don’t want anyone else to enjoy it?” Grace frowned. “That’s strange, don’t you think?”
“Oh no, they aren’t the problem. I’m sure they could be dealt with, but it’s the curse that’s the issue. I just don’t think anyone is ever going to buy it. It’s too bad, too, because Emma was a fantastic neighbor. I just can’t believe that old curse is still working.”
“Curse?” Now that was interesting. “What curse?”
“You haven’t heard about it?” She chuckled softly. “I thought it was common knowledge. Emma used to talk about it all the time. Or at least she did when we were younger. She said her great, great aunt had cursed the house so that if anyone outside the family tried to buy it or take it away from them, the house would become unlivable. Apparently the family legend is that the patriarch of the family lost their home back east after being spelled into signing a bad business deal. His daughter, Emma’s great, great aunt, not only secured that cottage for them but also cursed it so that people who weren’t related to them wouldn’t want it. It worked, because right up until Emma passed a few years ago, the house had never belonged to anyone outside their family.”
“Until now. Mr. Saint isn’t a part of their family, is he?”
“Not as far as I know. After Emma died, whoever inherited the house never came here. They just sold it to the first buyer. I’m not even sure Mr. Saint checked it out. He wanted properties to restore and got it at a ridiculously reduced rate.” She shook her head. “It’s a shame. The place used to have a lot of life to it.” The woman started to move toward the back door of her own house.
“Lara?” Grace asked.
“Yes, dear?”
“Why were you laughing when the tourists turned around and went back down the beach?”
A wide smile spread across Lara’s face. “That is Emma’s work still going strong. She cast a spell to make this part of the beach uninviting to those who don’t live here. Genius, that one. It’s made our vacation home a true retreat.”
“That’s not legal, is it?” Grace asked, frowning. She was pretty sure Premonition Pointe had a law on the books that made spells like that forbidden.
“Oh, it is… now. Why do you think the town passed that law in the first place?” She winked and disappeared into her house.
Grace eyed the beach one more time and then chuckled to herself. It really was too bad she’d never gotten to know Emma. The woman sounded like someone she’d have been friends with. Smiling to herself, she walked back into the house to find Isobel still sitting on the stairs. Grace cleared her throat.
Isobel’s eyes flew open. Her furrowed brows and turned-down lips were the picture of frustration. “I’m just not getting a read on what’s really going on here. All I keep hearing are the words roots run deep.”
“Right,” Grace said. “I’ve gotten that message, too. But never mind. The neighbor filled me in on a few things, and now I have a game plan. We can get going now.”
Isobel walked slowly down the stairs, her fingertips grazing the wall. “What did you learn?”
“There’s a curse on the house. It needs to belong to a member of the original family that owned the property. No one else is ever going to be welcome.”
“That’s not a curse that can be broken easily,” Isobel said, her frown deepening.
“I know. Though it’s not impossible if it comes to that.” Grace pulled her phone out of her purse and sent Joy a text letting her know they didn’t need to find any more information on Jenny Kort. It was time to find out if Emma and Jenny had any remaining relatives. She’d start there.
“Do you want me to work on some counter curses?” Isobel asked.
Considering the woman just spent over an hour listening to the same message without trying anything new, Grace wasn’t in a hurry to pay her for any more of her services. “No thanks. I’ll take it from here. Will you bill me for your time today?”
“Sure.” Isobel sounded disappointed, but her expression remained neutral. “Does that mean you don’t want me to take a look at the third house?”
Grace made a show of looking at the time on her phone. “Maybe another day. I didn’t realize this would take as long as it did, and I have another appointment I have to get to.”
“Right. One never can tell