A jilted ex. A scheming dark witch. A magical crime of the century. Melanie Perkiss, Buffalo NY's most capable witch hunter, accepts the onerous task of chasing down a sorceress who, while acting on behalf of a vengeful ex, has magically deprived a man of his genitals and vanished. The case is as perplexing as it is urgent. The victim, Casey, is just about head to the altar with his girlfriend, and imagine the pressure this brings on Mel. Added to that, the witch whom Mel chases is not just cunningly elusive, she also has powers to destroy anyone who dares apprehend her. Will Mell be able to corner the sorceress, recover the taken goods and save a doomed marriage, while bringing the conspirators to justice? A thrilling modern day magical mystery, with a generous touch of humor. Mature audiences advised. Except Part 1: Gone with the witch Chapter One Casey McLong can never know things will go wrong tonight - and that he might be changed forever in a disastrous way. He sits in the Crooked Uncle's bar with a tall glass of Blue Moon, alternately gazing into the liquid bliss, and then the endearing crowd around him. It's time to celebrate. In less than a week, he is gone down the aisle with his gorgeous Megan. He loves her so much, and she loves him back. The venue is set, flowers bought, and cake ordered. What then will stop such a beautiful thing? Nothing, absolutely nothing. "You're only turning twenty-eight," some of his friends have remarked. "That's way too early to hit the altar." His reply to that has always been, "That doesn't bother me in the least bit." He anyway isn't the typical generation Z that will delay marriage; and he's happy with Megan, so where is the gain in waiting. For a Monday, the Crooked is a little fuller. Couples sit at tables giving one another the knowing look while they swill from their glasses. Waitresses busy themselves weaving through aisles, balancing trays of wings, fries, wine, plus beer. A mood-setting music is cascading down from the ceiling. Despite that he is alone, Casey is ready to lap it all in. Megan was supposed to come tonight but some crazy wedding preparations got in the way. It sure would have been nice to have her - and they could have gone perhaps to somewhere quieter and more romantic than this tawdry dance bar, but heck, things just happen sometimes. Mitch, his favorite bartender, always alert behind the counter, is keeping an interested eye at the goings on. He stands tall and his head almost reaches to the array of glasses that hangs neatly upside down on the ceiling rack. "My bachelor days are at an end, buddy," Casey says to the bearded Mitch, while showing him the engagement band on his finger. "I'm finally taking the plunge." "Cheers to that." Mitch raises an empty mug, and Casey clinks his glass against it. "No harm in putting a ring on it. Go on." It's ever during unguarded moments like these that the devil loves to pounce. Ask Eve and she'll go on and on about what happened in Eden. Just at the point, a Barbie doll of a young woman sashays in. She wears a chic red blouse she matches with an equally chic red skirt. Her pumps as well are red. Prada red! Only on her head is there something rather curiously out of step, a black Halloween-themed hat with a long point that droops to the side. Her long, golden curls flow out of it nevertheless.