“That’s horrible,” Zoe said, squeezing my hand tighter.
I nodded. “The pain she felt was unimaginable. The worst part of all, though, is that I understand her now, why she is the way she is and why she’s done all these horrible things. I can’t help but think that anyone put through that type of trauma could’ve ended up the same. Crazed with rage and fear and fury.”
Zoe shook her head. “It’s okay to pity her, Cricket, but that doesn’t mean we’re all the same as she is. What she went through is not an excuse for murdering countless people, just as they did to her sisters.”
“Don’t worry, I’m not going soft or anything,” I said, shaking my head. “We’re going to save my daughter and put an end to her once and for all.” I felt a rush of shame as my thoughts turned to Lizzie. Every hour I’d spent in a state of shock was another hour that my baby had been locked up with that lunatic.
I needed to connect with Maude and figure out what our next move was.
I felt a chill run through me as I thought of the typewriter. Verbena had commented on my skill as a clairvoyant, and how gifted I was...but what else had she said?
“Much more so than your mother ever was, rest her soul.”
How had I forgotten that? It had hit me like a brick at the time, but then, in the aftermath of the memory Verbena shared with me, I’d somehow forgotten…
Or maybe, in my shock, I’d blocked it out?
The very ramifications of that were almost too much to process when I was already feeling broken. If she was telling the truth, that meant the most recent owner of the typewriter before me was not Anna Cromwell, like I’d thought, but my own mother.
It made no sense. Bree Hawthorne hadn’t even reached thirty before her life was snuffed out, not to mention there had been no hint of magic. When Maude came into my life, it was instantly turned upside down. As close as my mother and I were, I’d have noticed something was amiss.
Wouldn’t I have?
I shook my head, dismissing the disturbing thought for the moment. Verbena was clearly a master of mental torture, she would say or do anything to keep me off my game. I made a mental note to contact Connie. She would be able to shed some light on this mystery. Until then, there was no need to burden Mee-maw and Zoe. We all had more than enough on our minds, and it would only be a distraction.
I was about to tell Zoe I was ready to go downstairs, when a low droning split the air, like a thousand mosquitos buzzing around inside my head.
“That’s the magical alarm,” Zoe said, waving a hand in the air to force the sound to dissipate as she jumped to her feet. “Damn it, Phil.”
Mee-maw called up the stairway just seconds later. “Someone’s trying to get inside!”
God, I hoped it was just Phil, but I had a feeling we wouldn’t be that lucky.
I hoisted myself out of bed, scrambling after Zoe down the hallway. We hadn’t gotten to the stairs yet, when we heard a crash in Mee-maw’s room.
Zoe and I stopped short and locked gazes. I held up a finger, and gestured for her to open the door, while I called on my magic. Then, I counted down.
3.
2.
1.
Zoe threw the door open, and I leapt in, magic at my fingertips. A male intruder was scrambling toward the open window, trying to wriggle out. Not Verbena. That was good, at least. I shifted the spell I’d had locked and loaded, from something potentially lethal to the first thing that came to mind.
And then, I watched in stunned horror as Mitch Rasmusson’s lanky form rolled back into the room and promptly turned into a vulture. The animal began squawking and flapping its wings wildly, in a vain attempt to get back through the window.
Zoe and I were frozen in stunned silence, but, luckily, Patrick came barreling through the door. He leapt forward, restraining the bird by wrapping his arms around its wings and holding tight.
“Someone close the window,” he grunted.
“What the hell is Rasmusson doing back here?” Zoe asked, wide-eyed, as she scurried past him to do as he asked.
“He must’ve been trying to steal the jewelry box back.”
“Well, we need to change him back,” Zoe said as Mee-maw came wheezing into the room.
“Tha-That’s one option, I guess...but what are we gonna do with him if we turn him back, though?” Mee-maw asked, glaring at the wild-eyed bird. “I’m voting for vulture fricassee.”
Squawk, squawk!
Patrick grunted as the carrion feeder renewed its frantic struggles.
