New Winslow: The Complete Sixth Season

By Amanda McCormack

After decades spent within New Winslow’s boundaries, the town cautionary tale is out. Recovering from a near-fatal heart attack away from his family, Roman has no idea how the curse lifted, who did it, and why they chose him. All he knows is that the question haunts him as he attempts to acclimate to a world that has moved on without him.

Back in New Winslow, new information sends Iris and Andrew searching for answers that may never come. As he sets down roots in the town, Andrew is torn between the life he’s built here and the one he left behind. Meanwhile, Cleo’s deep connection to a home she hates impacts her life in unexpected ways. Olivia’s dreams may be coming true, even as she second-guesses her decisions. And Noah is willing to do whatever it takes to help Andrew, even if Andrew disagrees.

There’s always a price to be paid, even when you’re not the one who made the deal. And no matter how far away or insignificant it seems, the past always has a way of making itself known.

New Winslow: The Complete Sixth Season contains all the episodes previously released for free on Patreon and Enfield Arts, as well as a sneak peek at Season Seven!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Amanda McCormack
• Release date: Aug 1, 2023
• ISBN: 9798201310707

Amanda McCormack

Amanda McCormack is a writer, performer, and lifelong Massachusetts resident. In a past life, she was a librarian in both public libraries and private research institutions. This led to a passion for research and writing which, combined with her love of New England’s history and culture, formed the foundation for Enfield Arts.She loves getting lost on the back roads of Massachusetts, chocolate chip cookies, and a good slow-burn romance story. She hates pears and driving in Boston. You can usually find her at home with a cup of coffee in hand and at least three pens stuck in her hair for safekeeping.

Book preview

New Winslow: The Complete Sixth Season

Amanda McCormack

Enfield Arts

Copyright © 2023 by Amanda McCormack

All rights reserved.

No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher or author, except as permitted by U.S. copyright law.

Cover Photo by Tim Marshall via Unsplash

Contents

1.Want a Free eBook?

2.Episode One

3.Episode Two

4.Episode Three

5.Episode Four

6.Episode Five

7.Episode Six

8.Episode Seven

9.Episode Eight

10.Episode Nine

11.Episode Ten

12.Episode Eleven

13.Episode Twelve

14.Episode Thirteen

15.Episode Fourteen

16.Episode Fifteen

17.Episode Sixteen

18.Episode Seventeen

19.Episode Eighteen

20.Episode Nineteen

21.Episode Twenty

22.Episode Twenty-One

23.Episode Twenty-Two

24.Episode Twenty-Three

25.Episode Twenty-Four

26.Episode Twenty-Five

27.Episode Twenty-Six

28.Episode Twenty-Seven

29.Episode Twenty-Eight

30.Episode Twenty-Nine

31.Episode Thirty

32.Episode Thirty-One

33.Episode Thirty-Two

34.Episode Thirty-Three

35.Episode Thirty-Four

36.Episode Thirty-Five

37.Episode Thirty-Six

38.Episode Thirty-Seven

39.Episode Thirty-Eight

40.Episode Thirty-Nine

41.Episode Forty

42.Episode Forty-One

43.Episode Forty-Two

44.Episode Forty-Three

45.Episode Forty-Four

46.Episode Forty-Five

47.Episode Forty-Six

48.Episode Forty-Seven

49.Episode Forty-Eight

50.Episode Forty-Nine

51.Episode Fifty

52.Episode Fifty-One

53.Episode Fifty-Two

54.Episode Fifty-Three

55.Episode Fifty-Four

56.Episode Fifty-Five

57.Episode Fifty-Six

58.Episode Fifty-Seven

59.Episode Fifty-Eight

60.Episode Fifty-Nine

61.Episode Sixty

62.Episode Sixty-One

63.Episode Sixty-Two

64.Episode Sixty-Three

65.Episode Sixty-Four

66.Episode Sixty-Five

67.Episode Sixty-Six

68.Episode Sixty-Seven

69.Episode Sixty-Eight

70.Episode Sixty-Nine

71.Episode Seventy

72.Episode Seventy-One

73.Episode Seventy-Two

74.Episode Seventy-Three

75.Episode Seventy-Four

76.Episode Seventy-Five

77.New Winslow will return

78.Want a bonus epilogue?

