The Witch's Mind

by Iris Kincaid

  Ruby was in the middle of relaying the details of her canoe date with Griffin when her words were cut off. She shuddered and closed her eyes. When they opened, they were full of wonder, and triumph, and fiendish glee.

  “Ruby, is there something . . . ? Oh, no! You’re not Ruby.”

  “And you a very good mind reader, Erin Sweeney. I should hope that I need no introduction.”

  “Lilith Hazelwood,” Erin said as her voice dropped to a whisper.

  “In the flesh.”

  But it was Ruby’s flesh. And it was now under Lilith’s control.

  *****

  Now, the solving of her own murder could receive its due. Lilith couldn’t wait to come face-to-face with Fiona Skretting, who was currently parading around as Oyster Cove’s strongest witch.

  Fiona was having a perfectly lovely time frightening children and animals away from a corner of the Central Park that she had claimed for herself when the hairs on the back of her neck stood up as they had not in years.

  She smirked as she saw Ruby Townsend approach. What could this fledgling little witch possibly have to say to her? But the young woman marched straight up to her and looked her coolly in the eye, and Fiona’s smug smile quickly faded as she realized whom she was facing.

  “So, you finally found a host. I had always wondered if you might,” Fiona said cautiously.

  “Not the warmest of welcomes, I must say,” Lilith returned.

  “You do not frighten me. I’m sure you can only possess a small fraction of your former power.”

  “Really. And what is it that makes you so sure?”

  “I had nothing to do with your death, Lilith. Surely, you can feel the truth in my words and thoughts.”

  “You are as good at cloaking your thoughts as anyone. But I will uncover the truth. I won’t leave this earth until I do.”

  “Then I have nothing to fear, for I carry no guilt.”

  “Vengeance is not my only motive. Some things I do just because I can. As you well know.”

  Lilith sauntered away on Ruby Townsend’s healthy young limbs. It felt so good to alarm and intimidate again. There was nothing that was going to stop her from inflicting savage justice as only she knew how.

  However, as pressing as her mission was, surely, there was time to stop for just one gelato. The loss of taste buds is one of the greatest regrets of the dead, and she couldn’t pass up this opportunity.

  “Coconut. Large.”

  “Sure. That’ll be $3.50.”

  Lilith stared pointedly at the clueless young server. “I thought that perhaps it might be on the house,” she said commandingly.

  “On the house. Absolutely. It must have slipped my mind. Enjoy.”

  It wasn’t that Ruby hadn’t put a few dollars in her pocket. It was for the sheer joy of coercion, which tasted almost as good as the ice cream itself. Lilith settled herself down at the sidewalk table and dug in, luxuriating in the delicious treat.

  But it wasn’t long before she had company. Three chairs from the neighboring tables slid over and filled up the space around her table. That was the doing of Zoey Proctor, whose mind could move objects, courtesy of a large transfusion of Lilith’s blood. Zoey took a seat opposite Lilith and was joined by Wanda Macomber and Margo Bailey.

  “Mayor Macomber. What an honor. And Margo. Zoey. This is our first time to be formally introduced, although I feel I know you so well,” Lilith greeted between licks of her gelato. “I see that you’ve been chatting with Erin.”

  “Where is Ruby?” Margo demanded.

  “Why, she’s right in here. She hasn’t gone anywhere. She is experiencing everything shotgun, if you will. She is simply no longer in control.”

  “Is she alright? Is she hurt or is she suffering?” Wanda asked.

  “I can hear her thoughts, although they are somewhat muffled. She sees that you have come to her aid, and she is truly touched. I wouldn’t say that she’s suffering. She is perhaps not all that happy about the takeover, which does require more effort on my part than it would a cooperative host. I will probably only be able to stay in her body for less than a full day without her cooperation. But that’s plenty of time. I am determined, and I am unstoppable.”

  “Are you saying that Ruby will be back with us and that she’ll be fine in fewer than twenty-four hours?” Zoey asked.

  “That’s the plan. She will be fine, and I will be avenged. No thanks to any of you. Now, you really must try the coconut. It’s divine, just as I remember it. Truly one of the best things about being alive.”

  As Ruby’s friends exchanged uneasy looks, Lilith’s attention was diverted toward a very familiar and very loathsome figure. It was the child killer, Ricky Gerber. And this was going to be his day to die.

  “If you’ll excuse me, I have a pressing matter to attend to,” Lilith said and then briskly walked away.

  Maybe Ricky knew that someone was following him. Maybe he didn’t. Oyster Cove is such a relatively safe place. There was no reason to suspect that his doom was trailing him all the way to his front door. Lilith was content to wait until he got inside. It wasn’t yet broad daylight, and these things were best accomplished away from prying eyes.

  As soon as he closed his front door, she strode briskly up his driveway, straight for the back entrance—only to intercepted by Delphine!

  “And to what do I owe this irritating interruption? Begone, Delphine. I have important work to do.”

  “You can’t kill him, Lilith. You already tried to, years ago, right before your own death. That’s what you told Ruby, isn’t it? That you tried to kill Ricky Gerber using the dark arts. But it didn’t work, did it? He’s still alive, and there can only be one reason.”

