"Well, that's kind of mean."
"Cut the crap, Dot. I know you're a witch."
"There's no such thing as witches, Chief."
"Fine. We'll do this the hard way…"
"You gonna beat it out of me?"
He gave me a disgusted look. "Not funny."
"Sorry." I really was. The shadow in his eyes told me it was a sore spot with him and not to be joked about. I filed it away for future reference.
He stood up and walked toward the nondescript filing cabinet in the corner of the room. He took the keys off his belt and unlocked the top drawer. My eyes widened when I saw him pull out a hiltless scian. The last thing I'd been expecting was a dirk. Modern wiccans used them and called them athame. Either way, it was still a ceremonial dagger. He reached back in and pulled out a test tube and a vial of water. I knew in my heart it wasn't plain tap water, either. It was a vial of tears.
Upon a sea of tears, witches' blood doth float.
The son of a bitch is going to test me…
"What's all that?" I pretended ignorance. If he was that well versed in witch lore, he had to be a hunter.
"Dane," he called to the door.
The officer came back into the room. I looked up at him as he strode forward. I opened my mouth to utter a spell when I got hit with one from behind.
"Rhwymo a thawelwch."
I recognized Welsh when I heard it, but not enough to know the spell. I kind of figured it out as ropes grew from the floor and encircled my legs, arms, chest, and mouth. If they had just handcuffed me, I could still have cast spells.
Kudos for using Dane as a distraction. If you think you're going to test me, I'll chew through this fucking rope and cook you like a fucking turkey.
Of course, he couldn't hear a word of my mental bravado. But it made me feel a tiny bit better. It at least stopped the tears from coming out when he sat down in front of me with a sinister look on his face as he put everything down on the table.
"You can relax, now. I'm not testing you. This is for me."
He poured a few drops of the tears into the vial. Enough to fill the rounded part. He held the tube in on hand and pricked his finger with the scian. Quickly setting the knife down, he transferred the tube to the other hand and held the finger he'd pricked over the open end. I could almost hear the droplet of blood as it fell into the tube, miraculously missing the sides. It collided with the salt water and didn't mix, like a droplet of oil floating on top of the water.
"Do you know what this means?"
"Mmm mm mhmm."
"Rhyddhau."
The ropes snaking around me let loose and slithered back into the ground like some sort of kinky sea serpent.
I worked my jaw, letting the tension out of my jaw. I sighed and stared at Chief from across the table, angrily. "Hey, Dot. I'm a witch. I think you are, too. Look at this spell I can cast." I paused. "You scared the shit out of me."
He had enough common sense to blush. "I knew you were a witch, but you can be a little frustrating. I was making a point."
"Me? Frustrating? Did you just meet you?"
"Point taken. Sorry for scaring you."
"Sorry for being frustrating."
"So, my next question is this. Did you kill, Richie?"
"No. He was on a date with my best friend. Why would I kill him?"
"Because you were jealous? Maybe you didn't like him dating your girl?"
"Excuse me?"
"You and Josie. You're really not lovers?"
"No!"
"Oh. Sorry. Just thought that you might…"
"No. Josie tends to swing both ways, but I've never seen the attraction. But you already asked me yesterday and I said we weren't"
"I'm sorry."
"No need to apologize. We're just best friends. But, to answer your question, the answer is most definitely a resounding no. I would never get between Josie and her happiness."
"Do you think she might have killed him?"
"She could have, but she didn't."
"How do you know?"
"I asked her."
"You believe her?" He failed to keep the sarcasm out of his voice.
"If she had, he would have had to do something to deserve it. We may not be human, Chief, but we do not take life lightly. It is still a gift from the Lady."
"Is that a fact?"
"It is a fact."
"Want to see some footage from the rest area murder a few days ago?"
"No need. I was there."
"So, you admit to killing him?"