79.Season Seven Preview!

80.Season Seven, Episode One

About the Author

Also By Amanda McCormack

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Episode One

Billy looked miserably down at the suitcase hanging open on his bed. It was already nearly filled, and he hadn’t put nearly everything he wanted to bring in there yet. But his parents insisted he could only bring two bags with him. One for clothes, one for everything else he might need during his time at sea. His cabin would be small, and likely shared with another man.

So now he was standing here, the warm yellow glow of the tungsten bulbs in the wall sconces illuminating the piled objects in the suitcase before him. He didn’t want to move away from here. This had been his bedroom since he was a child, since years after Dad had built this enormous house here in New Winslow. The house was grand, with four storeys and a beautiful garden in the back. Perhaps it was too big. There were three other bedrooms on this floor alone, despite the fact that Billy was his parents’ only child. Sometimes he suspected that wasn’t the plan when the house was built, but he didn’t dare bring it up, not when there was a chance it would break his mother’s heart.

He’d spent his entire life in this town, grown up running through the halls and reading in the small parlors tucked away beside the main foyer. It was him, his parents, and the same housekeepers that had worked for them nearly as long as Billy had been alive. Plus a handful of much younger cousins who often visited to run around the yard and scream, much to Billy’s regular annoyance. But this bedroom, even though it had changed over the years, was where he felt safest in the world. And Billy didn’t want to leave.

He was eighteen years old, far too old to cry. Nobody was here with him, but he blinked rapidly, trying to keep it from happening anyway. It’s one trip, he reminded himself. Likely only a matter of months. He’d go on the ship, pretend he had any interest whatsoever in a life at sea, then come back home. Then he’d go to medical school, become a doctor, and come back to New Winslow.

And then he’d never have to leave again.

The thought cheered him only slightly as he packed two books he’d been planning to read into the suitcase. His mother had bought him the latest edition of Gray’s Anatomy as a bit of a peace offering. If he was going to medical school after this voyage, she’d said, he’d need to be prepared. The book was enormous, but there was no way he was leaving without it. The other was an Agatha Christie book he’d bought in Amherst last week. Together, the two books took up too much space. Billy eyed them both, realized there was no other way to pack them, then picked up the Christie and reluctantly set it aside. There was no room, not if he was going to bring any stationary to write home on.

They’d be away from land nearly the entire time he was gone. Billy’s mother had mentioned a couple of stops in Portugal and Ireland and how maybe he could take a day or two away at each of those to go exploring. She’d been so hopeful, seizing on anything that might make Billy more cheerful about going. And he felt bad that his mother was sad, but he just didn’t want to go. His life was here, no matter how much his father wanted him to be a sailor.

There was a knock at his bedroom door and he turned around. One of his biggest reasons for wanting to stay in town was leaning against his bedroom door frame, shoes off and suspenders hanging from his waist. Billy’s best friend Samuel was also eighteen and leaving New Winslow soon. He was cheerful and charming, with black hair and an easy smile. But unlike Billy, Samuel wasn’t going more than a few towns away and would be home frequently to help his mother in the house next door.

Bill! Samuel started, but his smile faded at Billy’s obvious misery.

He walked into the bedroom, clapping Billy on the shoulder as he looked down at the messily packed suitcase. So this is it then, isn’t it? Samuel asked.

Throat too tight to speak, Billy nodded. It’s just a few months? Samuel said, clearly trying to cheer him up.

Make my parents happy.

They’d repeated that refrain over the past weeks, ever since Billy’s dad had agreed to pay for medical school if Billy took one tour on one of his many ships. Just a few months. Maybe a year, depending on the weather. And it was a chance to see the world. Who wouldn’t jump at that? Nobody, except for spoiled children who didn’t know how good they had it.

Not that either of Billy’s parents had said that about him. But Billy knew how lucky he was. Which was why he’d only fought a little before agreeing to go. Once they’d made their deal to send him to medical school, he’d tried to hide his reluctance much better.