“We’re not eating him, Mee-maw. But I don’t know, because we can’t just leave him like this, either,” I said, frowning as I realized that I wasn’t even sure I knew how to turn him back.
“If we turn him back, he’ll know,” Zoe said, leaning down to look Vulture-Mitch in the eyes. “Is there a way to erase his memories?”
Mee-maw winced. “My pocket watch is downstairs. By the time I go and get it, too long will have passed for it to work. I’m just not as strong as the two of you yet.”
“I can come up with something to dull the memories, and Patrick can probably do a little something to soften the edges, as well, but erase completely?” Zoe shrugged helplessly. “Maybe there’s an item out there with that power, but we sure don’t have it.”
“Whatever we’re going to do,” Patrick managed through gritted teeth as the vulture began tearing at his forearm with its beak, “you guys need to make up your minds. It’s getting hard to keep him still without hurting him.”
I nodded quickly, bringing the magic back to my fingertips. Theoretically, it shouldn’t be much harder to turn him back than it’d been to make him a vulture in the first place, right? It took me a few moments to figure out, but I eventually managed, and the struggling bird shifted back into a terrified-looking Mitch Rasmusson standing over a pile of feathers. Patrick released the smaller man, backing a few feet away as Zoe, Mee-maw and I all held our hands up and pointed at him.
“No! No! Don’t turn me into anything else,” Mitch said, putting his hands up in fear as he shrunk closer to the ground. “I wasn’t trying to hurt anyone, I promise. What are you--” He broke off and scrubbed a hand over his shocked face. “You weren’t even supposed to be here. Where’s the car that’s always in the driveway?”
I cocked my head and realized with a start that, after I’d passed out the night before, Trudy must’ve driven us all home rather than stopping back at the library to get Zoe’s car. He hadn’t been sent by Verbena or the Organization to hurt us. He’d thought he’d slip in, find the box, and slip off into the night without getting caught.
A shudder of relief passed through me at the realization.
It was a sad day when having your home broken into and turning your burglar into a bird was the least of your worries.
“We’re asking the questions here,” I shot back, keeping a stern face. We held all the cards in this negotiation, for now, but there was no doubt that the ex-deputy could make our lives even more difficult than they were, if he so chose. There was a chance we’d have no choice but to keep him locked up or something until Verbena was dealt with, and we had more time to decide what to do with him.
We’d already seen one too many times how the knowledge of magic could corrupt.
“So you came for the box, then?”
“I’m sorry,” he whimpered, looking more slug than man as he cowered, still visibly shaken at the display of power he’d been subjected to. “Marilee has very expensive tastes and I figured I could use the jewelry box to help keep up with our expenses.”
“Didn’t Marilee get a pretty hefty inheritance?” I asked, shaking my head. “Even if not, she could’ve picked up a job if you were really that strapped.”
He wet his lips nervously and looked away. “She might’ve if I’d asked, but there were… circumstances that I didn’t want to let her know about.”
“You’re in no position to be keeping secrets from us,” Patrick said, crossing his arms as he loomed over the former cop. �
��Spill it.”
“Of course,” he said, nodding quickly. “We were more or less set with Marilee’s inheritance but it’s… gone now. I’m in a lot of debt.”
So, apparently, Mitch was an even worse poker player than he was a burglar.
“Gambling,” I said flatly.
He blinked and then nodded. “How did you know?”
I ignored him. “So why didn’t you just use the jewelry box a bunch right away?” Mee-maw interjected. “You could’ve made hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of gems and gold within the day, if you’d really wanted to.”
He flinched like her words physically pained him. “God, I know that...now. But I didn’t before. Initially, I just thought it was an expensive, antique box and worth a lot of money. I’d been planning to sell it or something once the case and all this interest in it cooled down. I did some research on antique dealers in the area the day you guys came in to bail him out,” he said, jerking his chin toward Patrick warily. “I put a piece of paper with the list of telephone numbers to call inside the box. I planned to call them at lunchtime. Right before you guys showed up, I went to grab the list and…” blood rushed to his cheeks and his voice trembled, “the paper had turned to gold.” He shook his head in wonder. “I was floored. And if I’d have just quit immediately and taken it home, I would have avoided this whole mess entirely. You guys know what happened next. Look, I knew something fishy was going on with this cult thing from the start. Now I know. You’re witches. Okay. I’m okay with that,” he said, rambling now. “I’ll figure out what to do, and if you let me go, I won’t tell anyone. Swear to God.”
