to her. When he was face-to-face, he demanded, "Hand them over!"

Kacey knew she had to stall, so she shook her head. Twisted with rage, Garth struck her across the face.

She felt a breeze and knew the door in the hall had opened.

Suddenly, Rick and Josh rushed in and grabbed Garth. He resisted and punched Josh in the face. He lunged at Rick, but Rick twisted Garth' arm behind him to get him into an arm lock.

Joshua grabbed his other hand, but Garth fought against them like a wild cat.

Ava grabbed Kacey, asking, "Are you all right?"

"Yeah! Let's go find Brittany!"

The two girls rushed off into the library, and then into the séance room. They opened every unlocked door on the first floor, calling Brittany's name.

Meanwhile, Garth managed to kick both Rick and Josh in the shins. He pulled away and ran toward the back of the castle. They rushed after him in pursuit.

Garth grabbed a sword from a rack on the wall. Just as the guys ran into the room, Garth swung the sword wildly. He missed their faces by inches. They dodged the sword as he swung it again. He forced them back against the wall.

Rick motioned for Josh to cover the other flank. They separated and came at Garth from both sides. He swung at Rick first, and the sharp blade sliced the air as Rick jerked back. Then he turned the weapon against Josh and swung at him. Josh jumped back, barely avoiding the blade's keen edge.

Rick took the advantage while Garth was swinging at Josh to grab him from behind. Josh gripped Garth' other arm and twisted it behind him, and the sword fell, clanging on the floor.

Joshua and Rick grab Garth.

"Down on your knees!" Rick ordered, forcing Garth to the floor. Rick had a strong grip on Garth' arms.

"Get the duct tape!" he shouted. Josh went into the back pack and found it. They wrapped both of Garth' hands securely behind his back, and forced him to lay face down on the floor while they wrapped tape around his knees.

When the two girls entered the spiral stairway, cold wind swooped down from the top of the tower. Thunder roared and echoed against the stone walls. The tower had no lights, and the only time the girls could see is when lightning lit the stone stairs.

"She may be in one of the bedrooms!" Kacey said, and Ava nodded.

"Let's go!"

Holding on to the rough, stone wall for guidance, they turned on a flashlight and followed the steps to the next floor. The lightning flashed again when they reached the arched doorway to the third floor.

Pushing it open, they walked into the hallway. It was as dark as the stairs had been. Lightning flashed guiding them to the first bedroom door.

Opening it, they called to Brittany, but it was empty. Thunder rumbled overhead as they went on to the next bedroom. It too, was empty when they cast their flashlight beam into the room.

They opened the third bedroom door into darkness as thunder boomed and lightning flashed.

Pale blue light flashed through the windows, and a white figure appeared before them in a long gown; the ghost of Abigail Simms!

Kacey and Ava both screamed in terror.

Lightning flashed again and the ghost stood stretching out her arms, reaching toward them.

Lightning flashed and the ghost stood before them.

They slammed the door and held it tightly shut.

"Holy-- Did you see that?" Ava shouted frantically.

"Yes!" Kacey replied, "But it can't be a ghost! It can't be!"

They froze, not knowing what to do. After Kacey regained her composure, she said, "It can't be a ghost! There are no such things! But we have to find out where Brittany is! Let's ask her!"

Ava agreed, mostly because she wanted to see if her eyes had deceived her or if the ghost was real. Thunder boomed again, but there was no lightning.

They opened the door and peered into the darkness. Kacey aimed the flashlight into the room.

It was empty.

There was only a bed and some antique furniture. A wooden paneled wall on the opposite side of the bed drew Kacey's attention. She saw that the rug had been pulled back next to the wall. A circular scratch on the floor gave Kacey an idea. She pushed against the paneled wall, but it didn't move.

"Look!" Kacey cried, "I think she went through this wall! I think it moves! Help me!"