I’m taking Sarah out for dinner later tonight, Samuel said, shifting the suitcase aside in order to sit his lean frame down on the bed. But that’s not until six. Buy you a drink first?

Alcohol was illegal in New Winslow these days, just like it was everywhere else in the United States. But Billy knew Samuel had a source for cheap booze out of Canada. Samuel winked at him, and despite everything, Billy felt a little better.

Thank you, he said with a nod. I’ve got some packing left to do, but we’re not leaving until tomorrow morning. Take me out on the town, Sammy.

Samuel laughed and Billy was momentarily overcome with how much he was going to miss his best friend. Only a few months, he reminded himself yet again. Then he’d be back, and they’d all continue their lives. Samuel would go to divinity school and Billy would go to medical school. Samuel would marry Sarah someday and Billy would find someone of his own to start a family with. They’d all raise children and grow old right here in New Winslow. Some people thought this town was excruciatingly boring, but Billy couldn’t think of anywhere he’d rather live.

Samuel slid his suspenders back over his shoulders, giving them a ridiculous little snap against his chest. Billy laughed, his heart lightening for the moment, and turned to find his jacket.

***

The next morning, Billy was back in his bedroom, forcing the clasp on his suitcase to connect. After a lengthy battle, he’d managed to fit the important things. Now he just had to make the suitcase agree with him.

He had a slight hangover from the night before, but the relief he felt was worth the discomfort. He’d spent a few hours with Samuel, talking about their futures over too many glasses of cheap wine. Then Samuel had gone on to Sarah and Billy had come home with the renewed belief that a few months away would be worth it. In fact, a few months was nothing in the span of a lifetime.

With that thought, Billy McBride picked up his suitcases, bid his childhood bedroom a fond farewell, and walked out the door.

Episode Two

You’re out of New Winslow.

There was silence in the hospital room for a beat, as Celine slid her hand into Roman’s. He took one breath, then another.

Then the machine beside him rang out a sharp alarm, the sound so loud in Celine’s ears that she almost couldn’t hear Roman’s voice. No, no no no no no, he moaned softly, squeezing his eyes shut and shaking his head. No, no, it’s not-

Maybe it had been a mistake to tell him so soon. She knew it, she knew this wasn’t safe. Rome, she said, trying to get his attention. Roman!

It’s not, it’s not…

He was hyperventilating, and the nurse pushed gently past Celine. It’s alright, Mr. Beckett, she said as she injected something into his IV line. You need to calm down, everything is alright. I’m giving you something that will help you relax, alright?

He wasn’t speaking now, just gripping Celine’s hand with his eyes squeezed shut, shaking his head. But a few seconds later, just as Celine was getting genuinely afraid, his grip loosened and the ringing alarm faded back into a gradually slowing heart rate.

It’s too dangerous for him to get that worked up right now, the nurse said. Heart needs to rest.

I should have waited, Celine said, feeling her own tears forming. It was too soon.

He would have figured it out anyway, the nurse said with a smile. Twenty years?

Did all the nurses here know about New Winslow? Twenty-two.

They looked back at Roman, who was lying back against the pillow, eyes closed and breathing easily now. The older doctor said something about coming back later and walked out with the other nurse. The young doctor, the one who had tried so hard to be in control, stopped to adjust Roman’s pillow, then smiled at Celine and followed after the others.

I know you’ve been here the past couple days, the remaining nurse said. You should go home and get some rest.

But Roman-

He’s not going to notice. I hit him with the good stuff, the nurse said with a gentle laugh. How many kids do you have?

Three, Celine replied.

Then go home for them, if not for yourself. He’s alright, we’ll take good care of him.

Celine nodded, unable to speak without crying. The nurse patted her shoulder, then walked out of the room as Celine swallowed down her tears.

Hey, Rome? she said softly.

He didn’t answer as she took his hand again. I need to go home for a little while, she said. But I’ll be back later tonight.

He didn’t respond, but did squeeze her hand lightly. I love you, she said.

Love you… he whispered back.

The last thing she wanted to do right now was leave him. But the nurse was right. She had three children at home who were going to need her. She had to go.

Celine leaned over and kissed him softly on his stubbled cheek. Then she reluctantly turned and walked out of the room.