  “I couldn’t have tried to kill him. Because when I try, I succeed. It is my faulty memory, perhaps. This fog of amnesia. But I will finish the deed today, and you dare not stop me.”

  “He is mentally ill, Lilith. He is both a psychopath and psychotic. His lawyers chose not to use the insanity plea because they were convinced of his innocence. He’s capable of great cruelty—that can’t be denied. But he didn’t kill that child. He was found innocent because he was proved innocent.”

  “No, I remember it like it was yesterday. He wrote that malicious letter back to his home state, jubilant that the double jeopardy laws freed him from paying for his crimes. He readily admitted to killing that child.”

  “That is the nature of a psychotic mind. He can’t distinguish the real and the imagined. It can take the form of delusions of grandeur and delusions of evil. His confession was a false one. He admitted to doing something that he didn’t do. It is completely irrational. It is madness. But that is the point. It wasn’t evidence of his guilt. It was evidence of his madness.”

  “This . . . how can this be? I tried to kill him. That much is coming back to me. I wanted to strike him down with a bolt of lightning. That was the spell that I exercised. That was the punishment that he deserved.”

  “Lilith! He was innocent!”

  “How could I have made such an error? I read his mind. He owned the confession.”

  “You read the guilt in his mind it because he truly believed that he was guilty. But that was his delusional mental illness. He was sick and not right in the head, and not a terribly nice man. But he was an innocent, Lilith. You tried to kill an innocent with the dark arts.”

  Delphine had to sit down on the front porch stoop as Lilith slowly sank down beside her. This was devastating news. The dark arts do not allow the killing of innocents. They can only be used against those who have killed, who have dark hearts and dangerous intentions. When used against an innocent, the wrath of the dark arts is turned against the practitioner. Turned against Lilith. The deadly force that she had aimed at someone else had been turned on herself. She had just uncovered her killer.

  They sat in silence, both overwhelmed by the revelation. It was a long time before Lilith could speak.

  “What a colossal fool I am.”

/>   “If he was as you thought he was, he might have posed a terrible danger to the community. I never know in what light to view your actions, Lilith. Your intention was to prevent future harm, but your plans were built on a flaw of comprehension, that was probably impossible for you to see, knowing how you believed yourself to be incapable of error.

  “I think your pride may have played its role in your undoing. Oh, Lilith. How I wish you had known.”

  “There is no vengeance to soothe me. No satisfaction to be gained. No one to be punished. To obliterate.”

  “No. There is no one to punish. The truth has been uncovered. We now have to make our peace with it. You have to make your peace with it, and I hope that you can. Do not turn that fierce wrath of yours on yourself. You have so little compassion for others, but try to find some now for yourself.”

  “Hmmph. Little Ruby concurs. Her compassion runs like a river. When I restore her body to her, I think she shall spend the night in tears. I suppose I don’t mind that, as my death did not evoke a single tear in this world.”

  “Your heart was hard against the world and it responded in kind. Do you know what I wanted so much when you were alive? I thought that we could have been friends. I had no desire to challenge your supremacy nor badger you for any special wisdom or secrets. I am a witch of middling talent and was ever content to be so. No, I simply thought we might kick off our shoes and take a stroll at the water’s edge. Spend an evening sipping wine at one of those outdoor classical concerts they hold all summer. Run up to the Boston museums and admire the best of what the commoners have achieved. Invite you over my house for a plateful of crab cakes, which as you know, are to die for.”

  “Blasted crab cakes! Before I depart this earthly visit, I would like to put a stop once and for all to your insufferable boasting. I will have one of these renowned crab cakes and tell you what they are truly worth.”

  A big smile slowly spread across Delphine’s features. A chance to cook for Lilith Hazelwood! Of all of life’s impossible miracles, this one had to take the cake.

  “I would have to stop for the ingredients first. With Ruby’s kind permission, if she will grant you the use of her body for, oh, say, another six hours? That should be enough time for one last evening.”

  Ruby didn’t mind, and Lilith could feel it. “One last evening. Lead on, Delphine Sykes. Lead on.”

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN: EPILOGUE

  Ruby took her executor duties for Irma Taggart very seriously. She needed to find someone to be conscientious, with very few other obligations to pull them away from the twenty-four-seven care of an extremely spoiled cat. Kristin Byrne fit the bill perfectly. Words couldn’t describe her joy at the prospect of receiving $4,500 a month and living in a luxury apartment in exchange for treating Rosie the cat like royalty. It was the best job that she had ever had.

  *****

  Parents of only children often worry about excessive solitude for their offspring and make frequent play dates with other solo children and their families. So it was with Star. At least once a week, Star was able to cavort with Rocky, Newhart, Radio, Ping-Pong, and a slew of other familiars. They took such an immediate liking to one another and spent many hours chasing one another through Central Park and snuggling up together for community naps. Meanwhile, their “mothers” were able to enjoy very sociable gatherings of their own.

  And fortunately, the cats didn’t mind the company of Kiefer, the cocker spaniel mix that had been removed from Ricky Gerber’s care by Animal Protection and adopted by Griffin Wynter.

