Witch Haunted in Westerham—Paranormal Investigation Bureau Book 7

When Lily’s neighbour, Mrs Soames, knocks on Lily’s door in the dead of night upset about a violent ghost in her home, Lily is sceptical. Her doubt disappears when she’s chased from the property by a terrifying apparition.

But that’s not the worst part: now Mrs Soames and her pet cockatoo are moving in, and the only way to get rid of the annoying guests is to banish the ghost… but that’s easier said than done.

Mrs Soames isn’t the only one with a haunting problem. Angelica asks Lily to assist in a PIB investigation: Westerham residents are selling their homes in droves, at less than market prices. When previous owners of the houses start dying, Angelica ramps up the investigation. Whoever’s behind the scheme is not afraid to kill, and Lily and her friends may be next.

Then Will turns up at one of the crime scenes after being mysteriously MIA for a few weeks… but it’s not a happy reunion. His callous disregard for the law and her safety is very un-Will like, and Lily worries he’s turned rogue.

Can Lily figure out what’s going on before Mrs Soames and her cockatoo drive her crazy and more innocent people are murdered? And can she get to Will in time, or is he lost to her forever?

I clenched my stomach, gritted my teeth, and strained. Sweat popped out on my forehead. This was way harder than it was supposed to be.

“You can do it, Lily. Come on. You almost had it!” I appreciated Imani’s encouragement, but it didn’t make this any easier.

As I grunted and pushed one more time, I wondered if there was a magic-related equivalent of haemorrhoids because if there was, I was sure to have it after this. A pulse of warmth floated up from my stomach and out through my fingers. The candle wick ignited into a small but real flame.

“Woohoo!” Olivia jumped up, fists in the air, victorious. “You did it!”

I slumped back on the Chesterfield, exhausted, but I smiled. It had taken three weeks to get to this point. Tonight couldn’t have come soon enough, really. After almost dying and having to just about burn my magic out to save myself from Jeremy’s evil mother, I was sure I would never get my magic back. But it was still there. My smile widened.

Imani patted my knee. “You did it, love. Brilliant.” She and Olivia grinned at me, and was that a tear in Liv’s eye?

“Thanks, ladies. I would’ve given up by now if it weren’t for you. This hasn’t been easy.” They both knew I was talking about more than the magic. I hadn’t seen or heard from Will since before I’d been kidnapped. Our fake break-up was all too real. He’d been deep undercover the past three weeks, and if it wasn’t for Angelica’s periodical updates, he could’ve been dead, for all I knew. That, combined with my lack of being able to access my magic, had kept me in my room moping most of the time, although I preferred to think of it as “resting.”

“This calls for a celebration.” Imani waved, and three cups of hot chocolate appeared on the table between the Chesterfields. She grabbed two, passing one to me. “You’ve earned it.”

I hovered my nose over the cup and inhaled. Mmm, chocolate. I sipped the richly sweet beverage, savouring the taste, then the warmth as it slid down my throat. “Thanks, Imani. I didn’t think I’d ever get my magic back.” I shivered. There were times since I’d arrived in the UK that I thought my magic was more trouble than it was worth, but after everything that had happened, I knew losing it would leave a hole inside me forever. It wouldn’t be as bad as missing my parents, but it would come a close second, although I would give up my magic to have my parents back. I sat up straight. What if they were hidden somewhere, and all it would take was telling Dana Piranha that she could have my magic to get them back?

Olivia’s brow wrinkled. “What is it, Lily?”

“Do either of you think my parents might still be alive?” The sad looks they both gave me had me regretting the question. I sighed.

“Sorry, love. But you know we’ll get to the bottom of what happened. I won’t stop looking till we do.”

“Me neither.” I placed my cup on the table and looked at each of them in turn. “What would I do without you two?”

“You’ll never have to find out.” Liv grinned.

“Never.” Imani gave a nod.

“I can live with that.”

“How are you feeling after that?” Imani asked.

“Exhausted but happy. I reckon I could sleep for twelve hours. Thirty minutes of straining was more than enough.”

“Next, we’ll be getting you a walking frame.” Olivia laughed.

“Don’t laugh. I feel like this near-death thing aged me twenty years.”

Bang. Bang. Bang! Either someone really needed to borrow a cup of sugar, or it was a police raid because whoever was out there was about to smash the door down with their enthusiasm.

“Are you expecting anyone?” Olivia looked at me.

“No. Are you?”

She shook her head. “I’ll get it. You stay there and rest, Gran.” She winked.

“Yeah, yeah, have your fun, but when I’m at full strength again, I’ll turn you into a dung beetle for a day.”