Dr. Degas had had to leave the night before, but said to call when Roman woke up. Celine called her from the waiting room.

How is he? Dr. Degas asked as Celine heard her walking through what she assumed was the clinic.

He knows, she said through the lump in her throat. I told him and he had to be sedated. I should have waited, but the doctor told him he was in Athol and I couldn’t not tell him.

A door creaked open on Dr. Degas’s end. He was going to find out, she said.

She sounded tired. Are you alright? Celine asked.

Dr. Degas gave a little laugh. I’m alright.

Celine must have been quiet for a beat too long because then Dr. Degas sighed. This shouldn’t have had to happen, she said. I’ve been after the town for years to figure this out and they’ve ignored it every single time because it’s not them who’s dying in my exam room.

Celine’s already sour stomach twisted. I’m so sorry, Dr. Degas said suddenly. That was completely unprofessional of me.

No, you’re right, Celine said, hating how her voice shook.

Do you have a ride home? Dr. Degas asked. I can call someone for you.

Celine was about to say she’d do it herself, but the idea of picking up the phone and calling anybody else, figuring out a single other thing right now, seemed impossible. Thank you, she said instead.

Get some rest, Dr. Degas said. I’ll check in with you and Roman later, alright?

Dr. Degas? Celine started.

Yeah.

Thank you. For everything.

It’s my… Dr. Degas started, trailing off. Then she cleared her throat. I’m just so glad it worked.

They hung up a moment later and Celine sat down in an uncomfortable waiting room chair. She wasn’t going to go to sleep when she got home, as tempting as it was to think so. The kids needed her right now. Jamie was babysitting the little ones, now that she’d sent Noah home. But Aidan and Abby were probably confused and frightened after spending the night with a stranger. Celine trusted Noah, he was so involved with Olivia’s daughter and she trusted Olivia’s judgment. But her babies didn’t know him. And Jamie knew exactly what was going on, he was going to need her too.

She tried hard not to nod off in the waiting room and had almost lost the fight completely when the sliding doors opened and Charlie Gulbenkian walked in. Celine? he said.

She opened her eyes and looked up at him. Charlie? What are you doing here?

Dr. Degas called me. I’m here to pick you up.

Celine stood up on wobbly legs and walked over, throwing her arms around him. Thank you, Charlie.

How is he?

He’s okay. Just needs rest. I’m going to come back tonight, but they kicked me out for a little while.

She followed him out into the freezing winter air. Charlie didn’t say anything when Celine burst into the tears the second the car started. He just rubbed her shoulder softly with one hand while steering with the other, watching the road as he drove her home.

***

Roman was awake when Celine came back later that night. She’d been hoping to get back to the hospital before he woke up, so that she could be there while he processed his new situation. But between taking care of the kids, figuring out the House of Pizza on the phone with Tatiana, and an unintended - but clearly necessary - hour-long nap, she had taken a lot longer than she planned to. She walked in to see Roman upright against the raised hospital bed with an untouched supper tray on the table in front of him. He looked older than forty-four, his eyes rimmed with dark circles as he stared down at the food containers.

Hey Rome, she said softly.

He looked over, and his eyes widened. Celine?

I’m sorry, I tried to get here earlier, she said, setting down the bag she was carrying. How are you?

I’m...I was scared it was a dream, he breathed.

He looked into the distance and she realized he was still somewhat sedated. I thought maybe I dreamed everything, he continued, pushing a tea bag listlessly across the small table. That once I was out of town, none of it was real.

Oh, hon, she said, sitting down gently beside him and taking his hand. No, no, it’s okay. We’re still here, I promise. Me and Jamie and Aidan and Abby, we’re here.

He wasn’t looking at her, but he was gripping her hand now. You’re safe, she continued. You had a heart attack, do you remember?

Roman nodded slightly. How did I get here? he asked, his voice almost a whisper.

By ambulance.

No, he said, turning to look her in the eye. I mean, how did I get here?

I don’t know, Celine admitted. We knew it was a gamble, but it worked. You could pass the town line and we haven’t figured out why yet.

He nodded again, movements slow and choppy. I know it’s a lot, she said. We’ll take it slow, I promise.

