“Hi, Pete. Maralee is excited about something.”
“Here it is,” I said. “Claudine wasn’t able to give me the tour herself, so Sean Madigan did it for her. He says he talked her into it so he could keep an eye on me. Said you asked him too. Did you really?”
“I did. What’s the matter with Claudine?”
“Arthritis in her knee, she said. Sean was taking her to the doctor after I left. He had a script so he could tell me about the clothes and furniture and all. In the great grandmother’s room there’s a big, modern walk-in closet. He said Elliot had it built to display the clothes properly. Anyway, when we were inside the closet, he pulled the door closed behind us.”
My aunt gasped and Pete cursed.
“Oh, stop it you two. It was nothing like that. He said the room might be bugged and he wanted to show me something.”
“What was it?”
“Pete, there’s a secret panel in the back of the great grandmother’s walk-in closet. There’s another whole collection behind it.”
“Collection of what?”
“Guns,” I told him. “All kinds of guns. Big ones, little ones. They’re mostly hung up on a Peg-Board wall. I only got a peek. Maybe just a few seconds. But it’s full of guns. I took a picture of a suit that I think must show a little bit of the panel. I’ll send it to your phone if you want to see it.”
“Might be useful,” he said. “Yes. Send it when you get a chance.”
“I will. That’s not all I saw, Pete,” I continued.
“Go on.”
“The great grandmother had about a million hats, all black mostly ugly feathered things that take up a whole room. There’s a round vase thing on the table. It’s full of hat pins. I’ll bet some of them are a foot long.”
“Hat pins,” he repeated. “That fits, doesn’t it? A tiny hole like that would be easy to miss. Even by the ME.”
“Right. And the tiny holes would bleed on a dog, but would heal up fast.”
“Oh, dear,” my aunt said. “What are you going to do, Pete? About the guns and the hat pins?”
“I’d like to get a warrant right away, search the place,” he said, “but I need to wait just a little longer until Madigan finds all those paintings. Claudine’s been bringing them out from somewhere one at a time for him to appraise and identify. He hasn’t been able to find where she’s got them stashed. That old place must be riddled with secret panels, underground tunnels, God only knows what else.”
“How long do you think you should wait?” I asked.
“A day or two is all we can delay. Sean thinks he can get some information from Claudine about everything. It looks as though the old woman has a bit of a crush on him.”
“I think she does,” I said, remembering the flirty flapper dress, the comment about getting lost in that big house, the little giggles when she spoke to him.
“I’ve got some undercover guys keeping an eye on the place, watching the comings and goings. You know. We can wait a little bit.”
“Oh my,” sighed my aunt. “A crush on a young thief, and poor Elliot barely in his grave. Dear Lord, is there really no propriety in Salem anymore?”
Pete and I made arrangements to get together after I got home from Marblehead. I stayed at Aunt Ibby’s long enough to tell her about the dresses and gowns and tiny-waisted suits, and the fabulous Oriental furniture I’d seen. I told her about the hats too, and she already knew all about the decimation of the birds.
* * *
I dressed in a long blue crinkle skirt and off-the-shoulder white blouse and added a concho belt, turquoise necklace, and beaded sandals. I put on my make-up, trying hard to remember the tricks I’d learned from Carmine. The results were pretty good. I drove slowly, only peeking at the vanity mirror a couple of times and arrived at the Dumas’s a little early. Hilda and Maureen were already there, as were two handsome young friends of Dakota’s I’d never met before. Both Hilda and Maureen were clearly delighted with the groom’s choice of ushers. The minister hadn’t yet arrived, nor had the best man. Poe was apparently ready for his duties and perched happily, untethered, on Mr. Dumas’s shoulder nibbling on cashew nuts being fed him by hand.
“Lookin’ good, Red,” Poe commented.
“Thank you,” I said, realizing that I was becoming accustomed to having conversations with a pied crow. “You look good too.”
The minister arrived at exactly seven, with Sean just a few minutes behind him. It was a beautiful evening, the sun low in the sky, the ocean calm, the sand on the beach still warm. A few seabirds hopped along at the water’s edge, and there were no crows in evidence at all.
