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I Put A Spell On You
Kerry Barrett
A touch of black magic….For Harmony McLeod – Harry, for short – life is going swimmingly in Edinburgh. Her exclusive spa, specialising in ‘spiritual counselling’ alongside massages and yoga (read: solving clients’ problems with a little bit of harmless witchcraft) is flourishing… Until she discovers one of her employees dead.This spells out real trouble - trouble that even a perfectly cast spell can’t fix because the person out to destroy Harry is using magic too – dark magic…Luckily DI Louise Baxter is more than willing to go the extra mile to help Harry solve the mystery and she’s pretty easy on the eyes too…Don't miss the Could It Be Magic series:1 - Bewitched, Bothered & Bewildered2 - I Put a Spell on You3 - Baby It's Cold Outside4 - I’ll Be There For You5 - A Spoonful of Sugar (novella)Praise for Kerry Barrett'I was absorbed from the first page' - Pass The Gin'It was just lovely! I loved the plot, I loved the spells and the magic, I loved the characters and I loved the writing. Kerry Barrett is a talented writer and I’m so pleased I got the chance to review her debut novel and here’s hoping there will be many more!' - Chick Lit Reviews and News
When Harmony McLeod – Harry, for short – discovers one of her employees dead in the reception of the exclusive spa she owns and runs, she is shocked, upset and more than a little spooked. You see, Harry is a witch, and her speciality is the ‘spiritual counselling’ that she offers her clients alongside the massages and yoga – in other words, she gives them spells to help deal with specific problems. So when she senses dark magic in the air at the crime scene, she suspects sabotage from another witch.
But who would want to kill her receptionist, hurt Harry and destroy her business? Surely not her cousin and fellow witch Esme? She and Harry may have had their differences, but they’re still family. And her colleague Xander has been a rock for her since her last breakup, and works so hard at the spa. He’s keen to learn magic skills to help out, and if he had some grievance then Harry would know – wouldn’t she? But as more unexplained events continue to unfold, Harry starts to suspect even her closest friends. It’s lucky that DI Louise Baxter is willing to go the extra mile to try and help solve the mystery – and the fact that she’s easy on the eyes hasn’t escaped Harry either…
Also available by Kerry Barrett (#u3ac9f77c-5426-536d-9754-572f7d72b631)
Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered
I Put a Spell on You
Kerry Barrett
Copyright (#ulink_db9fe1b4-8a6b-5d61-b257-979cc9b5d4fc)
HQ
An imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd.
1 London Bridge Street
London SE1 9GF
First published in Great Britain by HQ in 2014
Copyright © Kerry Barrett 2014
Kerry Barrett asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins.
E-book Edition © June 2014 ISBN: 9781472095244
Version date: 2018-10-30
KERRY BARRETT
was a bookworm from a very early age, devouring Enid Blyton and Noel Streatfeild, before moving on to Sweet Valley High and 1980s bonkbusters. She did a degree in English Literature, then trained as a journalist, writing about everything from pub grub to EastEnders. Her first novel, Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered, took six years to finish and was mostly written in longhand on her commute to work, giving her a very good reason to buy beautiful notebooks. Kerry lives in London with her husband and two sons, and Noel Streatfeild’s Ballet Shoes is still her favourite novel.
Big thanks as always to Darren, Tom and Sam for their support. Thank you to Jo for providing me with excellent information about police procedures. The advice was hers, but any mistakes are all mine. Thanks to the team at HQ Digital – Lucy, Victoria and Helen – for all their help, and thank you to everyone who read Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered. A special mention must go to Star Poling, whose husband Phil bought her the chance to name a character in the book in an auction to raise money for my friend’s little boy, Ted, and who chose to be killed off in the very first line. Find out more about Ted’s fund at http://treatmentforted.com (http://treatmentforted.com).
For Mum and Dad
Contents
Cover (#u83f61ec8-6675-561b-8aa0-ccb3a23f492b)
Blurb (#u4cc95e9f-f5b9-59ed-b635-fb045022b501)
Book List
Title Page (#u0a29c664-cd0a-570f-b6f5-699698786994)
Copyright (#u9e208983-c86e-537e-b200-d370fb376985)
Author Bio (#u4393b0d5-4676-58a4-8476-d57587c03cc6)
Acknowledgements (#ua33305bc-446b-56a5-9f22-6eb5970dbce4)
Dedication (#uf368743f-0765-5210-aeb4-14c8049999b2)
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Epilogue
Extract (#litres_trial_promo)
Endpages (#litres_trial_promo)
About the Publisher (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 1 (#u3ac9f77c-5426-536d-9754-572f7d72b631)
She was dead. There was no question about that. She was slumped in her chair, head slightly to one side, blonde curly hair in front of her face, and her eyes open and glassy.
“Oh shit,” I said. “Shit.”
I walked towards her, not sure what to do.
“Star?” I said, though I knew she wouldn’t answer. “Star? Wake up.”
She didn’t move.
A chill came over me and I started to shake.
“Star?” I said again. Nothing. I took a breath and picked up her wrist, feeling for a pulse. Her skin was cool and smooth and there was no sign of life. Carefully I put her hand down, feeling close to tears but knowing I had to keep it together.
“Star, I’m going to phone for an ambulance,” I said, wondering why I was talking to her. “It’s going to be okay.”
I pulled my phone out of my pocket and dialled 999. The operator was so nice, telling me to how to check for a pulse properly this time. She kept me talking until a paramedic arrived, just one, in a car.
“What’s her name?” he asked, going quickly to Star’s side, lifting her wrist and looking at his watch.
“Star,” I said. “I think she’s…she’s not breathing…”
He gave me a sympathetic look and a quick nod. Then he gently let Star’s wrist go.
“Do you know if she was taking any medication?” he asked.
“She’s got a heart condition,” I said. I pointed to Star’s bag, which was tucked under her desk. “I expect her pills are in there.”
“Could you find them for me, love?” he said. He was busy listening to Star’s chest and taking her pulse again.