Ava ran to her and they both pushed against the wall without success. They stood, scrutinizing the wall for some clue as to how it opened. They began trying to move objects near the wall. A wall sconce holding a candle caught Kacey's attention. She pulled on it and heard something click. The wall panel opened a crack, revealing a hinge on one side.

"A secret door!" Ava exclaimed.

They pushed the door open a little and peered into darkness. They turned on their flashlight and pushed the panel open wider. A stone archway led to another spiral staircase, smaller than the one in the tower.

The steps led upward into darkness. Knowing the 'ghost' must have gone this way, they followed.

At the top of the stairs was another door. From behind, they heard muffled screams. When they opened it, they found Brittany tied and gagged, and a 'ghost' was dragging the girl to her feet.

"Let her go!" Kacey shouted.

The 'ghost' turned to the girls. They recognized her immediately.

"Hannah!" they shouted.

Hannah was furious. She pulled Brittany to her feet and held her in front as a shield.

"Get away from me!" she screamed at the girls.

"Let her go, Hannah!" Kacey cried.

"No! Not until you give Garth the papers and leave this castle!"

Ava looked at Kacey. On Kacey's nod, they both made a rush for Hannah. Together, they grabbed Hannah's wrists and pulled them off of Brittany. Brittany broke free and rolled to the other wall.

Hannah struggled against the two girls. She bit Ava's hand and kicked Brittany's leg. Both girls let go and Hannah rushed toward the stairs. As she took her first step, her feet became entangled in her long gown, and she tripped. Falling face forward, she tumbled down the stone steps to the foot of the stairs, screaming as she fell, her shrieks echoing through the stairwell.

The girls ran down the stairs and flashed their light where Hannah lay at the bottom of the steps, unconscious.

Quickly, they returned to the room where Brittany lay and untied her.

"Oh, thank God you came!" Brittany sobbed. She threw her arms around the two girls and they hugged her tightly. Brittany was shaking and sobbing uncontrollably.

"Come on," said Kacey, "Let's go downstairs. We're taking you home."

Brittany was too shaken to respond, and they helped her climb down the spiral steps to where Hannah lay. Hannah's hair had been powdered white, and white make-up covered her face and arms to give her a ghostly look. Dark shadows were painted under her eyes.

Ava felt for a pulse on Hannah's neck.

"She's alive," she said, "But she may have a broken neck. We'd better not move her."

"We'll call an ambulance when we find the guys. Come on," Kacey urged.

They stepped carefully over Hannah and went through the secret door to find their way back down the tower stairs. When they reached the main hall, they found Josh and Rick standing guard over Garth, who was sitting on the floor with his wrists and knees taped together.

Joshua smiled at Kacey.

"You found her! How is she?"

Kacey looked at Brittany, who seemed dazed and shaken.

"I think she'll be okay once we get her out of here."

"Good. Let's go!"

The guys told Garth to get up while holding a sword to his back. As they approached the door leading to the cave entrance, it suddenly swung open, and Dave and Emma appeared.

Dave wore an anxious look on his face.

"Stop!" he said, "We aren't going anywhere."

"What? Why not?" asked Josh.

"The storm has gotten a whole lot worse, and The Phantom was smashed against the dock by the waves. It has a huge hole in the hull and it's _sinking!_ "

Chapter Nine

The group stood in shock, wondering what to do.

"It looks like your plan has failed," Garth said with a smirk.

"Not yet!" Rick replied. He grabbed Garth and led him back into the main hall where he forced him to sit on the floor.

Rick commanded, "Change of plan. Let's call for help. Check your cell phones."

Each of them tried to get a signal while Rick guarded Garth.

"I can't get anything!" Dave exclaimed, "Maybe I can get a signal outside."

He left the group, and Ava said to the girls, "There might be a phone in the library. Let's look!"

The girls ran to the library and found a phone sitting on the desk. Ava picked it up.

"It's working!" she cried, and dialed 9-1-1.

