Third Time's a Charm (Halloween LaVeau) Read Online Free

telling you the facts.”
    “I don’t believe you and if that’s all you’ve got in the way of proof, then I’m going to have to ask you to leave,” I said, crossing my arms in front of my chest.
    “Yes, how dare you come in here and accuse someone of stealing. Who do you think you are?” Annabelle said.
    She’d really gotten braver and more vocal in the past few days. I was glad to see her coming out of her shell. I needed to follow her lead.
    “I didn’t come here with merely hearsay,” Giovanni said. “I told you I have proof and that’s what I have got.”
    His statement had me more fearful than ever.

Chapter Four
    “How about you explain what you’re talking about?” I asked crossly. “You can’t come in here and accuse someone of a crime without telling us what brought you to that conclusion in the first place. You especially can’t accuse someone who is no longer around to defend herself.”
    If only Nicolas’ mother was still around. She’d been killed by her evil sister. Her sister had of course wanted the Book of Mystics. Nicolas’ mother had come back in spirit form to talk with me, but that had taken a great deal of energy and I doubted she’d be able to do it again. I was almost afraid to attempt bringing anyone back with a spell after all the times I’d messed it up. I was going to leave that one alone.
    “My mother was Anais St. Clair, née Demarco. She was the owner of the book. It disappeared and then Nicolas’ mother became the leader. She stole the book from my mother.” He folded his hands together and placed them in his lap.
    I held my arm out , blocking Nicolas from moving forward and confronting Giovanni. I knew he didn’t want to listen to the man talk about his mother like that, but I had to get to the bottom of what was going on.
    “ Jon, can you and Nicolas wait for me on the veranda? I’d like to speak with Giovanni alone.” I looked at Jon.
    Nicolas shook his head. “That’s not a good idea, Hallie. Someone should be in here with you.”
    “I’ll be fine,” I said as I glared at Giovanni.
    Nicolas finally released a deep breath and joined Jon on the other side of the room.
    “I’ll go outside with the guys,” Annabelle said.
    “You can stay if you’d like, Annabelle,” I offered, hoping that she wouldn’t leave.
    She shook her head a nd stared at Giovanni. “I need fresh air anyway.”
    I didn’t blame her. I didn’t particularly want to be in the room with this man either. Nicolas hesitated and looked at me again. I nodded and smiled, then he finally walked out with Jon and Annabelle.
    Now that I was alone with Giovanni, I could get to the bottom of this without worrying about Nicolas pulverizing Giovanni.
    “How do you know that Nicolas’ mother took the book? And if your mother had the book, then why wasn’t she the leader?” I asked, crossing my arms in front of my chest.
    He smiled. “My mother didn’t own the book long enough to accept the position as leader. She had it for about an hour.”
    “How can you prove this?” I asked with a smirk.
    “I can prove it to you if you let me see the book,” he said.
    I scoffed. “Oh, no, do you really think I would fall for something like that? Do you really think I am that stupid?”
    He smirked. “I don’t think you’re stupid. Quite the opposite, actually. You are a smart woman and beautiful too, I might add.”
    There was no way flattery would get him anywhere. “As soon as I bring the book out you will take off with it.”
    “I would never dream of doing such a thing,” he said innocently.
    “We’re discussing the details of the book only. This is a serious matter and I think you’re aware of the gra vity of this situation. I am the leader and I intend on keeping it that way. So I suggest you tell me how it is that you think you own the book and make it snappy. You only have a few minutes before I kick you out.” I sat up a little straighter.
    He stared at me for a moment and I