May Day Murder

by Jennifer David Hesse

  Except I knew in my heart it wasn’t. Everything fit. Thorna’s feelings for Erik had been clear from the beginning. I’d bet my scrying bowl Erik had been dating Thorna when Denise came along and charmed him away. Thorna must have become wild with jealousy, though she hid it and pretended to be Denise’s friend. Secretly, she probably tormented Denise—just like she tormented me after she thought Erik and I had become a little too friendly. Erik’s apparent interest in me was ruining Thorna’s plan to get him back.

  Like Arlen said, jealousy blackens the heart.

  The stone circle was empty. As I passed around and between the tall, rough-hewn slabs, I noticed that the air felt different. It was almost electric—which didn’t help my already-jittery nerves. I hurried away from the stone circle and examined the nearby tree line. A dirt-packed trailhead gaped invitingly. Treading softly, I entered the woods.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

  The trail was lovely. Sunlight streamed through the branches, lighting up the purple and white spring flowers dotting the ground. Thoughts of murder and vengeance were incongruent with the chirping birds and newly budded trees. I began to calm down. If I was right that Thorna loved Erik, then he shouldn’t be in any danger. If anything, I might come upon the two of them in a lovers’ embrace. That would be embarrassing.

  I had been walking for several minutes, and becoming more and more complacent, when the caw of a crow snapped me to attention. I peered into the trees, trying to spot the bird. Instead, I glimpsed the corner of a building. On a hunch, I left the trail to investigate. Picking my way around boulders and fallen trees, I finally reached the building and saw that it was an old, weathered barn. The back side had no openings except for a single window set high up near the peak of the roof. Moving along to the side of the building, I had better luck. There were two small, dirty windows. Instinct told me to remain silent, as I peeked through the nearest window.

  I gasped and clapped my hand over my mouth, hardly believing my eyes. Erik was sitting on the floor, propped against a bale of hay. His hands and feet were bound with gold-colored rope. His eyes were open, but they appeared glassy. As I watched, his head nodded forward and jerked up, as if he was struggling to stay conscious.

  Thorna was there, too. Standing before a worktable-turned-altar, she looked like a Gothic priestess, dressed in an ankle-length lacy black gown and a black veil. The altar was covered in an assortment of lit candles surrounding a red crystal carafe and two goblets filled with a dark burgundy liquid. Thorna’s lips moved as she wrapped another gold rope around her own wrists.

  What is this? A handfasting ritual? Was Thorna forcing Erik to marry her?

  She’s even crazier than I suspected.

  I retreated from the window and pulled out my cell phone. There was no service. Dang it!

  My earlier sense of urgency was back and stronger than ever. I scuttled to the front of the barn. One of the doors was open a crack. I eased it open a few more inches and slipped into the dim interior.

  By the hazy orange light filtering through dingy windows, I made out a snow blower, a wheelbarrow, and some sawhorses. Staying in the shadows, I inched my way toward the back of the barn. As soon as I caught sight of Thorna, I ducked behind a stack of hay bales. The whole scene made my skin prickle, from the deranged look in Thorna’s black-lined eyes to the proximity of the candles to the hay. While muttering an incantation, Thorna ground something with a mortar and pestle. I strained my ears to make out her words.

  Ashes to dust, and dust to ash,

  With love’s first breath,

  We’ll breathe our last.

  I didn’t like the sound of that. Was she doing what I thought she was doing?

  She lifted the bowl as if making an offering to the gods.

  Destiny foretold it. Our fate is sealed.

  My wounded heart shall now be healed.

  We’ll wet our lips with nightshade wine

  And bind our wrists with golden twine.

  Together forever; no cause to weep,

  We’ll lie as one, in eternal sleep.

  She poured the powdered contents of the bowl into both goblets, then turned and moved toward Erik. Kneeling down, she set the goblets on an overturned crate and proceeded to tie her wrists to Erik’s.

  I couldn’t let this go any further. Without warning, I charged forward and knocked over the goblets, splashing the poisoned wine onto the dirt floor.

  Thorna looked up in surprise. Then she started to laugh.