Emma said, "I just hope they don't think this is another Halloween prank!"

When Ava heard the operator's voice, she told them that they had an injured woman who needed immediate medical help, and needed the police to come because there had been a kidnapping attempt. The operator asked Ava many questions and finally told her that because of the storm, it would be at least an hour before anyone could rescue them.

"Tell them to come into the cave entrance. It's open. Just follow the steps up into the castle."

"Help will arrive as soon as possible," the operator assured her.

Ava thanked him and hung up. They next went to check on Hannah, who was still breathing but unconscious.

In the main hall Brittany was shivering on a chair near the fireplace, trying to get warm. Emma found a wool throw in the parlor and wrapped it around her.

"I'll make you something hot to drink," Emma said, "Dave, can you help me find the kitchen?"

He nodded and joined her in the search.

Ava and Kacey told the guys that help was on the way, and that Hannah was still unconscious. Josh asked Ava to show him where she was in case she regained consciousness. After they left, Kacey asked Brittany if she was all right.

"I guess so," Brittany said, her voice still shaking.

"Did anyone harm you?" Kacey asked.

Brittany began to sob, "No," she shook her head, "But they threatened to!" she cried. Kacey held her close as Brittany sobbed on her shoulder. Then she continued.

"And Hannah....she was in with him! When the police called, they forced me to go up into that empty tower room! They tied me up and said that if you didn't bring them the documents they would sell me! I'd never see my home again, or my family-" she finished, and broke down again into sobs.

"Shh, it's all over now," Kacey said in dulcet tones, "You're going to be all right."

Brittany cried for a while longer. When she regained control, she asked,

"How did you find me? How did you even know I was here?"

Kacey smiled, "We searched everywhere for you. But I believe it was God who showed me the secret door that led us to you."

Brittany stared at Kacey a long time, and finally said, "Yeah, it must've been some kind of miracle."

Kacey asked, "Why did Hannah dress up as the ghost of Abigail Simms?"

"Oh, because she told Garth that she would scare you off if you tried to find me. I thought she was my friend," Brittany said with a broken heart, "I thought I could trust her!"

"She was working with Garth all along," Kacey concluded, and Brittany nodded in agreement.

"She betrayed me!" Brittany said, tears streaming down her face.

Kacey hugged her again and said, "When we get out of here, come back to Aunt Mary's house with me. We'll take care of you until you're feeling better."

"Kacey?" Brittany asked, sniffing and wiping her red, puffy eyes.

"Yeah?"

"I'm so sorry I said those mean things to you before. I- I thought you were just jealous or something. But I was wrong. Can you forgive me?"

Kacey smiled, "There's nothing to forgive. You were misled by Garth and Hannah. They deceived you, and you didn't know that they were only out to get what they could from you. I'm your friend, Brittany. And Emma and Ava and I will always be your friends, no matter what you do."

They hugged again and Brittany thanked her.

Emma and Dave returned with a tray of hot tea for everyone. They had also found a package of cookies in the pantry and served them to the group.

Josh and Ava returned and announced that Hannah was still alive. They had wrapped her in a blanket to keep her warm, but she was still unconscious.

Ava said, "Hey, while we're waiting for help to arrive, who wants to take a look at the séance room with me?"

Both Kacey and Joshua wanted to see it, and Kacey asked Brittany if she was feeling well enough to go with them. She agreed.

When they found the séance room, it looked much different than before once the lights were on. It looked like an ordinary room with a big round table and chairs all around it. The first thing that Ava did was to crouch down and lift up the table cloth.

"I've wanted to have a look under here ever since the séance," she said, "Uh-huh. Just as I thought. Take a look at this!"

Kacey and Josh were the first to look, and Joshua exclaimed, "What the heck is all this?"

"The mechanisms for all the special effects," Ava said, "See? There are three foot switches where Garth sat so he could operate them with his feet. This one," she said as she pushed the switch, "Controls the fan. Smell the lilies?"

