with here.”
It wasn’t the worst idea Jude had heard. He was surprised he hadn’t thought of it himself. “You really think this spirit, or whatever it is, came with the typewriter?”
Cope nodded. “It’s well-documented that spirits can attach themselves to objects, not just houses or pieces of property. I’ve read accounts of spirits attaching to jewelry, tea services, all kinds of things you would never expect. It usually comes down to the person finding their own identity wrapped up in the item.”
“It reminds me of how some of the Salem witch trial victims stayed in the area where they’d been hanged, on Gallows Hill. Instead of moving on to the other side or to greener pastures, they stayed in the place where their lives were violently ended.” Jude would never forget the day the spirits of those women appeared at the Black Cat Inn. They’d been chained together and out for revenge.
“Exactly. I’m sorry I missed that little adventure.” Cope smiled briefly.
“It was one hell of a show, I’ll tell you that. It was the first time I’d used the weapon word since I left Navajo Nation when I was eighteen. One of the spirits had been using her considerable power to hurt Niall Gallagher, the owner of the inn. It was the only thing I could think to do to save him before it was too late.”
“Any chance that word would work in our house?” Cope had perked up. He was staring intently at Jude.
“I thought you weren’t a fan of my anti-witch tools?” Jude remembered well the first time he had told Cope the story about using the old Navajo word to fend off witches. Cope, as a sixth-generation legacy witch, hadn’t been impressed. It was a different story now, with their home and their child in danger. Jude wasn’t about to say that word out loud. He’d be sleeping on the couch for the rest of his life.
“Desperate times call for desperate measures. I was bothered, and a little frightened, by what happened in my office last night. What bothers me even more, is the fact that none of our friends could crack the mystery of this spirit either.”
“Grab your things. There’s no time like the present to hit up the antique shop. Luckily, I’ve got the receipt for the typewriter in my drawer.” Jude pulled a piece of paper out of the same drawer he’d grabbed the bottle of pain reliever. “I didn’t want you to accidentally stumble upon this at home and ruin the surprise.” Jude was wondering now if his birthday present to his husband had been a curse, rather than a gift.
Cope did what Jude asked. He had his phone in hand and was wearing his sunglasses. “Let’s roll.”
Jude waved to Tennyson, who was manning the cash register. “We’re going to check out the antique shop where I bought the typewriter. We’ll let you know if we come up with any leads.”
“Good luck. While you’re gone, I’ll keep researching.” Ten raised a hand to wave goodbye.
Jude opened the passenger door to the Thunderbird, shutting it when Cope was settled inside. There was one question Jude couldn’t get out of his head. He turned the key in the ignition and pulled out onto Conant Street. “What you said back at Ten and Ronan’s, about letting this spirit into our lives, is it possible this is someone we know trying to fuck with us?” Deacon Boudreaux had been Jude’s first thought, but according to Bertha and Crow, they’d used powerful magic to trap him in Louisiana, but stranger things had happened. Jude had witnessed some of them firsthand.
“Like Cole said, spirits usually want themselves to be heard and seen. If someone from my past was looking to hurt me, I can’t imagine he would beat around the bush with an antique typewriter and an old hymn.” Obviously, Cope had been thinking about Deacon too.
Jude couldn’t help but agree, but anything was possible. “What are we going to do about tonight? Are we going back to our own house? Are we staying with Ten and Ronan?”
Cope sighed as if the weight of the world was on his shoulders. “The typewriter was in the house the night of my birthday party and nothing happened. I didn’t feel like we were in danger and there was nothing different about Wolf’s behavior.”
“Do you think Wolf would be able to sense this entity? He didn’t wake up last night when you were trapped in the office. What makes you think