Witch Hearts

by Liz Long

  “We should be prepared. Michael’s coven is meeting this weekend.” Ruby picked at threads on the blanket over the couch, not meeting Cooper's look. “Maybe we should go.”

  “Are you kidding? After what he did, you want to go back there and play nice?”

  “If witches really are in danger, then we should have a plan. We don’t want anyone else getting hurt.”

  “He made you leave your own coven.”

  “I left of my own free will.”

  “Yeah and I got this scar from razor burn. Ruby, he cheated on you with that slutbucket of a witch and then paraded her around the group in front of you until your breaking point. I know you’re a good person, but damn, there’s only so much a person can take.”

  “If lives are in danger, I want to make sure we are safe.” Her voice stayed level, but the flickering lights betrayed her anger. Her ex’s poor choices were a sore subject.

  Cooper raised an eyebrow. “You aren’t worried what they’ll say?”

  “I know most of them were unhappy about what he did, but our personal business has nothing to do with our craft. I left to keep the peace. They either know that or they don’t, but like I said, we need to be safe. I don’t want anyone getting hurt by this psycho, not even Michael or his whore.”

  Cooper hid a smirk at her choice of words, but nodded. “All right, we’ll go together.”

  “I thought you didn’t practice with covens.”

  “I don’t; they slow you down and you usually end up doing most of the work anyway. I’m not talking about practicing, though. I want to go with you and see what everyone knows.”

  Ruby nodded. “Okay. What do we do until then?”

  “You and I bury Courtney.” Cooper's face became all business. “She and I made our wills together with our lawyer. I’ll meet with him tomorrow to discuss her wishes.”

  “Do you need me to go with you?”

  “No, I’ll be fine. When we lost our folks, we made sure to take care of each other.”

  “She and I didn’t really talk about it. How are we saying goodbye to her?”

  “A small memorial service for friends. She and I were the only family left,” he said.

  Ruby noticed that whereas Courtney had always shrugged off this piece of information about being alone, Cooper sounded bitter. She kept silent as he continued.

  “We agreed to keep the other out of debt if we could. Both of us chose cremation. She wanted her ashes spread out in the woods. You probably know the exact area.”

  Ruby nodded. Courtney wanted to be back with nature, where she, Ruby, and other witches held rituals under the moon and stars. There was a particular area they frequented away from hikers or intruders. It made perfect sense for Courtney's remains to rest there.

  “We’ll put a protection spell on the area to make sure no one can mess with her,” Ruby said.

  Cooper nodded and looked at the gray cat still perched on the couch. “Courtney would want you to take Aziza.”

  “Are you sure you don’t want her?”

  “No, she belongs with you now.” Cooper looked down at his shoes and closed his eyes. Ruby's throat closed up at the sadness on his face.

  “Are you all right? I mean, really?” She raised a hand to him but quickly lowered it, unsure if he’d want her sympathies.

  “To see her like that…all lifeless, without any more of her power, it was worse than my parents on those slabs. We had our differences and I know we hadn’t seen each other in a while but Courtney was my little sister. I can’t see a life without her right now.”

  Cooper looked straight at her; his eyes grew brighter and Ruby realized he was trying not to cry. Usually she’d drop her head in embarrassment to give him space, but this was Cooper, crying over their Courtney. He opened his arms to hold her; she buried her face in his chest and together they let their tears fall.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  The second that Ruby got to her apartment, she locked the door behind her. She set her bag in the reading chair by the television and put Aziza’s carrier down. When she opened it, Aziza exited gracefully and took a curious look around. While she got herself acquainted, Ruby went straight into her bedroom, for her armoire that contained her Wiccan materials.

  She pulled a chain from under her shirt to get the attached key to unlock the armoire. Rummaging through her materials, she found what she needed. She took her white chalk and walked back out to trace the outline of her front door, then crushed herbs into a small cast-iron cauldron. Once she finished, she put the bowl in front of the door and set it on fire. White smoke curled around the doorknob, snaking its way around the entire frame.