Joshua said, "Yeah, the fan is over there in the corner, and there's an air freshener attached to it!"

Ava pushed another switch, "And this one makes the bell ring."

They could hear the bell clang softly on the table although no one was touching it.

"It's just a simple interrupter-type electric bell," Joshua said, "It has an electrical circuit that makes the clapper move when you push the switch."

"And the last switch," Ava said, pressing it, "Is to turn the lights on and off."

They stood up and watched as Ava made the lights go on and off. When they were on, they saw how the rotating fan made the pages of the open book turn each time the fan turned.

Kacey looked at Brittany, who was frowning. She shook her head in disbelief and asked,

"It was just all fake, wasn't it?"

"I'm afraid so, Brittany. Garth has no real magical powers. No one does."

Brittany sighed heavily.

"I've been such a fool."

Kacey gave her an understanding smile, "But not anymore because now you know the truth."

She nodded, "Yeah, thanks to you guys. All of you."

They were relieved that she finally saw Garth for what he was.

"Come on, let's go back to the others," Joshua suggested.

The group waited in silence, listening to the sound of the wind and rain battering against the windows. After half an hour, the storm seemed to decrease in strength.

Suddenly, they heard a loud roaring sound outside. A bright light shined through an upper window, but there was no thunder.

"Dave, go see what's out there!" Rick called. Dave nodded and ran out of the room. In a few minutes, he returned.

"It's a medical rescue helicopter! They're bringing in a stretcher!"

When the medical team came in, Ava and Emma led them to where Hannah lay. Soon, two police officers came in wearing rain slickers. One was Chief Baker, and the other was Officer Benson.

"What have we here?" Chief Baker asked as he looked at Garth Simms, still held captive.

"He tried to kidnap Brittany," Rick explained, "You can ask her yourself."

The Chief looked around and saw a sad, young woman sitting by the fire.

"Are you Brittany Cooper?" he asked.

She nodded.

He moved closer and asked, "First, are you all right? Do you need medical attention?"

She shook her head, "No. But he tied me up and locked me upstairs."

Kacey said, "When we found her, she was still tied and gagged. She was terrified."

The Chief sighed, "Well, it looks like I'd better get the whole story."

He sat down on the hearth and asked Brittany to tell him what happened from the beginning. Over the next ten minutes, Brittany and the girls filled in all the details of the kidnapping and how Hannah was involved.

When they finished, the Chief nodded in satisfaction and told Officer Benson to take custody of the prisoner.

"A police launch is on its way. As soon as it gets here, we'll take you all back to the station so you can make a formal statement. Then you can all go home."

Brittany and Kacey hugged, grateful that the ordeal was almost over.

The officers placed Garth in handcuffs to lead him away, but Kacey asked them to wait. Facing Garth, she looked into his dark eyes and said, "It looks like you were right at the séance after all. _The truth will be known._ Well, we all know the truth now, don't we?"

Garth scowled and turned away in anger.

Chapter Ten

Kacey's alarm went off at 8:00 a.m. the next morning. She peered at the clock with blood-red, tired eyes and tossed her covers back to allow the cool, morning air to wake her up. In a couple of minutes, she was able to tiptoe out of the bedroom without waking up Brittany, who was sound asleep in the bed next to hers.

Aunt Mary was already awake and making breakfast when Kacey came downstairs.

"Good morning!" Aunt Mary beamed as she studied Kacey's tired face.

"What time did you girls come in last night?"

Kacey poured herself a cup of steaming, hot coffee and replied, "It was more like four o'clock this morning."

"What!" Aunt Mary exclaimed in disapproval.

"But we rescued Brittany and got Garth arrested! The castle is now yours!"

Aunt Mary's mouth dropped open and her eyes went wide.

"How did you do _that?"_

Kacey told her the whole story during breakfast. When she finished, Aunt Mary hugged her and exclaimed, "My goodness! I can't believe that you girls did all that last night!"