  “Perfect! This is exactly what was missing: a witness to our union. You’ll be the witness.”

  “Give it up, Thorna. It’s not going to happen.”

  She smiled at me in a sickening, simpering way. “Poor Keli. I know you wanted Erik for yourself. You should have stayed away from him. I tried to warn you.”

  “You told me he was bad luck. Did you tell Denise the same thing?”

  “Of course I did,” she snapped. “I tried everything to break them apart. I told Denise that Erik was cheating on her. And I told Erik that Denise had cursed him.”

  “You mean Denise never actually cursed Erik? You’re the one who left the dead birds on his doorstep?”

  “Birds and snakes. I also put sugar in his gas tank and a laxative in his beer.” She laughed wickedly. “I didn’t do anything to hurt him—only to make him think he was under a hex.”

  I glanced at Erik, whose head had drooped forward. “What did you give him this time?”

  “Nothing special. Just a little sedative.” She grabbed his hair and lifted his head. “Are you still in there, lover? I need you to wake up for our handfasting ceremony. We have a witness now.”

  She’s out of her mind. I tried to think. What could I do? I didn’t have a weapon, and I wasn’t at all sure I could overpower her. She was bigger than me. I might be able to run away, but I didn’t want to leave Erik behind. If Thorna was intent on committing a murder-suicide, she could still find a way. For all I knew, she might have more belladonna stashed away nearby.

  My best hope was to stall for time. Poppy would tell Wes where I’d gone, and he’d come find me. He would get help, and he would find me. He had to. And I had to converse with a murderer.

  “Why did you kill Denise? She’d already broken up with Erik.”

  “She did, yes. But she wanted to reconcile. I told her she was better off without him, that he wasn’t the one for her. She wasn’t convinced. Then she caught me stealing a picture of Erik from her photo album. I told her I was planning a surprise spell to help her get over him, but she was suspicious. She accused me of breaking into her house and leaving anonymous messages on her phone.”

  “Did you play ‘Smoke Gets in Your Eyes’ for her, too?”

  “Aren’t you the clever girl? Yes. It was part of my plan to blind her to Erik’s charms.”

  “But it didn’t work. Instead, Denise cast a spell of her own to banish you.”

  “Did she now? Well, it’s clear who the most powerful witch is. The one still standing.”

  “Because you poisoned her! What did you do, invite yourself over for tea?”

  Thorna stood up and glared at me. One of her wrists had pulled free from the rope, but the other was still attached to Erik. His arms rose from his body, as she moved her hand. She spoke in a low, deadly voice. “Denise got what she had coming. She used magic to steal Erik from me. She tripped up one day and confessed to using a love spell to attract him to her. I acted like there were no hard feelings. I moved next door to her and pretended to be her friend. All the time, I knew I would get him back. And she would get what she deserved.”

  Twisting around, Thorna took a step toward the altar, so I seized the chance to peek at my phone. There was still no service. What was taking Wes so long? I wasn’t sure how long I could keep Thorna talking. And I had a terrible foreboding about what she might try next.

  With one eye on Thorna’s back, I reached down for the twine that was lashed around Erik’s ankles. It was no use. She turned arou
nd, as I quickly pulled back. “Well,” I declared, “I never cast a spell on Erik. You were all wrong about us. I already have a boyfriend.”

  “Liar! You inserted yourself into his life like the slimy worm you are.”

  “Hey!”

  “I saw what you did. You lured him with your eyes and your coy ways. He’s weak. He always has been.” She kicked him in the leg and grabbed his hair again. “Wake up, lover man! Look at your bride. Look at me!”

  She let go of his hair, and his head lolled back to his chest.

  I spoke in a rush. “Thorna, I still don’t get it. Were you trying to scare me away from Erik? Is that why you left the dead bird on my porch and kept calling my house? Is that why you called in the threat to the radio show?”

  “Of course! It was all part of my curse.”

  “What about the hidden camera? Why did you spy on me in my office?”

  “What?” She looked at me as if I were the crazy one.

  “Never mind. Why—”

  “No more questions! I know what you’re doing, and it won’t work. It was never going to work. Our destiny is already written.”