She carefully slid onto the bed beside him, wrapping an arm gingerly behind his shoulders. He melted against her, resting his head on her shoulder.

Get some rest, she said. I’ll be right here.

Celine? Roman whispered.

Hmm?

Are the kids okay?

She nodded against the top of his head. Yeah, she whispered. Everybody’s fine.

I was…I was out with…Noah, I think, Roman continued. I told him I was fine.

You obviously weren’t.

Someone was watching me. I could feel it.

Celine raised her eyebrows, looking down at him. His hair was messy, even at the short length he kept it trimmed to. She glanced over at the monitors, where neon lines thrummed steadily along. Who was it? she asked.

Maybe it was the drugs now or the proximity to death then making him hallucinate. Or maybe there was an answer to the question she might ask for the rest of her life. Roman was silent, and she thought for a second that he might be asleep. But then he took a deep breath.

I don’t know, he said. Do you think that’s how I got out?

She wasn’t discussing this with him right now. Not when the last big revelation had nearly killed him. I don’t know.

Are the kids okay?

Celine smiled against his hair. They are, she promised again.

I love you.

Episode Three

The first thing Olivia did when she was alone in the dining room of the Limerick building was to hang up all the charms she’d spent a little too much money on over the past week. She’d had to find a magic shop outside of New Winslow (not Iris, she was never going to Iris again for anything) and since she had limited time to do so, it had all ended up having to be shipped to the post office a couple towns over. But now it was here and it was as authentic as she could guarantee without having someone like Celine - or maybe Andrew, come to think of it - inspect it for her.

Andrew had promised to put up some wards around the building and she knew he’d already started on it. But she also needed to be able to protect things here from the very beginning. She might not have ever owned a business before, but she’d spent the past twenty years of her life in food service. She knew she’d be seeing more of this building than her own home for a while. If she relied on someone else to do everything for her, what was going to happen when that wasn’t effective anymore? She needed to protect herself, her daughter, and her family. Because otherwise these things would just keep happening and people would continue to get hurt.

About an hour later, she’d gotten the last strands of charms hung over the back door and moved onto more mundane things, like bringing trash out to the dumpster just outside in the tiny muddy parking lot behind the building. As she came back in and made her way up front, she saw Andrew by the front counter. He was filthy, but his smile as he looked at her was real and still mildly shocked.

Those are nice, he said, nodding to the braided black cords and coins draped over the top of the front doorway.

Thanks, Olivia said. Um, just some added protection. You know…

She trailed off, unsure exactly how to finish that, but Andrew just nodded as he gulped down a glass of water. Yeah, of course, he said. I’ve done some too, but I’m going to do more. I told you that, yeah?

Yeah, she said quickly. Yeah, of course. I just got those too.

He nodded, and she tried not to see the concern in his expression. Maybe he thought she was overreacting, but if he did, he wasn’t going to say it. I was thinking about making lunch, Olivia said. The kitchen is filthy, there’s no way I’m making food in it before I flood it with bleach. But I can run home and get some, then bring it back.

Great, cheers, he said as he wiped a hand across his face, leaving a streak of dirt high up on his cheekbone. Where’s Noah?

Good question. He’d disappeared with his tool kit shortly after he’d arrived and she’d been so distracted by her own tasks that she hadn’t even thought of him in at least an hour. But the question was answered as she heard bootfalls on the creaky basement steps.

Noah appeared a moment later, the dust of the basement adding even more gray to his hair. I knew it was bad down there, he said. But holy shit, I may pick up some masks until I can finish cleaning it.

Want to take a break and have lunch? Olivia asked.

I’ll finish that first, but thanks.

Olivia wasn’t entirely sure what that was, but she didn’t push as he grabbed a water bottle from the counter and went back downstairs without another word.

She and Andrew exchanged a look. It’s just water, Andrew said, so quietly that she almost missed it. I watched him crack the seal earlier, and it’s been in this room with me the whole time.

If she could barely hear him, then Noah certainly couldn’t. But she looked at the doorway, anyway. I don’t think he would, she whispered. Maybe he’s just stressed about the mess. Or from watching the kids.