"Did I pull a gun or douse him with gasoline? On record, my answer is no. As your footage will show. His hands were on me when he burst into flame. Must have been spontaneous human combustion. Off the record, witch to witch, yes. I burned him to a cinder. I let my anger get the best of me, but he wouldn't take no for an answer."
"I know. The recording had audio. Don't worry, I'm not pursuing the case. You did, however, completely baffle the state police. They're not even calling it a homicide."
"Well, that's nice."
"The gentleman he was with, however, was booked on an unrelated charge and is now in a psychiatric ward, ranting about how the evil witch made him do it…"
"And I hope he gets the help he needs," I said coolly.
"So, now that we know what is what, and who is who. Why are you here? In Cedar Falls."
"I meant what I said. Looking for a new place to settle. I was pulled here."
Dane gasped behind me. I turned and shot him a questioning look. He looked like he won a couple of grand off a scratch-off. "The Lady provides."
"Provides what? Me?"
The Chief just shrugged. "We are broken."
"I know. I've seen the town."
"I meant the witches in the area. Most have fled, and I can't say I blame them. We… We lost our high priestess. Our coven is shattered. No one received the blessing of the Lady to take her place, either. We wrote to several other covens asking for candidates…"
"I'm taking it that didn't go well."
"No. Two showed up, looked around and left the next day. We've almost forgotten what it means to be witches. We haven't celebrated in…a year-and-a-half? Maybe longer."
Two and two clicked together in my head. "Your wife? She was the high priestess?"
He nodded and didn't say another word.
"Lady, what have you gotten me into?" I asked the air around me.
"I think she led you here to be our high priestess," Dane said respectfully behind me.
"First thing's first. You move over here where I can see you. I don't like people standing behind me. Secondly, let's not get ahead of ourselves. I got the Ninety-Ninth Year Itch. I had to get out of Ashville. That doesn't mean I'm here to be your high priestess. I could have just stuck around Ashville if I wanted that."
"You were in line?"
"Yes. My mother."
"I hate to say it, but you might be here just for that reason."
"Don't you start, too. You've gone two years without a priestess. Don't automatically assume it's gonna be me. Let me get settled. I have a house and a business to bring back from the brink of decay. We'll see." It was as much of a promise as I could make. My mother couldn't force me into a role I didn't want. I'd be damned if a town full of people I just met thought they could do the same thing.
"That's fair enough. Welcome to Cedar Falls from the witch community," Chief said and bowed his head.
"How many are there of you?"
"With the loss of Richie, that brings our number down to eleven."
"Wait. Richie was a witch?"
"Yes. It's the reason he wouldn't leave with his wife. She is a mortal."
"What?"
"Yes. He was the very youngest of us. They were actually in high school together. She was aging, he was not. She had her suspicions, but Richie refused to tell her the truth." He stared off into the distance for a moment. "I'll have to see if I can track her down and let her know. She'd want to be informed.
"
"More reason to think she didn't do it, then. My question is who is killing witches with magic? And how? His shielding should have kept him safe from a combustion spell. He's the only one?"
"Yes," Chief answered immediately.
Dane coughed.
I looked up at him. He was staring at Chief. "What?"
"Nothing. Yes. As far as we know, Richie is the only one," he repeated adamantly.
"Okay. What's going on? Dane looks like he's about to pop, but is afraid to speak."
"My wife, Rebecca. The circumstances of her death were…suspicious. Even I fell under scrutiny from the Sheriff's Office. We had gotten into a fight, and she left. They found her truck, a burned-out husk, on the outskirts of town."
"Not to sound suspicious myself, but that does sound a tad bit like a murder. Before you ask, no I don't think you did it."
"Why?"
"Which part?"
"Both."
"Witches are hard to kill. Fire does the job, but spells can be shielded against. If her truck mysteriously burst into flames, I'm sure she could have magicked her way out of it unless it was instantaneous. Secondly, I don't think you did it because…I don't know. Gut feeling?"
