Ami Diane [Diane - Potent Potions

Copyright

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, organization, places, events, and incidents are either products of the authors imagination or are used fictitiously.

Text copyright 2019 Ami Diane

All rights reserved.

Printed and bound in USA. First Printing April 2019

No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the author, except by reviewers who may quote brief passages

(200 words or fewer) in a review.

Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc., or its affiliates.

Cover design by Ruda Studio. Images courtesy of Adobe Stock photos.

V.041519.1

Copyright 2019 Ami Diane

All rights reserved.

CHAPTER 1

A S A WHOLE , people move into new houses every day. Some even transplant their families to relocate a few states away. A few brave souls move across the country. Libby Slade quit her job, broke up with her fianc, and bought a housesight unseenusing nearly all of the money from her mothers trust.

When she had informed her fianc, who was now her ex-fianc, what she intended to do, he had called her, nuttier then a jar of peanut butterwhich she didnt think was that offensive. Peanut butter was great. Unless it was one of those Costco-sized, double-pack jars. Then, that was taking things a bit far.

Welcome to Oyster Bay, Orchid, Libby said to the recently inherited feline in the carrier beside her.

The Norwegian Forest cat, as cats were wont to do, blinked her luminous eyes in a way that conveyed she was not impressed with the new digs then rotated until her fluffy backside faced Libby.

Libby couldnt blame her. Sitting in her car, she stared out the dirty windshield at the house that was to be her new home. Paint peeled along the sides, and a loose shingle beneath the gabled dormers fluttered in the wind like a feather. Crashing waves from the nearby ocean thundered from the cliff a few yards away.

Glancing sideways at her long-furred companion, she said, It doesnt look so bad.

The shingle ripped loose and tumbled away.

Nothing a few coats of paint couldnt fix.

The porch creaked ominously.

Some landscaping, perhaps.

A length of rain gutter dropped to the dead grass.

She heaved out a sigh. Welp, worst case scenario, the house could double as a haunted mansion come Halloween time and scare the candy corn out of kids. She was rather fond of candy corn and less fond of kids, so it would be a win-win.

After she drove the rest of the way up the circular drive, she parked her silver Honda Civic out front behind a blue Oldsmobile. Both cars, like the two-story Victorian, had seen better days.

Libby took a moment to admire the sweeping vista, inching towards the white picket fence that separated her from the edge of the rocky cliff. With her grace, it wouldnt surprise her if she managed to fall through the fence and over the edge just standing there.

The Pacific ocean stretched to the horizon, swallowed by a gray sky. On the breeze rode the scent of salt and vacations spent combing the beach for shells.

Overhead, a gull squawked and surfed the wind. The moment was ruined when it suddenly dove at her head.

Ducking, she scurried to the passenger side of her car, cursing the avian the whole way. Its possible it had mistaken her auburn hair for some sort of food or nest to land on. Regardless, she was taking it personally.

Orchid, I hope you like birds as big as you.

A high-pitched meow came from within the carrier. She didnt speak felineyetbut she was pretty sure the long-haired domestic wasnt fond of the idea of going nose to beak against a seagull.

Hefting cat and box up the porch steps, she skipped one that looked iffy and decidedly ignored the groaning of protest from the boards underfoot once shed reached the porch. Nothing passed a road trip like snacking, and she wasnt going to feel guilty about it.

Orchid let out a softer cry that said she in no way was excited about her new home. The creepy, Adams Family exterior of the house aside, Libby was looking forward to this new adventureand shed given up a lot to be here. A mediocre job. An even less mediocre fianc. Okay, maybe he hadnt been mediocre, but his inability to support her decision had sealed the deal. Also, shed spent nearly every penny pooled from her savings and inheritance to purchase the home. But if she found what she was searching for, it would all be worth it.

Her knuckles rapped on the door, causing several flakes of paint to float away on the breeze. The house could collapse down to the studs for all she cared. Shed only bought it for one thing.

Where do you suppose he is? Turning, she glanced back at the blue car shed parked behind.

Shed only communicated with the realtor via phone and email. He was standing proxy for the estate since the previous owner of the house had recently passed. When the title company had finished handling the paperwork, hed insisted on handing her the keys for the Victorian house in person, which was either his way of building rapport or his nosey way of glimpsing the crazy woman whod bought a house, sight unseen.

John Waters had seemed genial in all their interactions, but shed bet the rest of her Snickers bar he wanted to meet so he could get the scoop on her. Of course, that was a bet she wouldnt actually take since she planned to eat the rest of the candy the moment she unpacked.

Besides, she had seen pictures of the house. Oh, the marvels of technology.

Testing the knob, she discovered it was unlocked. The hinges creaked as she nudged in the door, reminding her of nearly every scary movie shed ever watched.

Her voice echoed around the small foyer as she called out, Hello?

Despite being vacant only a month, the place smelled musty from the climate. The house came fully furnished, which was a large factor in why shed chosen not to bring any of her furniture.

Apparently fully furnished included knickknacks and bric-a-brac, specifically in the form of dozens of cat figurines. She would have to make a tripor twelveto IKEA. Still, it felt homey in that visiting-your-grandmother sort of way.

Mr. Waters? Are you here?

She shuffled deeper into the house, turning left into what appeared to be a living room. The pet carrier bumped against her thigh with every other step.

She stopped short. Directly in front of her, attached to a floral-papered wall, was a sink. In the living room.

Tilting her head, she blinked a couple of times to be sure her contacts werent fogging up and also, for some strange reason, causing hallucinations. She had only had four hours of sleep the night before, been driving for several hours, and had had only two cups of coffee, so hallucinating wasnt out of the realm of possibility.

Libby brushed a hand along the porcelain mirage. Nope. There was definitely a sink attached to the living room wall. Well, that would be the first thing to go.

She set the carrier down and released Orchid into the stuffy wilds of the cramped, overly decorated room. Setting out a paw, the feline sniffed the air, her whiskers working back and forth, probably in an effort to decipher the myriad of scents. Then, she promptly darted under the sofa.

Figures. Orchid had been her mothers cat, named after their favorite flower.

Libby ran a hand along the wallpaper, trying to decide if she wanted to keep it, as she wound deeper into the house.

Mr. Waters, if youre here, please say something. I saw this thing on Dateline onceor was it Sixty Minutes? She shook away the question, sure that the house was empty and that she was talking to the dusty air.