He wouldn’t. She knew he took his recovery and the shop too seriously to risk it like that. The evasiveness was uncomfortably familiar, but he’d just come from taking care of Celine and Roman’s kids so maybe he was tired and overloaded. Knowing him, it was likely he hadn’t even slept last night when he was with the kids.

About forty minutes later, she was back with lunches packed into a worn floral tote bag. Noah was still down cellar and Andrew was scrubbing the windows and checking his watch. I need to leave in about two hours, he said as she walked in.

She didn’t make him tell her he was going over to Iris’s shop for a shift. That was established, and she’d already told him she wouldn’t interfere with either his job or their attempts to break the town curse. Even if a large part of her wanted to insist Iris was dangerous, she was trying very hard to let him live his own life.

Plus, they needed the money. While the building was paid for in full through Andrew’s savings (another thing that made her feel guilty despite his insistence it was the best use for the money), they still needed to pay their regular bills. Andrew and Noah working outside the Limerick let them cover the bills without completely draining Andrew’s severance package. Both of the others had insisted that Olivia focus on opening the business instead of looking for another job to go with it.

Another pang, but they had already decided they were running this place together, and they had as much say as Olivia did. So she would take the lead on the honestly overwhelming amount of cleaning this place needed before they could even begin to worry about furniture, decor, or solidifying the menu. It had been a few years since anyone had been inside and that was reflected in the sheer amount of grime.

Andrew had cleaned off one of the wobbly tables that had come with the shop, so she didn’t feel quite so gross eating in here just now. She threw down a tablecloth just in case, then ran a paper towel over the two chairs and a single bar stool she pulled over. It didn’t make much of a difference, but they were all so dirty that it didn’t matter anyway.

Looks fantastic, Liv, Noah said as they all sat down a few minutes later.

It wasn’t anything special, but it was since they were eating it here in their own shop. I’ve got about two hours, Noah continued. I picked up a delivery shift in Worcester.

So she’d be here alone for a while. It was fine. This was their place, and she was going to have to get used to it. Same work as Cleo? Andrew asked, looking at Noah curiously.

Noah shook his head. Not quite, he said. One time gig. Though Celine wants to talk later about covering some shifts at the House of Pizza. But I’ll be back here after.

No, don’t, Olivia said. All I have planned here today after this is cleaning. I’m going to scrub as much of it as I can before I have to get Mia.

And I’ve got a to-do list the length of my arm, Noah argued mildly.

She wasn’t going to fight. After all, they were all in this together now. Plus, the sooner they had the place cleaned and repaired, the sooner they’d be able to set a more solid opening date. Which meant the sooner they’d start making money. And the sooner they’d start making a profit, if she wanted to look that far into the distant future right now.

Andrew was looking around the space pensively. What are you thinking? Noah asked.

Hmm? Oh, nothing worth discussing yet.

Either magic or marketing. Either way, Olivia trusted he knew what he was doing. But she couldn’t help hoping the magic was first. She hadn’t seen or heard anything here yet and hopefully she wouldn’t. But she hadn’t expected to see things in her home or at Keegan’s.

Or to have one invade her brain.

The bite of food in her mouth was suddenly impossible to swallow and she could only hope this flash of fear wasn’t as visible to the others as it felt. But it was fine. As long as she could keep things under control here and at home, they’d all be okay. It was gone. He was gone, he’d gone to the netherworld or reincarnated halfway across the planet. He was gone, and she was here.

You alright? Andrew asked her.

Yeah, she said, hoping her smile looked real. Just tired. Mia kept climbing up from the trundle bed to sleep with me last night. Which was cute, but she’s a kicker.

Noah laughed, but she caught that quick flash of guilt in Andrew’s expression and wanted to take back the comment. After all, she was the one who had offered - then insisted - he take Mia’s nursery while Mia moved in with her. It was just the one night, she said with a smile.

Let me know, Andrew said. She can have her room back.

It’s your room, Olivia argued. But thanks.

He opened his mouth to keep the argument going, but the sound of something crashing in the cellar cut everybody off. Swearing, Noah got up and disappeared back down the stairs.