  “Goddess hear me, heed my pleas

  Keep me safe against enemies

  Even when I am not in this space

  It must remain a sacred place

  Protect me now, my blood to thee

  I thank the goddess, blessed be.”

  Ruby poked her forefinger with the tip of her athame, squeezed a drop of blood into the cauldron. A shimmery light draped itself over the entrance and she dropped her arms, satisfied at the soft glow that emanated from the doorway.

  After cleaning up, she changed clothes and flipped the television onto the news, keeping the volume low. She poured herself a glass of water, then curled up on the couch. Without thinking, she glanced at the framed photo on the table next to her: Ruby and Courtney, in a bone-crushing hug at a previous New Year’s party as confetti fell around them. She picked it up to stare at it, tears welling in her eyes. They both had this favorite picture framed; glitter sparkled in Ruby's dark hair while Courtney looked like a blonde angel, with her giant smile and green eyes shining with happiness.

  She and Courtney had been best friends for ten years, since freshmen year of college. They’d known right away their friendship was meant to be. Ruby watched Courtney bury her parents after the car accident. Courtney was there when Ruby's father drank himself to death, when her mother remarried and denounced Ruby and the witchcraft they’d shared her entire life.

  Ruby’s eyes overflowed with tears that streamed down her nose, dripped onto the photo. The frame in her hand shook; her entire body trembled and she cradled the photo to her chest. Aziza silently leapt up next to her and nestled her way into Ruby’s lap. Ruby wept until she grew exhausted and dragged herself to bed.

  *********************************************

  Ruby, an assistant manager at a small but popular independent book store called Book Nook, called late the next morning to take a sick day. She hadn’t slept much and feared she might break down in front of customers if she went in. Her boss Miranda, who had met and hung out with Courtney on several occasions in past years, was somber over the phone.

  “I’m so sorry,” Miranda said. “When is the funeral?”

  “With the police investigation, it’s too hard to schedule it. Courtney wanted to be cremated anyway, so there’s going to be a memorial service instead.”

  “Is there anything I can do for you?”

  “I wanted to use a sick day, actually. I only found out early last night. I’m sorry to call in like this—”

  “No, no,” Miranda interrupted, “you stay out through the rest of the week. We’re a book shop, not the government. Richard and I will cover it. I know Courtney was like your sister; come back next week if you feel up to it.”

  “I can’t tell you how much I appreciate it. We’re going to scatter her ashes as soon as possible.” Ruby took a sip of coffee.

  “I can’t believe she’s gone. I don’t understand how someone could do that. How on earth can someone be so sick as to cut out a person’s heart?”

  Ruby froze, her coffee cup only halfway back to the table. “How do you know that?”

  “So it’s true?”

  She pulled the phone away to stare at it for second, confused, then returned to the conversation. “What do you mean?”

  “They’re saying it’s only a rumor right now, but Ruby, honey, it’s all over th
e local news. They’re warning women to be extra careful with this psycho on the loose.”

  “I don’t disagree with that on any occasion, but I think you might be safer than you think.”

  “Why do you say that?”

  Ruby reached for her remote as she tightened the phone against her ear with her shoulder. “I don’t guess the news will tell anyone this part. He’s killing witches.”

  Miranda gasped. “What? Why?”

  “Not sure yet. I’m meeting with Michael’s group on Saturday to give them a heads up.”

  “Awfully nice of you,” Miranda said. Ruby could practically hear Miranda’s pierced eyebrow shoot up in curiosity. “I hope you’re taking precautions yourself.”

  “Of course. All the same, don’t go anywhere without someone. Don’t let Richard leave without getting you to your car.”

  “No problemo. So I guess Cooper's back in town? How’s he holding up?”

  “Better than I am, I think. Though he definitely wants to catch this guy and beat him to death.” Ruby found the news station; sure enough, there was a recent photo of Courtney on the screen with the details of the three murders.