"Well, thank you? And yes. I do know all that. I've thought about it over and over. Did some investigating and found nothing. If she was murdered, I felt no magic from the truck or her body." A tear slid down his cheek. "I gave up last year. There was nothing else I could do. And the rest of the coven was tired of answering my questions. It's another reason the coven is no more. I killed it."
"Well, a witch without a coven, isn't. I may not become your high priestess, but I'll help you rebuild what was broken."
"You would?"
"Yes. It's just Josie and I in our little coven now. We have some room to grow." I winked. "Let me get the bookstore open. We can go from there and have place to meet."
"That would be more than…we could ever have hoped for."
Dane nodded enthusiastically.
Chapter 7
The lock clicked, and I pushed the door open. The afternoon sun was filtering through the smudged windows, illuminating the dust motes flying in the swirling air. I could feel the anticipation in the house. It had woken from its long slumber. It was ready to be loved again.
"Welcome home," I whispered to Josie.
She looked tired. I don't think she had slept much the night before. She was still awake when I headed to the bank. Richie's death had hit her harder than she'd been letting on. I reached over and ruffled her hair.
"It's happy," she replied, mentioning the house.
"You can feel it too, huh?"
She nodded, looking around. "It's really cute. Just needs some TLC and a bit of magic."
"No disco balls and shag carpet." I'd seen Josie's taste in home décor. Her bedroom looked like Target threw up. I felt the house shudder in fear.
"Oh, shut up. My room."
"I bought it."
"I'll pay for the utilities."
"Disco balls it is. But only in your room. Don't paint the bathroom pink."
"Deal." She reached out with her hand and we shook on it.
I went to the master bedroom. It was completely empty. I wish I could have magicked a complete bedroom set, but it didn't work like that. I could repair almost anything, or even coax it into being something else. I just couldn't call beds and dressers from nothing. The hardwood floors had seen better days. The walls, doors, windows, and ceilings had, too. I sighed. This was going to suck me dry, but it would be totally worth it.
I knelt on the dirty, dusty floor and put my hands against the wood. I pictured what it must have looked like just after the house had been built. Floors shining, pristine paint, clear windows filled my mind's eye. I pushed the magic into the floor.
When I stood, I was standing in a new bedroom. Just without furniture. I hoped Josie was up for a road trip. We needed to find a furniture store in Syracuse and have it delivered as soon as possible. We could pick up a couple of air mattresses for the time being. I really didn't want to spend another night in the motel. The house was mine. It would protect us. Eventually, I could turn it into a magical fortress. It would just take a week or so to get all the spells of protection into place.
I moved to the living room and repeated the procedure. Then the kitchen. The appliances weren't salvageable. I'd buy new and have them haul the old ones away. I could magic floors and walls, but electronics were beyond me. I could have done it if I knew how they worked, but that was a good way to start a house fire…
"Josie, you finish with the bedrooms and your bathroom?"
"As much as possible," she said as she exited the hallway. "Holy crap, you're quick."
"I still need to do the master bath, but we need furniture. Let's head to Syracuse."
"No need. There's a furniture store in town."
"Seriously?"
"Yep. Saw it yesterday."
"Huh. I missed that."
"It's on Main Street. I don't know how you could."
"Everything is on Main. Except the hospital."
"We need to explore one day."
"But today isn't that day. Let's go see what they have, that way we can head to Syracuse if we need to."
Abe's Fine Furniture really was on Main Street. I missed seeing it because it didn't have a sign. The name was painted on the plate glass in faded white paint. I sighed and parked, not expecting to find anything.
Josie looked like she was about to bounce out of her skin. She was way too excited about this. I had a bad feeling. Reluctantly, I opened the front door and walked into a 1970s sitcom horror nightmare. Josie looked like she was going to roll around sexually on the horrid couches. I sighed and let her win.