  “What do you mean?”

  Instead of answering, she spun to the altar, grabbed a candle, and tossed it onto the stack of hay behind me. It burst into flames.

  “No!” I yelled.

  Before I could stop her, she grabbed another candle and threw it on the hay bale behind Erik. Then she used her free arm to sweep the remaining candles onto the floor.

  We were surrounded by fire. A wall of prickling, scorching heat rose up behind me, blocking the exit. It spread faster than I would have imagined. I lunged for Erik and dragged him away from the flames. With a wild look on her face, Thorna threw herself on top of him.

  “With this ring of fire, I thee wed!”

  I stared at her in horror. Sweat poured down her face and mingled with her eyeliner, causing black streaks to stripe her face like war paint. As smoke filled the barn, I felt a surge of panic. The fire seemed to be everywhere—devouring the spilled wine on the ground, eating up the hay, creeping up the walls, and spreading throughout the barn. It wouldn’t be long before it reached the snow blower near the door. If there was gasoline in the machine . . .

  Frantically, I leaned down and yanked at the rope around Erik’s ankles. Luckily, the golden cord was looser than most fiber ropes. It fell away more easily than I expected. But this didn’t help much with the larger problem. We were still trapped.

  Too bad I don’t have my bandanna, I thought deliriously. In the next instant, I pulled off my shirt and used the sleeves to tie it around my face. Then I crawled as far as I could away from the fires. With burning eyes, I cast around for a means of escape. There was no way out.

  My heart sank, as I realized our only hope was for someone to come to the rescue. Preferably someone with superhuman powers. And a fire hose.

  I lay facedown on the dirt floor and wondered if this was it. With a tinge of sad acceptance, I waited for my life to pass before my eyes. Instead, I had a vision of the barn. As clear as a memory, I saw a crate of tools under the altar. Had I noticed it before? Was it really there?

  I had nothing to lose. I crawled over to the altar and reached underneath. My hand hit a wooden box. I pulled it out and grabbed the first thing I touched. It was a hammer. Staggering to my feet, I looked up to the spot where I had seen a glass window high on the rear wall of the barn. It was obscured by smoke, but I knew it was there. Whispering a prayer to the Goddess, I hurled the hammer as hard as I could. The shatter of glass told me I’d hit my mark. At least now the released smoke might attract help.

  I reached into the box a second time. This time, I pulled out a hatchet.

  Thank you!

  Coughing and wheezing, I rushed to the only section of wall as yet untouched by the fire. Crouching on my knees, I hacked at the wood with all my might. As soon as I’d made a hole large enough to fit my head and shoulders, I crawled over to Erik and Thorna. Neither of them moved. When I tried to push Thorna off of Erik, she let out a strangled wail and clung to him tighter. I doubled down and tried to wrestle him from her grasp. In the back of my cloudy mind, I found it hilariously ironic that we were literally fighting for this man.

  It probably took only seconds, though it felt like an eternity. Finally, I managed to free Erik from Thorna’s clutches. I dragged him to the hole in the wall. Then I crawled out and pulled him through after me.

  The air outside was filled with acrid smoke, but it was heaven compared to the thick smoke in the barn. After dragging Erik to safety, I wrenched my shirt from my face and took a deep, gulping breath. From somewhere in the forest, I heard voices call out my name. “Keli!”

  I had no energy to answer. Instead, I rushed back to the hole and used my last burst of strength to holler inside.

  “Thorna! Over here! Come on!”

  It was difficult to see, but I could have sworn I saw her retreat farther into the barn. An ominous creaking sounded from the timbers above. I jumped backward and scrambled away as the barn collapsed in on itself, raising a cloud of dust, smoke, and sparks that matched the stars before my eyes.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

  Standing at the window of my hospital room, I watched the full moon rise over the trees and felt a strange sense of melancholy. What was wrong with me? Usually the sight of the magnificent white orb—ancient symbol of beauty, mystery, and power—filled me with hope and inspiration. I could gaze at the moon in any of its phases and feel close to the Goddess and in touch with my own divine spirituality. But now everything was off-kilter.