  “Don’t blame him. The sicko gets what he deserves, killing women like that. Anyways, I better go get the store ready to open. Text me the memorial time when you know.”

  “Sure. Thanks again, Miranda. I owe you big time.”

  “If there’s ever a time for you to take a break, this would be it. Call me if you need anything.”

  Ruby said goodbye and hung up, turning up the volume on her television. The photo of Courtney now joined photos of the two other victims.

  “…the serial killer. We’ve now discovered the names of the victims. Courtney Wilson, Amanda Hatcher, and Emily Fisher all went missing hours before their bodies were discovered.”

  The news anchor paused her report. When she spoke again, her tone was less businesslike and more horrified.

  “We are getting unconfirmed reports that their hearts were removed. We will keep the public informed as we get more information. Again, this is unconfirmed, however, we advise all citizens, especially women, to remain vigilant about their safety. If anyone has any information about these crimes, please call in at…”

  Ruby turned the TV off. She didn’t want to listen anymore. She sent Cooper a text asking if he needed any help today, but several minutes passed without answer. She briefly wondered if Courtney’s job - an upscale restaurant as a server - knew of the death. Then her brain felt a little numb, threatened to make her panic.

  “I think I’ll clean the place up,” she told Aziza, who stood in the middle of her coffee table. A soft meow confirmed the idea. Courtney used to tease her about being a neat freak, but it was a way to keep Ruby’s mind busy and off her best friend’s murder. She occupied herself with laundry and making her apartment spotless, blasting Florence and the Machine for noise as she cleaned.

  Aziza spent the entire time watching her from a sunny spot in a window, her tail flicking every so often in annoyance at the vacuum cleaner. Ruby noted she kept an especially watchful eye on the duster. Perhaps Courtney had teased her with it one too many times.

  Three hours later, not a single dust bunny, cobweb, or fingerprint remained. Finally satisfied with the hard work, Ruby showered to rinse off the sweat and grime. She checked her phone to find two missed calls and a text from Cooper: “Service tomorrow. Call me back?”

  He answered on the first ring. “Hey.”

  “Hi. Sorry I missed your call. Did everything get worked out?”

  “For the most part. It’s just as well we’re having a memorial. The cops want to examine the body a while longer, so we’ll be lucky to have her cremated by Sunday. May take another week.”

  “Okay. So the memorial is tomorrow? That seems last minute.”

  “I kinda wanna get it over with, Ruby.” Cooper sounded tired. “I’ve made a few calls to people in Courtney's address book, but as long as you and I are there, that’s really all that matters to me. And to be honest, I don’t want reporters catching wind of it and turning it into a media circus. I’ve already had to fend off several nosy phone calls.”

  “I understand. I’ll call some people on my end to let them know, but I’ll definitely be there. What time?”

  “Right before sunset.”

  “Her favorite time to do rituals. She’d like that.”

  “I thought so too.”

  They spent another ten or fifteen minutes discussing the memorial logistics. Ruby spent the rest of the day calling friends to let them know about Courtney’s death; their gasps of horror and sympathetic responses made each phone call more difficult than the last. By the time evening rolled around, she was exhausted and couldn’t bear to talk about it anymore, so she put in a movie and laid with Aziza on the couch until she fell asleep.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  After the memorial ended, Cooper and Ruby stood outside by her car, unsure of what to do next.

  “When will we take her ashes to the spot in the forest?” Ruby asked.

  Cooper shrugged. “Anytime after Tuesday, according to the coroner. Maybe you and I can go on your next day off?”

  “I’m sure I can work it out with Miranda.” Ruby lifted her head towards the sky. The stars sparkled but as she thought of Courtney and her sadness, clouds rolled in quicker than was natural as the wind picked up. She took a deep breath and tried to control her emotions. Cooper noticed the weather and took her hand. He gave it a gentle squeeze.