After a few false starts and much giggling from the bridesmaids, we were all in our rightful places. A wooden boardwalk leading to a pretty little altar decorated with potted stargazer lilies and red anthurium had been constructed since I’d been there last. Dakota stood at the altar facing the rest of us. Hilda and Maureen walked with their escorts and I walked beside Sean. Shannon followed on her father’s arm, and Poe, tethered once again, rode on Mr. Dumas’s shoulder.
As a group, it turned out that we followed instructions nicely. We finished in a short time and gathered in the gazebo for a champagne toast to Shannon and Dakota before heading to the restaurant. I asked Sean politely how Claudine’s visit to the doctor had turned out. “The doc says she has to use a cane,” he said. “She’s not happy about it, but I think she feels better.”
“Hope so,” I said, moving away from him and looking toward the water’s edge, picturing what the Wiccan ceremony for Megan might look like from there. “That’s something I’d like to see,” I murmured.
“What? What would you like to see?” I hadn’t realized Shannon was standing so close to me.
“Oh, I was thinking about the Wiccan funeral tomorrow night,” I told her. “I’ve never seen one. I’d like to but I guess you have to be a Wiccan to witness it.”
“Oh, I don’t think so,” Shannon said. “I bet I’d get a good view from upstairs in my house.” I turned and looked at where she pointed. “See the window in the middle? Right under the pointed eaves? That’s my room.”
“Bet you could,” I said. “But you’ll be in the Virgin Islands on your honeymoon tomorrow night.”
“I will, but you won’t,” she said. “I’ll leave you a key and you can go up there and watch it. Why not? It’ll be cool.”
I was hesitant. “What about your dad? Would he mind?”
“Nope, he won’t be home either. He’s leaving after the ceremony for a job in Washington, D.C. There won’t be anyone here overnight except Poe. The lady who takes care of him until Dakota and I get back isn’t coming until the next morning. Do it. You know you want to.”
“I really do. Thanks, Shannon.”
“It’s the least I can do,” she said. “If it wasn’t for you I wouldn’t have met Dakota. I’ll leave a key under the conch shell on the patio.”
When we all left for the restaurant, the sky was beginning to darken. I looked back at the gazebo, glad that it was empty. No man dressed in black marred the view.
CHAPTER 46
Dinner was delicious, as expected. I wasn’t seated beside Sean, so I didn’t have to have much of any conversation with him. It was a happy group that night, as it should have been. Shannon and Dakota made a perfect couple. We all agreed on that. With promises all around to go straight home and get a good night’s sleep so we’d all look good for the wedding, we headed for our cars.
I’m still not sure whether I imagined it or not, but I kept catching glimpses of a green Toyota in my rearview mirror. Of course, there are lots of them around, so I was probably just being a little paranoid.
I called Pete as soon as I got home. “I’m home. It was really nice. Can you come over so we can talk?”
“You sound serious. Anything the matter?”
“Oh, no. I mean, I don’t think so,” I said. “It’s just that we haven’t had a chance to have a real conversation in what feels
like months.”
“I know what you mean. Feels that way to me too.” I heard the smile in his voice. “I know you’ve had dinner and I ate at Marie and Donnie’s. Stuffed manicotti.” Yes, Pete’s sister and brother-in-law are named Donnie and Marie. “Shall I bring ice cream for dessert? And should I bring my tux, so you can make sure my tie is on straight in the morning?”
“Yes, to both tux and ice cream,” I said. “Chocolate this time?”
“Chocolate it is. Be there soon.”
Within less than half an hour O’Ryan announced, by tearing down the hall and out the living room cat exit, that Pete’s car had arrived. I opened the door, and with a garment bag in one hand and an insulated ice cream bag in the other, Pete leaned in for a kiss.
I hung the tux in my closet beside my black dress while Pete secured the ice cream in the freezer. We took time for a proper kiss, then took our accustomed seats at the kitchen table. “Tell me what’s going on,” he said. “In detail, not little bits and pieces.”
“Better get the notebook out then,” I said, only halfway joking. “So much has been happening. I don’t know what’s important and what isn’t.”