  Of course, I was extremely grateful to have survived the fire. All things considered, I actually felt quite well on a physical level. In the ambulance, and again at the hospital, I was given oxygen and examined for smoke inhalation. The doctor even said I could go home if I insisted, though he recommended I stay overnight for observation. Wes strongly seconded the opinion, so I agreed to stay—on the condition that he bring me some healthy vegan comfort food. He was more than happy to make a quick run to the Good Karma Bakery.

  At first I had no qualms about being left alone at the hospital. Besides the fact that I felt fine, I knew Wes wouldn’t be gone long—the café would be closing soon. But the minute he left, I started feeling vulnerable and uneasy. Now, as I stood by the window, I started shaking for no reason. Must be a delayed reaction from the earlier trauma. I dropped into a chair and squeezed my eyes shut.

  Melting heat . . . choking smoke . . . the terrible sound of cracking wood and frantic shouts . . . It all came back in a flash, as suddenly as the barn had crashed to the ground. On top of Thorna.

  They told me I must have fainted from the exertion. All I knew was the first thing I saw when I opened my eyes was Wes—shirtless and glistening—framed against the fiery sky. I thought I must be dreaming. He looked like a Greek god as he hovered over me, his face filled with love and concern. Later I learned that he had begun to administer mouth-to-mouth resuscitation when I came to. Too bad I didn’t remember that part! He then gave me water and slipped his shirt on me. My own top had disappeared.

  Much of what happened next was a blur. However, there was one image I would never forget: a long line of fierce-looking women and men, feverishly passing buckets of water from hand to hand. I recognized Mila and Catrina and several others from their coven, as well as Billy and Viper, and Arlen and his friend Gregory. It was an amazingly colorful and witchy bucket brigade. Thanks to their dogged efforts, the fire didn’t spread to the trees.

  Through the haze, I also noticed Erik being fitted with an oxygen mask and carried away on a stretcher—but not before he lifted his head and waved at me. He seemed confused, and understandably so. But he would be okay. When I asked about him at the hospital, a nurse told me he was resting and in good condition.

  Thorna was not so lucky. After the fire was extinguished, I overheard a first responder say a body was recovered from the charred debris.

  Thinkin
g of it now made me light-headed. I clutched the windowsill and tried to draw strength from the soft glow of the moon. After a moment, I became aware of a woman’s voice softly uttering my name. For a crazy second, I thought the Goddess was speaking to me. Then I realized it was Mila. I looked up to see her walking toward me.

  “Shouldn’t you be in bed?” she asked gently.

  “Probably. I guess I’m not as strong as I thought.”

  Catrina entered the room behind Mila. “Yo, Keli! Just so you know, the Beltane Fire Festival doesn’t usually feature that much fire.”

  “Catrina, let’s help Keli get back to bed.” Mila’s calm, quiet voice had a grounding effect, as did her light touch on my shoulder.

  “I’m okay,” I muttered, but I let them lead me back to the hospital bed. Once I was situated, and they had pulled up chairs, I took a good look at them. They must have come straight from the festival grounds—their hair and skin were streaked with soot, and their white clothing was gray. “Look at you two she-roes. You saved the nature preserve.”

  “Mila spotted the smoke first,” said Catrina. “She sounded the alarm, and then we all pitched in. But talk about she-roes—you’re the life saver! You saved Erik’s life and your own.”

  “I didn’t save all the lives.”

  Mila and Catrina exchanged a glance. “You called it,” said Catrina, addressing Mila. “How did you know?”

  “Know what?” I asked.

  Mila gave me one of her perceptive, motherly looks. “I had a feeling you might be specially troubled by Thorna’s death.”

  “She was a murderer!” said Catrina. “Plus, she’s the one who started the fire, right?”

  I nodded grimly. Catrina and Mila had both been nearby when I gave my statement to the police. They knew about everything that had happened in the barn.

  “She’d already killed one person,” Catrina continued. “And she would have killed both you and Erik.”

  “True,” I said quietly. “She was also on the receiving end of my counter-curse.”