  “Are you ready to go back home?”

  The idea of sitting alone with only Aziza for company didn’t appeal much to her. She shook her head. “Do you have something in mind?”

  “My original thought was to grab a beer afterwards, but I’m not really feeling it now.”

  “I’m not big on the bar crowds at the moment. What are our other options?”

  “Do you wanna get some coffee or something?” Cooper asked her.

  “I don’t drink coffee past two p.m.,” she said. He raised an eyebrow. “I’d never sleep if I did. I’d be happy to get some tea, though.”

  He laughed. “Okay, tea, then. I’ll get coffee.”

  “That doesn’t keep you up at night?”

  “Sleep isn’t big on my list of priorities right now.”

  “Ah.” Ruby looked down at their clasped hands, unsure of what to say to that. They got into her car and she drove them down the road to a nearby coffee shop. Cooper paid for their order while Ruby found them a lone booth in the back corner of the shop. She stood and waited for him, taking note when Cooper quickly took the seat with his back to the wall, with a clear view of the front door. They sat for a few moments in silence until Ruby broke the ice.

  “Thanks for the tea.”

  “Sure.” Cooper cleared his throat. “It was a nice memorial service, right? I mean…Courtney wouldn’t have sat there and rolled her eyes through the whole thing?”

  Ruby laughed into her mug. “Courtney rolled her eyes through everything, so I can’t answer that for sure. But yes, it was nice; can’t say I’m surprised by how many people came despite the last minute scheduling.”

  “Courtney was always popular.”

  “Well loved, you mean,” Ruby corrected.

  “I’m surprised Michael showed, especially without what’s her face.”

  Ruby picked at her cuticles, not wanting to look up at Cooper as she talked about Michael. “Oh, I figured he’d be there. They may not have gotten along, but he was still Courtney's coven leader before all that mess. Plus, he knows how important Courtney was to me.”

  “You think he came for you?” Cooper raised an eyebrow and Ruby shook her head.

  “No, I think he wanted to show support in the community. To show that he cares about fellow witches no matter what history he may have with them. It’s important to him to save face.”

  “I’m willing to bet he didn’t mind gaining a few points in your favor, though.”

  She shrugged. �
��I don’t really care if he showed or not; he certainly isn’t getting back on my good side. If he wanted to be there for Courtney, I wouldn’t stop him, but it doesn’t change anything.”

  They sat in comfortable silence for a few moments. Ruby wrapped her hands around her warm teacup, inhaling the sweetness of honey and vanilla.

  “Can I ask you a personal question?” Cooper asked.

  “Sure.”

  “What did you see in him? I mean, I guess he’s good looking, for a British prick.” He shot her a sheepish grin. “Courtney and I always thought you were way too good for him.”

  Ruby couldn’t help but chuckle. “I know that now. Courtney tried to warn me before it blew up in my face. It’s a question I’ve asked myself a few times. I think part of it was that I got caught up in dating an important figure in our circle, for one. Totally shallow, I know, but it was nice to see how people looked up to him, to know he could protect me.”

  “Why would you need protecting?”

  She shrugged. “I was naïve. I didn’t date him for his money, though it was nice to not worry about finances. He’s never had to worry about those things like you or I have; he doesn’t know what it’s like to choose between school loans or groceries. I guess it was more about security; I knew he’d take care of me. He wasn’t always a jerk, either. He was good to me for a long time, always wanting to take care of things for me and giving us the best life he thought possible,” she admitted.

  “Until…?”

  “We’d grown apart, headed down different paths. After he met Rebecca, I should’ve seen it coming. I wanted him to be less controlling; he wanted me to be at his beck and call, to act as though the sun rose and set on him.

  “Rebecca believed he was something special and made sure he knew it. His late night meetings and quick coffee breaks with her evolved. I was blind for a while; I didn’t want to believe any of it. Courtney helped me see the truth. I might still be putting up with that shit if she hadn’t.”