Elspeth’s barn was dark inside, with only a few shafts of light filtering in through the small, dusty windows and from the partially open barn door. Pandora padded inside then stopped, glancing around at the bales of hay scattered about the floor and the stainless-steel bowls of cat food lined up against one wall.

The barn was home to the many cats that Elspeth had adopted over the years. But these weren’t ordinary cats. They were the cats of Mystic Notch. A unique band of felines sworn to help ensure the magic in the notch stayed on the side of “good.”

Pandora’s eyes immediately adjusted to the dim light inside the barn, and she looked around at her comrades, some of whom had come out from their various napping spots to sit in a circle in the middle of the barn. Some stayed in the lofts, peering down on them, and others—like the fat calico Otis—were perched on top of hay bales. As Pandora had suspected, they were already discussing Albert Schumer’s death.

“Well, I happen to know the Schumers’ cat,” Sasha said, her head raised in true regal Siamese style, her sky-blue eyes glittering. “And she said the letter Albert had was from Helen Warren, poor old Hester Warren’s great-grandniece.”

Snowball, a fluffy white Persian, stopped mid-lick of a paw to stare wide-eyed at Sasha. “You don’t think…”

“That it has something to do with the legend?” Sasha tilted her head, her piercing blue eyes narrowed. “Hard to tell at this point, but it is possible.”

“If this is linked to Hester, then his death might be important,” Pandora said.

Her feline intuition had already told her that Albert’s death was no accident. Judging by what Robert and Franklin had told her in the bookstore, she knew that the man had definitely been murdered. Why his ghost had not appeared to Willa was a mystery. Perhaps he really was shy. Pandora had prowled the bookstore all day, waiting for him, but to no avail.

The dandelion tea Pepper had given Willa should help. Not only was it good for healing pain, it also helped provide a stronger connection to the spirit world. Pepper had likely known that but omitted that little tidbit to Willa, knowing how stubborn and skeptical she was. She probably would refuse to drink the tea, thinking it would cause even more ghosts to haunt her. Pandora could only hope that Albert would appear at Willa’s house tonight. If not, she might have to take drastic measures because, if the letter really did have to do with the legend, then what they needed to accomplish could not be done by felines alone. They would need human help.

“No kidding.” Otis glared down at her, setting Pandora’s whiskers twitching. There was no love lost between her and Otis. Even though they’d teamed up once to help their cause, and even though she’d sensed that his bark was worse than his bite, Otis still couldn’t stop himself from being snarky with her, and she couldn’t stop herself from reacting.

She knew she should just let it go, but he really got her dander up.

Pandora didn’t need to point out that they’d almost lost their battle once here in the notch when an old potion that Hester Warren had tried to protect had surfaced. She didn’t need to remind them how the ghost of Hester’s cat, Obsidian, had helped them. She didn’t need to bring up the fact that things like this should not be taken lightly in Mystic Notch.

“If that’s the case, we have to find the letter and make sure it does not fall into the hands of evil. That pleasantry charm is the only thing keeping this village civil,” Tigger added, his sleek orange body tense. “To reverse it would be a catastrophe.”

Pandora gave him a side-look for his bad pun then shook her head. An old feline legend said that Hester Warren had hidden a bunch of sacred ingredients around Mystic Notch prior to her trial and subsequent hanging for witchcraft. According to the story, these ingredients could be collected then used to reverse the pleasantry charm that had been cast over the town long ago.

If removed, it would allow the evildoers who’d once populated Mystic Notch to rise again, causing all sorts of nasty chaos. Arguments would erupt, neighbors would stop getting along, and fortunes would change for all when the darkness came to power. The legend also said that, before her execution, Hester wrote down the locations of all the secret ingredients and gave the document to her great-grandniece, Helen, for safekeeping.

“It’s possible the letter Albert was trying to mail has the locations,” Pandora said. All the cats gave a solemn nod. “Right. Then we must stop whoever took the letter from digging up these ingredients at all costs.”

“Easier said than done when these humans have no clue of the doom lurking around them,” Inkspot said, his deep voice resounding through the barn. He was their ringleader and an imposing presence, with his large jet-black body and knowing yellow eyes. “What about your human, Pandora? She sees ghosts. Surely she has spoken to Albert.”

“Uhh… well… not exactly.” Pandora cringed. Here in the notch, some judged a cat’s worth in part by her ability to control her human. “Unfortunately, Willa hasn’t gotten a visit from Albert’s spirit yet.”

Otis snorted, giving Pandora a dismissive wave of his paw. “Even if your human had talked to the dead guy, it isn’t like you could ask her anyway right, Pandora? You never could get that woman to do what you want.”

The needling by her nemesis did the trick and caused Pandora to lift her head high, giving even regal Sasha a run for her money. “I can do it. Willa is coming along nicely, and it has nothing to do with her, anyway. Albert’s just shy. I won’t fail this time. I’ve got an idea.”

“Glad to hear it,” Otis said, sounding completely unconvinced. “Try it, then. As long as the silly humans put the person responsible for Albert’s murder behind bars, then we won’t have to worry about them collecting the ingredients or revealing our secret legend to them.”

“In the meantime, we need to be diligent. Everyone, keep a lookout for anything suspicious, and report back here if needed,” Inkspot said. Even though his words didn’t say as much, Pandora knew that his willingness for her to try her idea was a vote of confidence in her skills. Her heart warmed.

Pandora trotted out of the barn, paws crossed in her mind that her idea would work.