I met Zoe’s gaze for a long moment, cocking my head, before she nodded slowly at me.
“I’ll be right back,” she said, sighing as she walked out of the room.
“Mitch,” I said slowly. “When non-witches use magic, it comes with a steep price. You’re lucky you only used it the once, or you’d be a dead man walking right now.”
His cheeks paled and he swayed on his feet.
“But I’m going to do you a solid, what with me and Marilee being friends and all.”
He nodded so vigorously, it was a surprise his head didn’t pop off.
“Mee-maw, here, is going to do a spell to undo the damage you’ve done by using the box. And, if you don’t say anything about us to anyone, ever, that will hold for a lifetime.”
Mitch’s whole body slumped in relief, tears glazing his eyes. “Okay. Thank you. Really, thank you so much.”
Mee-maw stepped forward and rolled up her sleeves ceremoniously.
“Ala...kazam!” she shouted, fluttering her hands in front of Mitch’s face.
She stepped back and nodded in satisfaction. “Okay, all set.”
He frowned and stared at her. “That’s it? Are you sure it worked?”
She let out a snort. “Am I sure it worked? You believe this guy?”
He backpedaled immediately. “Sorry. Thank you. I appreciate it.”
Zoe ambled back into the room a moment later, holding the gem-encrusted box in her hands. She handed it to me wordlessly.
I looked around the room for a brief moment before catching sight of the perfect thing. Mitch winced as I stepped closer to him and leaned down to collect a handful of vulture feathers from the floor.
I stacked them into a little pile and slipped them inside the box. The box seemed to glow for a moment, the gemstones on the outside shimmering even more brightly, right before our eyes. I could feel the magic radiating off of it. After a few seconds, it came to an abrupt halt.
I flipped the top open to reveal a pile of delicate golden feathers. Their form seemed to have changed very little and, if not for the shining gold they were made of, they’d have looked like they were plucked directly from a bird.
“These aren’t for you, Mitch. These are for Marilee. You will use the money to pay off your gambling debts, and if you ever gamble again, even so much as a scratch off ticket, you will instantly turn back into a vulture. This time, for good,” I added ominously, fluttering my fingers at him the way Mee-maw had, for good measure.
He nodded, swallowing audibly. “Okay, I understand.”
Judging by the abject terror on his face, he was buying what we were selling, one hundred percent.
With no more time to devote to this sideshow, I mentally called it good...for now, vowing to check in on the former deputy to make sure he stayed on the straight and narrow. Now, I needed to get him the hell out of the house so we could focus on our real enemy.
We led Mitch downstairs and Zoe stopped in the kitchen to tuck the feathers into a small Tupperware container before handing them to Mitch.
“Are you going to want this back, or?” he said with a brittle chuckle as he grabbed it, peeking through the side of the container.
The Warden shut him down fast. “We’re not in the mood for jokes, dum-dum. Now get out of here, before we change our minds.”
He nodded quickly, bowing his head before rushing out the front door without another word.
“Nice job on the ala kazam, Mee-maw,” Patrick said with a smirk.
“Hey! She put me on the spot,” she grumbled. “What am I, Meryl Streep?”
“Doesn’t matter. So long as he bought it, and he did, I think we’ll be fine. Now, let’s get back to the important stuff.”
The moment the last words left my mouth, I felt a terrible heat in my cheeks and forehead and knew that a prediction was coming.
“Maude,” I sputtered, clenching my fists.
Chapter 18
I stared down at the short page of text on the table in front of me a short while later, too horrified to speak. The veins in my head thumped as I waved a hand for the others to read it. Even though the prediction was difficult to accept, I wouldn’t try to shoulder it all by myself by keeping it a secret.