He took me seriously. The worn notebook appeared on the table along with a sharp yellow number two pencil. “Any more visions you want to tell me about? Sometimes they seem to lead in the right direction. When I talked to Viktor Protector about what he might have seen outside the magic shop, he told me the darndest thing.”
“He did? About what?”
“He told me he isn’t going to protest witches anymore. Claims one of them pushed him and made a burn mark on his back.”
I remembered the woman in black with the red shawl. “Do you believe him?”
“He showed it to me. A damned handprint plain as day. Right on the man’s back. He claims it was a second-degree burn. You told me you saw a woman touching him when we watched the news.”
“Bridget Bishop,” I said. “She’s angry about witches getting killed. It’s not a good idea to tick off a witch as powerful as Bridget Bishop. I guess our friend Viktor learned that.”
“Are there any more visions you don’t understand that might lead us somewhere?” He closed the notebook. “Off the record.”
There is one. Megan showed it to me. “It was at the bridal shop,” I began. “You know those three-section mirrors they have?”
He smiled. “They have those in men’s stores too.”
“Right. Anyway, Megan gave me this vision. She was on one side of the mirror. I was in the middle. Bridget Bishop was on the other side.”
“Full-length visions?”
“Yes. Life sized, full length. That was a first. This involves something that goes back a while. There’s a book. A real book that once belonged to Bridget Bishop. It’s her spell book.”
He looked skeptical, with that one-eyebrow-raised thing he does. “The actual book? From sixteen ninety two?”
“Yes. It’s true. Ariel Constellation had it at one time and now River has it. Bridget wants it back.”
“She told you this.”
“Yes.”
“Go on.”
“I asked Megan how River could give it back. She showed me in that smoky crystal ball I told you about before.”
“The Wizard of Oz crystal ball?”
“Yes. It’s going to happen on the beach behind the Dumas’s house. Tomorrow night. Midnight. River will give back the book, the crows will disappear. That’s what this has been about all along. The damned book.”
He nodded slowly, got up, and took the ice cream from the freezer. “Want chocolate sauce on yours?”
“No thanks. Just the ice cream please. Do you believe me?”
“Have you ever actually seen this spell book?”
“Yes.”
“I believe you.”
“I have a chance to watch it happen,” I said. “To watch when River gives it back to her.”
He put the bowl of ice cream in front of me and handed me a spoon. “Can I come with you?”
“I don’t think so. I’m afraid it might not happen if you’re there. Bridget isn’t fond of lawmen.”
“That’s true. Will you be in a safe place?”
“Absolutely. I’ll be inside the Dumas’s house. It’s a very solemn religious ceremony, you know. Nothing bad is going to happen. Oh, one more thing about that vision. You know how there are thirteen witches in a coven?”
“I’ve heard that, yes.”
“In the vision there were fourteen. That bothered me at the time. It still does.”
“Did Megan explain that?” he asked, in almost cop voice.
“No. She just smiled and waved and disappeared. I don’t think I’ll be seeing her in any more visions. I’ll miss her.” I was surprised to feel tears welling up in my eyes.
Pete handed me a paper napkin and went back to the freezer. “Any more of that vanilla ice cream left?”
I dabbed at my eyes with the napkin. “Sure. There are some of Aunt Ibby’s peanut butter cookies in the cabinet too.”
He filled a bowl half with vanilla and half with chocolate ice cream, added a couple of cookies, returned to the table, and moved his chair closer to mine. “Don’t cry, babe. If you’re right about all this vision and witch stuff it’ll be over real soon. And if Madigan can locate the last of those hot paintings, that’ll be over too. When I get the warrant I’ll find out all about the gun collection behind grandma’s petticoats and we’ll take a close look at the hat pins. We can concentrate on what actually happened to Bagenstose and on who took those shots at Chris Rich.”
“Another thing, Pete,” I said. “Remember when I told you that River blamed herself for the deaths of the three witches? Because she’d had bad thoughts about them?”
“I remember.”
“Christopher Rich is blaming himself for at least one of them. He thinks he put a spell on a fellow witch.”