"Well, we couldn't have done it without the guys."

"Oh, my goodness! How can I ever thank you?"

Kacey smiled, "We're glad to help. And just to let you know, Brittany is asleep upstairs in my room. Ava and Emma are in the bedroom next door, and the guys took the big bedroom with the fold-out couch. They all plan on sleeping in this morning, but I plan to go to church. Would you like to go with me?"

"Oh, yes! I'd love to! I haven't been able to attend since my surgery."

"Well, let's do up the dishes and get ready," Kacey suggested.

When they returned home from church, the rest of the group was just having breakfast. Ava reported that Officer Benson just called to let her know that Garth Simms was also wanted on an outstanding arrest for fraud in Boston. He had tried to swindle some other people by making fake property deeds.

"So he's done this before!" Aunt Mary declared.

"Yeah," Ava replied, "And he's got two major charges against him now for kidnapping and fraud. He's going away for a very long time. I don't think you'll have any problem proving his deed is fake."

Aunt Mary grinned from ear to ear.

"And it's all because of you!" she said to the group, "Thank you, from the bottom of my heart!" She clasped her hands to her chest, smiling with tears in her eyes.

Kacey asked, "Did Officer Benson mention anything about Hannah?"

Ava nodded, "Yeah. She regained consciousness. She has a concussion and some bruises, but she'll be well enough to stand trial in a few weeks as an accessory to kidnapping and fraud. She'll probably get a long sentence, too."

"Serves her right," Dave said.

"Well, I'm just happy it's all over with so life can get back to normal," Emma declared.

"Yeah," Ava agreed, "Whatever 'normal' is!"

After breakfast, the gang cleaned up the kitchen and headed upstairs to pack. On the way up, Kacey took Brittany aside and said,

"Brittany, I spoke to my dad on the phone this morning, and he said you're welcome to come and stay with us as long as you like. If you want to go back to school, I can help you find an art school that you'd like. Aunt Mary also said you could stay with her a little while until you decide what your next step will be."

Brittany gave Kacey a hug and replied, "Thanks. I appreciate everything you've done for me, Kacey. All of you have been so great to me. I'd probably be on my way to Shanghai right now if it weren't for you. Honestly, I think I'm going to go home to Westfield just to straighten out my head. I talked with my mom on the phone this morning while you were at church, and we understand each other better now. I plan to stay with my mom for a while until I get accepted into an art school. I also need some time to get my art portfolio ready to apply to some schools."

"I can help you with that. I'm majoring in art and music, so I know just what you need to do. Call me next week and I'll give you a hand," Kacey suggested.

Brittany smiled, "Thanks! I'd like that!"

An hour later, the group said their goodbyes to Aunt Mary. Kacey hugged her aunt, who kissed her cheek again and thanked her and her friends for their help.

"You're very welcome, Aunt Mary. I'm really glad we were able to help you to get the castle back."

Brittany added, "And you helped me see the truth about magic and my so-called 'friends', Hannah and Garth."

Kacey smiled, "I'm just glad you got out of it before it did any real harm. Really it's like the message in the séance: _The truth shall be known._ "

Brittany laughed, "Yeah! I bet Garth wishes he'd never said that!"

They all waved goodbye as the guys pulled out of the driveway and the girls followed in Kacey's BMW.

As they sped onto the turnpike headed for home, Joshua remarked,

"Well, just another adventure in the lives of Kacey and her friends!"

Rick asked, "You mean the girls have gotten into dangerous situations before?"

Joshua laughed, "Yeah, like all the time! And we usually find ourselves in the middle of it all. I can't wait to see what they get into next!"

The End.

For more adventures featuring Kacey and Friends, look for

_Camp Wildwood_ by C. Metzinger

Other titles by C. Metzinger are:

Snow Angels

A Cup of Water

Playing to Win