Not this time.
“Ah, blast…” Patrick murmured, scanning the page from over my shoulder.
Victory is uncertain, and even then, it will require not only the Crow’s Feet Coven, but also the coven of your heart. But be aware: In the event you should succeed, only six of the seven of you will return. If you stand any hope of prevailing, the pride of the enemy must be exploited. She has faced little in the way of challenge since her return, and has grown overconfident. This weakness will be her undoing, if she is to be undone, but do not tarry long. Your chances of victory decrease with each passing hour.
Time is ticking.
I clenched my fists, standing up from the table. We would defeat Verbena, no matter the odds, and we would find a way to come back whole.
All seven of us.
“Me, you, Mee-maw, Lizzie, and Patrick make five. Is Maude saying we need to bring Trudy?” Zoe asked softly as she read over my shoulder.
“I think so,” I muttered, already feeling sick at the thought of risking all these lives. “And my guess on the seventh is Connie.”
I wanted to lash out and rage and think about what was right and what was wrong. But we were well and truly out of time.
“We need to get moving,” I said, pushing down the storm of emotions brewing up inside of me. “Verbena said Connie would know how to find her, and Maude seems to think she needs to come with us. We need to go talk to her right now.”
“One, hot second, Cricket,” Zoe said, shooting me a glare. “I don’t want you playing hero again and thinking you’re going to go into this and sacrifice yourself. We’ll handle the part about someone not making it out if it comes to that, but I don’t think we should let it change our behavior. We go in with the intention of all of us coming out. Together. Promise me.”
I nodded, my tongue feeling thick in my mouth. “I’m not considering it a suicide mission or anything. We’ve managed to alter the future before.” I shot a glance at Mee-maw, remembering how Maude’s prediction had allowed me to save her life when she’d had a heart attack. “Let’s try to do it again. I’m going to get dressed and gather some things together before
I call Connie. Mee-maw, you contact Trudy and fill her in. Have her come get us as soon as she can and we’ll head to Connie’s house.”
“I’ll get the mirror and we can use it to make sure she isn’t under Verbena’s control,” Patrick said.
“Meet in the kitchen in ten minutes.”
* * *
By the time we got to Connie’s place, nearly an hour had passed, and I felt every single second of it.
Luckily, when I’d called, she’d seemed calm and very much like herself, which gave me hope that Verbena had abandoned her, just like she had the Organization.
Without Finneas at the helm to do her bidding, and us having discovered her control over Connie, I had to imagine she viewed them as nothing more than used goods, to be tossed aside.
Still, in this situation, we couldn’t be too careful.
“There’s something we need to have you do before we can share too much with you,” I said as we stepped into Connie’s messy antique shop, which was beginning to build up a thick coat of dust from lack of use.
I gestured for Mee-maw to pull out the mirror as I continued. “If you look into this mirror, we’ll be able to see your true intentions. I’m sorry for being so suspicious of you but--”
“No problem at all,” Connie said, waving away my concerns. “In fact, taking this type of precaution makes me feel more confident in your chances of besting Verbena, rather than less.”
She stared straight forward as Mee-maw held the mirror toward her.
I stepped around, standing behind her so I could see the image. Connie and Verbena appeared together in the mirror but, rather than standing side by side as allies, Connie was positioned over her prone body as she plunged a knife into her heart.
Oh, were it to be that easy, I thought wistfully.
Either way, the message was clear, the older woman was not our enemy. If she had her way, she’d murder Verbena herself.
“All good,” I said to the others with a nod, breathing a sigh of relief.
“Verbena’s control over me seems to have faded completely since the time she possessed me,” Connie explained, beckoning for us to follow after her. “Perhaps the connection between us simply snapped from being used overmuch, or, more likely, I’d simply outlived my usefulness. Despite the awfulness of it all, she was never able to steal information directly from my head, so there is little chance of anything we say in this room getting back to her. Now, who is this that you’ve brought with you?” she said, turning to face Trudy curiously. “I don’t believe we’ve met before.”
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