"I'll be by the bedroom furniture. We can get the living room furniture online and have it delivered." I walked away. I just needed a bed. Everything else could wait. Hopefully I could find one I could sleep on without having nightmares.
Surprisingly enough, I found one. A polished oak sleigh bed with matching dresser and nightstands. "Okay then," I said disbelievingly. It was perfect.
"Can I help you, miss?"
I turned around. Assumingly, Abe stood there, hunched over. "Yeah. How much is the bedroom set?"
"Oh, you must be the new girl in town. I heard all about you."
"I'm sure everyone has."
He cackled a dry ancient laugh that made me smile. "True enough, young lady. Welcome to Cedar Falls."
"Thank you, Abe?"
"Yes. That would be me." He focused his attention on the set. "The bed is quite expensive, just by itself. Twelve hundred with the mattress. If you want it without, I can knock five-hundred off. The whole set is two-thousand."
"I'll take it. Do you deliver?"
"Yes. I can have it to you tomorrow."
"I'll throw in another five-hundred if you can get it to me today…" I tried to sound enticing. I really didn't want to sleep on an air mattress.
He thought about it for a minute. "Let me call the gentleman who makes my deliveries. I shall leave it up to him. I shall offer him an extra hundred. No need to throw your money around in this town. We help when we can."
I wanted to hug him, but I was afraid I would break him. "Thank you, Abe."
He nodded and waddled slowly to the counter at the back of the store. I decided to walk around and check out the rest of the furniture. Maybe I could help him out and buy a couch or something.
Surprisingly, I did. And a love seat. And a coffee table. And a dining room set. I thought about buying another bedroom set for the spare bedroom but decided to wait. I wasn't sure if I wanted a spare bedroom. Maybe a gym. Or an office. A spare bedroom meant that mothers would have a place to stay if they visited… It would be much nicer of me to throw some business at Farrell's Motel.
Abe came back over with a smile on his face. I knew I wouldn't be sleeping uncomfortably tonight. Sure, I didn't have sheets or anything, but it wouldn't be the first time I
slept on a bare mattress.
"You're in luck!"
"Great. I found some other things, but they're not a rush. Regular delivery is fine."
"Excellent."
"However, my friend is also shopping for her bedroom. Could you add that to the rush delivery and tell your gentleman there will be five-hundred for his troubles. He is doing me a great favor and I insist."
"If you insist. Show me which pieces you want, and I'll ring you up."
"That is the best thing I've heard all day."
By the time I finished paying for everything and Josie chose her stuff, the delivery truck had pulled up to the front of the store. I couldn't have been more surprised. Jimmy and Dennis got out of the cab.
I nearly knocked over a lamp running over. I threw my arms around the both of them. "I'm sorry to hear about Richie."
Their faces darkened, but they nodded. I'm sure they'd been hearing the same words all day. "You guys really don't have to do this today. I'm surprised you agreed."
"If I had known it was for you, I would have done it for free. Richie wouldn't have wanted us to mope around. Giving us something to do actually helps. At least we can think about how heavy the furniture is instead of his loss. How's Josie?" He asked nodding toward her.
"She's a mess. I'm just thankful she wasn't hurt."
"She was lucky. We saw the truck. Bill said someone threw something through the window and doused him. He didn't have a chance."
So that was the official story.
"He told us the same thing. You guys have any idea who might have done it?" I played along.
"Not a clue. Richie was one of the good guys. I've never even seen him get into a fight."
Abe coughed as he walked up. He handed Jimmy my invoice. "Just two bedroom sets tonight." He told them. "There's a few couches and tables for later in the week when you're free."
"Nah. We'll get it done tonight. We don't have another shift until tomorrow night. Let's get these girls moved in."
"Seriously. Don't kill yourselves. Not in a rush on the other things!"
"I'd rather get it all done at once. I hope you don't mind." He winked.
First Moon : A Reverse Harem Tale (Lovin' the Coven Book 1) Page 5