CHAPTER 47
It’s amazing what talented professional wedding planners can do with a hundred yards of beachfront property in a few short early morning hours. Pete and I arrived at ten-thirty for the eleven o’clock ceremony. A red carpet lined the wooden walkway and the altar itself now displayed an amazing canopy of white capiz shells, which spun and jingled in the breeze. The entire walkway and altar were banked with roses, red and white, all arranged in tall shiny black vases. The gazebo now housed the wedding cake. The Fabulous Fabio, in full chef’s regalia, stood beside the towering concoction. Balloons in fanciful shapes of starfish and octopi and sharks dangled from the roof—just as they had in my vision—and garlands of fragrant white jasmine wound around each pillar. A huge white tent had appeared on the opposite side of the house, which I assumed must be where the brunch buffet reception would take place.
It was tempting to stand there for a while just admiring the perfection of it all, but Maureen and Hilda grabbed me by the hands. “Come on up to Shannon’s room,” Hilda said, pulling me toward the house. “We need to help her with her veil. Doesn’t everything look amazing?”
“I hope when I get married it will be this perfect,” Maureen said, “if I can ever find a guy like Dakota.”
I hadn’t been inside the Dumas’s house before, and knowing I’d need to find my way to Shannon’s room in the dark that night, I paid particular attention to my surroundings. “Where’s Dakota getting ready? And the two handsome groomsmen?” I asked as we passed through a beach-themed living room toward an open staircase of knotty pine.
“They’re all over in the guest room next to the aviary,” Maureen answered. “Mr. Dumas is over there getting the leash on Poe. Mr. Madigan is there too. It used to be his room, you know, but he thought Poe talked too much.”
“So I’ve heard,” I said. “Poe seems to think he knows me. Calls me ‘Red.’”
“That’s so cute. Here we are. Her room is right at the head of the stairs. Wait ’til you see the view she has of the water.”
That works out well for me. I’ll bring a
small flashlight, tippytoe up these stairs to the first room I come to. Perfect.
Maureen was right about the view. Even with Shannon standing before a full-length mirror in her gorgeous Vera Wang gown, it was hard not to look past her toward the panorama of ocean, sky, and beach. “Lee, can you help pin the veil a little bit back,” Shannon said, “so the spray of baby’s breath holds it in place?”
“I think so.” I made the adjustment she asked for, then stood back, admiring the effect. “He’s a lucky man,” I said. “Let’s go downstairs and pick up our bouquets. I can hear Poe chattering down there already.”
Hilda and Maureen were at the window. “Look. The boys are already lined up at the altar and the minister is there too,” Hilda said. “Men in tuxedos look so handsome, don’t they?”
There was a tap at the door. “Sweetheart? It’s Daddy. Let’s go.”
* * *
Folding chairs that had been set up for the guests were nearly filled. I looked around and spotted Pete in an aisle seat in the last row. I’ve noticed that firefighters and EMTs and other first responders often do that too, in case they have to move in a hurry. Aunt Ibby and Mr. Pennington were seated near the center of the area. Therese, wearing a black and white print, moved around as unobtrusively as she could, the ever-present video camera recording the happy event.
My bouquet of red roses was tied with an enormous white satin bow. Hilda and Maureen each carried white roses with red bows, and the bride’s bouquet was an absolute confection of white roses and white orchids with cascading ivy. The familiar strains of Mendelssohn’s “Wedding March” sounded, and a cute little flower girl, Dakota’s niece, with a basket of rose petals led the procession. Smiling faces turned to watch as Hilda and Maureen fell into step behind her. I followed them, and behind me, Shannon, on her dad’s arm, approached the altar. Poe, safely tethered and riding on Mr. Dumas’s shoulder, bobbed his head right and left as though acknowledging applause.
The plan was for Shannon to hand her bouquet to me, then untie the tiny gauze bag containing the rings from Poe’s foot, take them out of the bag, and give them to the best man. Then her dad would slip the empty bag into his pocket and he and the crow would sit in the front row while the ceremony continued. At the appropriate time, Sean would give the rings to the minister, the words With this ring... would be spoken, and the two would be as one.
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