  *****

  Some six months later, there was yet another death in Oyster Cove. This one most definitely stemmed from natural causes. It was the owner of the local cemetery, and he was ninety-one.

  Griffin had been asking Ruby for quite some time about what she wanted as an engagement present. As unconventional and unpredictable as she was, nothing could have prepared him for her request to purchase the cemetery.

  The dead are very important people. Ruby considered it her solemn duty to help both the dead and the bereaved to arrive at a place of peace and resolution, to help lift the dark clouds of grief and to negate the frustration of unfinished business as best she could.

  Not that she spent every waking moment with the dead. Her days were filled with working alongside Griffin on the Wynter Trust’s charitable concerns. Griffin spent much of his time researching and verifying the effectiveness of the international charities they supported while Ruby took command of opportunities to assist stateside. They were a great team, in and out of the office.

  And they had only grown closer after a startling, earth-shattering family dinner where the late Melvin Wynter sat down with his three children and relayed a personal message to each one of them through Ruby. The references he made, the phrases that he used, and his manner of communication were unmistakable. Griffin Wynter had always known that the woman he loved was extraordinary, special, and one-of-a-kind. But a witch who could see the dead! That was a whole different level of special.

  And he didn’t mind one bit. Neither did the others. After the cathartic exchange with their father, they were full of requests. Brooke wanted to talk to Anne Frank. Jesse wanted to talk to Abraham Lincoln. Ruby had her work cut out for her trying to explain to them that it’s just not how her gift worked!

  *****

  As for Lilith and Delphine’s final evening together, Delphine was determined to make it the most enjoyable and memorable evening of Lilith’s life. They made a detour to the beach and walked right up to the water’s edge.

  “What are we doing here?” Lilith groused.

  “Take off your shoes and roll up your pants legs. We’re just going to enjoy the waves. Don’t tell me that you never did this.”

  “Never. I didn’t see the point of it and I still don’t.”

  “This is your last opportunity, so even something this pointless must have some value, if only in novelty.”

  The bracing cold of the rushing waves was . . . uncomfortable? Jarring? Exhilarating? Lilith couldn’t decide which. But she could feel it. It was a connection to life, to the tiny handful of earthly existence left to her to enjoy. And it was a bit interesting how the sand was pulled out from under her feet after each successive wave. Perhaps not important, but interesting.

  And then there was the farmers market, where everyone and his brother welcomed Delphine with a cheery greeting and a free sample. They were happy to provide one for her pretty young friend as well.

  And next, a glass of wine, while reclining on deck chairs, under beach umbrellas - with a long discussion of Lilith’s memories, her impressions of the transplant heirs, and her guesses about what lay ahead for her.

  They stayed long enough to watch the sunset. It was particularly spectacular, Lilith thought. Or perhaps she was just getting sentimental.

  And then, famished, they made haste to Delphine’s home, where it only took another forty-five minutes for the world’s best crab cakes to make their appearance.

  “Well?” Delphine asked.

  Compliments were not Lilith’s forte. “Well, I don’t know if it’s the single best thing I’ve ever tasted. But I certainly don’t mind it being the last thing that I taste. I don’t mind it at all.”

  High praise, indeed. Delphine would take it. And the fact that Lilith ate five of them spoke volumes.

  “I think there is no longer any reason for me to stay so close to Oyster Cove. Now that my mission of vengeance has come to nothing, I have a feeling I may wander further afield. Though I could not say where.

  “I trust you will keep an eye on these young beneficiaries of mine. I can see that you are mightily attached to them.”

  “I am, and I will be very happy to.”

  “Hmm. And give some special attention to young Ruby. There are so few others who share your bonds with the dead. She must not neglect her powers. It is a rare talent and must be nurtured and allowed to reach its fullest maturity. She’s not a bad one, that Ruby. Do I hav
e your word that you’ll see to her training?”

  Delphine let out a big sigh. She had always known that Lilith cared more about her transplant heirs than she would ever let on. She wrapped her arms tightly around the young body of Ruby Townsend that housed the spirit of Lilith.

  “I’m going to miss you, Lilith. I wish you could stay. I truly do.”

  When she pulled back to get Lilith’s reaction, the sweet, sad expression that greeted her clearly belonged to young Ruby.

  “She wanted being hugged by you to be the last thing that she experienced. She wanted to leave with that as her last memory.”

  Delphine’s eyes filled with tears. A lifetime of friendship had had to be crammed into a single evening. But it was something that Lilith would remember for the rest of her existence. And so would Delphine.

  “Good-bye, Lilith. Good-bye.”

  **********

  Notes from the Author

  Hope you enjoyed this final book in The One Part Witch Series.

  If you have time, think about leaving a brief review over at Amazon. They really help out authors a lot. But shhhh! No spoilers, please. Especially on the series finale!! Thanks!! The Witch’s Mind

  When’s the next Iris Kincaid cozy witch series coming out? In SEPTEMBER 2018!

  If you’d like to know about it as soon as it comes out, sign up for the Iris Kincaid Witch Watch right here: https://www.subscribepage.com/g3o3u2_copy3

  And if you’d like to drop me a line, you can contact me at: iriskincaid@gmail.com

  Iris Kincaid