For real, Olivia insisted when the door swung unsteadily shut behind him, leaving her and Andrew alone in the front of the shop. I’m not kicking you out of your room. I can detach the trundle and move it if I need to.

He finally nodded. I’m going to see if he needs help down there, he said, getting up and following Noah down to the basement.

Olivia tried not to be nervous upstairs alone.

Episode Four

Iris had never considered herself an expert researcher, but she knew her way around resources. She was only a decade out of college, where she’d done plenty of research papers. And she had to study for each of her cases, usually with a lot of success. But absolutely nothing could tell her about the missing pages from Harbinger’s third volume.

There couldn’t be that many of them. The books were all small and, while the volume was thinner than the others, it wasn’t tiny. There couldn’t be more than ten pages missing altogether.

But there was no guarantee that the papers were all together still. Not after this long. Hell, she didn’t like to think about it, but there was a strong possibility that they didn’t even exist anymore. But they had to. Because if there was any chance of solving this mystery without having to rely entirely on the spirit world, those papers were it. If they had to rely on more magical means, then they could. But even Iris had to admit that her power on that plane was going to be extremely limited. And she’d likely be the only human both capable and willing to do the work required to reach the spirits that could help.

If she hadn’t known what a nightmare it could be, she might have been tempted to contact Baxter’s grandfather directly as she came home from yet another lost session. Judith and Alicia Perez were willing to help, something that shocked and relieved Iris, but they weren’t exactly friendly about it. She’d been staring at microfiche and buried in boxes of old receipts in the basement of the New Winslow Public Library for three days now with no results. It hadn’t been full days, of course. She had a business to run. A business that would be completely ruined if they didn’t succeed, but she didn’t want to ruin it any further than she already had before then. Having Andrew to watch the store freed up a lot of time for her to do this research, but she knew that his patience had a breaking point.

Though he had requested extra hours while they got the Limerick building up and working again, so she didn’t have to feel too bad about that. And he was possibly even more invested in finding those papers than she was, since they were the most likely key to breaking the curse that kept him trapped within the New Winslow town lines.

Regardless, she’d looked through every crevice of the small town library and was no closer to finding a solution. As though to remind her of her only other option here, there had been a few wispy spirits in the basement today. Most had been so filmy that they were almost invisible, but Iris had managed to talk to one of them. She was a former librarian who was just happy to be back at work and had no knowledge of any of the things Iris asked about. Then she asked Iris to please leave her alone and let her get back to shelving books.

So that was the library off the list. What next? Judith wasn’t going to let her into the archives on her own. Honestly, Iris was astonished that Alicia had done so much at the library. She could maybe get into the cellar in Town Hall though. She didn’t know why her mind was caught on cellars and dark spaces, but something was telling her that wherever those papers ended up, they were in the dark. And while her gut frequently led her wrong, her psychic intuition rarely did. So her next target would be New Winslow Town Hall.

She sensed the presence beside her almost immediately as she left the library and started for home. It was cold, but the shop was only about ten minutes away, so she’d enjoyed the walk here. Unfortunately, it seemed like the walk home would be much worse. And Andrew had closed up an hour earlier, so she’d be alone when she got back.

Who are you? Iris said out loud as she zipped her coat.

Was it whoever had kept watching her and Andrew last fall? The eyes had felt so fierce, but so distant. Like it knew she was there, but didn’t care about her in any way, good or bad. Its anger was impersonal, smoldering rather than raging. If this was the same presence, she’d just move carefully until she got home and be glad it wasn’t a human who meant her harm.

Then a patch of dirty snow caught her in the back of the head. Iris yelled in shock as cold snow dripped down her coat. Roland!

Of course it was him. He spent half his time trying to get back into her shop and the other half dreaming up new ways to piss her off. She couldn’t see him - she’d never actually seen or heard the spirit she’d accidentally summoned and now couldn’t get rid of - but his presence was as familiar as the leaky ceiling in her apartment. Another clod of snow caught her in the chest, hitting her before she even saw it rise up from the ground.

On impulse, Iris grabbed a handful of snow and tossed it in the direction the hit had come from before realizing how ridiculous her actions were. The spray of snow arced harmlessly down to the ground,