The Cardinal Will Tell All

By Carol Smith

Ned Harrison and Kitten Lang are tied together by dreams. Both have seen each other and discover who they both are. They have seen in dreams red floating feathers and flying cardinals, the unhappy dead who have been betrayed, who are pleading for help and justice to be done. All which ties to a murder case. It will take all the skills as a detective and a witch solve the case, but death says, “Danger is at the door.” And Ned Harrison will get the aid of one seen in his dream—the cardinal itself. To fight and outwit the enemy, the little bird will have his say.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Newman Springs Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Sep 2, 2020
• ISBN: 9781648010620

Carol Smith

Carol Smith is an award-winning journalist and editor for NPR-affiliate KUOW in Seattle. Previously, she worked for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer and the Los Angeles Times. Her newspaper work has won dozens of national and regional awards and has been nominated for the Pulitzer Prize a remarkable seven times, and her writing has appeared in more than a dozen literary journals. She was recently named Editor of the Year by Public Media Journalists Association.

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The Cardinal Will Tell All

Carol R. Smith

Copyright © 2020 Carol R. Smith

All rights reserved

First Edition

NEWMAN SPRINGS PUBLISHING

320 Broad Street

Red Bank, NJ 07701

First originally published by Newman Springs Publishing 2020

ISBN 978-1-64801-061-3 (Paperback)

ISBN 978-1-64801-062-0 (Digital)

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

The Gift

Dream of the One

The Chase

Those Not among Us

The Meeting

The Cardinal Speaks

A Time for Play

The Hanged Man

A Time for Guidance and Protection

War

Mabon

To the Mathew Blair Dukes (son) and Lorita Green.

To Grace Huang, who taught me that being unique is a privilege wear well.

To the students, past and present, Bill J. Priest and El Centro campuses, who taught me it’s okay to achieve and fly.

To Robert W. Young who showed how large and small our world is.

Bettie L. Kool-Olomola, I quote, said, No daughter of mine should ever be ordinary. (You got your wish.)

And to all the ones who came before me (ancestors).

Introduction

Ican’t believe I have a flat tire, and the birthday party for the Johnson’s is less than half an hour. No spare tire. I forgot to buy a damn tire. And the toolbox is not in the truck either. But at least the cake is intact. Let me make a call.

Hello, Mrs. Johnson? This is Mrs. Lee. I am stuck on the edge of Brisbane county near the Briarwoods. I have a flat tire. No spare tire. Can you please call me back? I tried to call my husband but no answer. Thanks. This too much.

Hi, Mrs. Lee. Hi? Do I know you?

Yes, I was one of the volunteers at the Stop the Hunger food drive at the Brisbane Community Outreach Center.

Oh yes, I remember, and your name was?

G, just G.

Uh, okay, G—

Umm…I am glad you came up. I have a flat tire and no spare, and I need to deliver this cake. I have a spare…looks to be the right size. The man says let me get a wrench. Ms. Lee says ok. He walks back with the wrench.

He raises the wrench and says I think there will a change of plans Ms. Lee.

What? I raise the wrench. No! What?! Why?! Ms. Lee screams.

Phone is ringing. It’s my husband.

Hey, honey? I got your call. I was with a customer. Call me back. Love you, bye.

Chapter 1

The Gift

The gift of flight—it’s funny how that works. I never thought I would master flying on a broomstick. If someone had told me that I would be doing this, I would have said they were crazy! Plus someone who has always been afraid of high places wouldn’t even be flying high on a broomstick, but here I am, enjoying the night sky, feeling the power and the joy, and this is where I feel the most comfortable.

A gift from Paralda, the ruler of the element of air, using long-ago winds known as Zephyr.

Hi, my name is Kitten Lang. How shall I describe myself? I am a witch, and I am five foot five, about twenty six years old, I have long jet black hair and brown eyes with cinnamon brown skin. I am a bit quiet but, will speak up when I need too, and I love cats! I’m flying to my workplace known as Just A Cup. It is a meeting place with a library and coffee shop, as well as healthy meal varieties for all palates. It is where my small coven of four—well, eight, if you count our cats—is located.

I am going there to make plans for the spiritual Sabbat of Mabon or fall or Autumn Equinox, which is fitting since my friends (Tom and his wife, Serena, and Cybelle, my friend and sister-in-law) all met each other around this time.

This time has special meaning for us. Plus, we have lots of fun at that time. Fall is the time to enjoy the cooler days and longer dark nights. It gives me time to fly around before it gets too cold to be so high up in the air. Yes, I know flying about on a broom is so cliché, but that is half the fun, and no one knows that part of the fun too.

It is just me and my two cats, Jade and Triton, who fly in their basket with me. And tonight, I have a lot on my mind that I want to talk with my friends about these dreams, dreams that I have been having for the past few nights. Feels like haunting and the places seem so familiar and so does the man in the dreams, but I only get to see the back of his head each time. But it is the other stuff in those dreams that…well, I must get it off my chest. And my friends can do that for me.

I have known my friends for a long time. I have known Tom and Serena Bluing through Cybelle who is my best friend since grade school. She married to my brother, Keith.

Serena is fifty-nine and has an olive skin with lovely long gray hair. When it is down, it is just above her ankles and quite thick. She brings excitement every time she walks into a room. She is an elegant old hipster who is quite a powerful fire witch, who works with that element. She is also superb when it comes teaching, and students love her classes. She is a clairvoyant and herbalist. She really knows her stuff. Tom, her husband, originally from New Orleans, is a tall and handsome African male with gray hair and a beard. He always smiles and has jokes, some very corny, and loveable, loyal, and fierce! He is also a witch and is good with fire magic, herbal magic, sigils, and other symbolism. He reads cowry shell and bones. They have one child.

The two of them were married at a time when mixed marriages where frowned upon, as well as witchcraft, but they loved each other for over many years. The same for Cybelle and Keith. Cybelle’s parents were a bit uncomfortable at first. But the more they got to know Keith and when her parents saw how he spoils her, it was then they knew their daughter was in good hands, and that’s when they really began to like him. They have a house close to Brisbane shoreline.

Cybelle, my friend, is originally from Texas and is a mixture of Spanish, European, and Mexican. She’s always in black, loves everything in black or yellow (her other favorite color) but mostly dark gothic dress. The inside of her home that she shares with Keith has black and yellow decor.

Cybelle is a garden witch and herbalist. She works a lot with earth spirits.

My brother, Keith, stands taller than me at five foot eight, a bit more bronze than cinnamon in color and is also a witch and shares Cybelle’s interests too. He is good with the element of water and air. They have no children; they are childless by choice. They have one cat named Mindy, an orange tabby to whom they spoil rotten. We all have cats.

Tom and Serena’s cat is Occur whose name comes from an old perfume that is no longer around. He is a beautiful jet-black cat with blue eyes.

My two cats, Triton is a large gray-and-black-striped Maine coon, and Jade is a very small gray tabby. They are my loves! But for now, my mind is on the dreams that won’t let me forget. That haunt me each and every night.

The evening sky has a beautiful sunset. But my thoughts keep rolling back to the dream of the birds and their feathers and the man whose face is hidden, but then I am interrupted by Jade and Triton who are having a mild spat.

Stop that you two! Cut it out! I can’t take you anywhere. We are almost there, guys. Just A Cup’s roof is in view.

And the cats sit up in the basket; they are ready for landing.

We are not seen for I have a spell in place that keeps us hidden. We come into the garden at the back of the place and land quietly. The cats quickly jump out of the basket and run for the back door.

Cybelle comes out to take the trash out and is surprised. Girl, you always show up so quietly.

I know, I tell her the best way to be. I walk past the summer squash which is at its peak, and it will be ready at Mabon our Sabbat. Most of our veggies will be picked for the stewpot that we do together and put our magical intentions for love, happiness, and protection for the group. Mabon is one of my favorite harvest Sabbats. It heralds the time that soon summer will eventually wind down, and that winter is not far behind. Plus, my broom flights of fancy in the dark is a great cover, and the cats love night flight!

Cybelle and I walk