The Witch Is Dead

by Shirley Damsgaard

  I clutched Ethan’s leg. “Not Tink?” I asked, my voice laced with fear.

  He shook his head. “The M.E. found a piece of melted plastic in with the fragments. He thinks it came from a knee replacement.”

  I bowed my head in relief. Not Tink.

  “They’ve also found traces of blood in Silas’s office.”

  My eyes narrowed in suspicion. “Whose?”

  “Silas. It’s his remains in the oven.”

  My mind raced, trying to put what Ethan was saying together. “But how do you know? And if Silas is dead, then where’s Tink? Do you have any idea where he’s hid her?”

  “Ophelia, Silas didn’t kidnap Tink,” he said softly.

  “He had her bracelet—”

  “According to Kevin, Silas found it at Roseman.”

  My shoulders sagged as I remembered our campout. Tink had put the bracelet in her pocket after she caught it on the tent pole. It must’ve fallen out later that night. “So the bracelet wasn’t a clue,” I stated in a stunned voice.

  “No.”

  “But—”

  Ethan laid a hand on my knee. “There’s more.”

  “M-m-more?” I stuttered.

  “Kevin Roth just confessed to killing both Raymond Buchanan and Silas Green,” he said simply.

  I slapped the seat. “Then Kevin took Tink.” I made a move to stand, but Ethan put pressure on my knee, stopping me.

  “Kevin was running the body snatching scheme with Silas’s help. He used his medical school background to harvest the tissue. Silas was the deliveryman.” Ethan leaned forward and propped his elbows on his knees. “Buchanan didn’t die Saturday night, as we thought. He went out to Roseman late that night to do some cat-fishing. While there, he stumbled over one of Silas’s stashed corpses. He recognized the corpse as someone Silas was hired to cremate.”

  “But Kevin killed him before he could report what he’d found?” I asked.

  “Yes, Buchanan went to the funeral home to make the call. He trusted Kevin, so he told him about the body. Kevin knew an investigation at Green’s would uncover what they were doing to the bodies.”

  I sat in stunned silence.

  Darci cleared her throat. “Did Christopher know?”

  “I think he knew the whole thing was shady, but he didn’t ask questions,” Ethan answered.

  “When did Kevin kill Silas?” Darci asked.

  “Last night, after you were almost caught—”

  She picked at the seat. “Ah, well—”

  “Never mind, you don’t have to explain. I already know.” Ethan slowly moved his head from side to side. “You girls were lucky Kevin and Silas didn’t catch you.”

  I shook myself out of my stupor. “But what about Tink?”

  “I don’t know, Ophelia. Kevin swears they didn’t take her—”

  “He’s lying.” I shot to my feet. “Every dream, every vision, has led us to this point!”

  I spun on my heel and rushed the door. Before Ethan could stop me, I flung it open and ran to a surprised Kevin. Yanking him to his feet, I grabbed his shirt and yelled in his face, “Where’s my daughter!”

  It took two deputies to pull me off of him.

  Thirty-Three

  The tears wouldn’t stop.

  But they were the only reason I wasn’t sitting in a cell instead of driving home with Darci. I’d never seen Bill as angry as when I’d burst through the door.

  At the moment, I didn’t care. My talent had betrayed me and led me down the wrong path. Precious time had been wasted while I was off chasing handless spirits and body snatchers. I despaired of ever finding Tink.

  “I don’t understand,” I said, slamming my fist against the seat of Darci’s car. “The signs all pointed to Silas.”

  A deep hiccup stopped my tirade.

  Wiping my face, I stared bleakly down the road. “I can’t think.”

  Darci’s face tightened with worry. “You need to calm down. This isn’t good for you.”

  “I don’t care.” I sighed as hopelessness swamped me.

  “Do you think having a case of hysterics will help find Tink?”

  “Hysterics? They’re the only reason Bill didn’t arrest me. The last thing he wanted was a wailing woman in his peaceful jail.”

  “You’ll feel better after you see Abby and Aunt Dot.” Darci’s voice was soothing. “They’re waiting for you at home.”

  I gave her a bitter look. “Yeah, Aunt Dot and her fairies. A lot of bloody good help they’ve been.”

  “She said the fairies didn’t think Silas was smart enough to be behind the body snatching,” she reasoned. “You mentioned that they didn’t like Kevin.”

  I blew my nose and took a deep breath. “I’m not one hundred percent sure her fairies aren’t a result of delusions. Or tippling.” I wiped my face with the heel of my hand. “Maybe they’re just a figment of her imagination, which she uses to explain her psychic gifts.”

  “Doesn’t matter, she’s been right at least twice now.” Her eyes slid briefly in my direction. “And I don’t like pointing this out, but when it comes to what’s happening with Tink, that’s better than you or Abby have done.”

  I puffed out my cheeks and blew out slowly. “You’re right. Maybe I should pay more attention to what she’s saying.”

  When we arrived at the house, I spotted Abby waiting for us on the front porch, wringing her hands. I flew out of the car and into her arms. The tears flowed again.

  “Why? Why?” I cried, my sobs muffled against her shoulder.

  Abby made soft tsking sounds as she led me through the house and into the kitchen, where Aunt Dot was sitting at the table. Pulling out a chair, she helped me ease my trembling body down and slid a cup of tea over to me.

  “Drink it,” she commanded.

  I took a cautious sip, and the hot liquid felt good flowing down my aching throat. Warmth, starting in the center of my body, spread outward, and my shaking stopped.

  “Better?” she asked, placing a hand on my shoulder.

  I bobbed my head.

  With a small smile, she took a place at the table next to Aunt Dot.

  Darci sat, too. Scooting her chair forward, she propped her arms on the table. “Tell me about your fairies, Aunt Dot.”

  Aunt Dot cast a nervous look my way. “Ophelia doesn’t believe in them.”

  “She just doesn’t understand,” Darci said gently.

  “Ack, I’ve seen them ever since I was a little girl.” Her eyes widened. “Not the bad ones, though, just the good ones.” A dreamy expression softened her face. “They’re beautiful and playful. And their voices sound like the tinkling of bells. They don’t like to interfere with the doings of humans, though. Mind their own business, they do.” She gave an emphatic nod.

  “Is that why they won’t say where Tink is?” Darci asked.

  “Yes, it’s one of the reasons.” Aunt Dot’s body rocked back and forth. “But she is still safe. They told me this morning.”

  I cleared my throat. “What’s another reason, Aunt Dot?”

  “The things that have happened are part of the pattern.”

  “What pattern?”

  “The pattern of your life, child. You had lessons that needed learning.”

  I pulled my hair back from my face. “Pretty hard lessons, I’d say.”

  “They have been, but the end is in sight. You’ve learned, and your life will never be the same. There’ll be more down the road for you, but for now the lesson is almost finished.”

  “Can you be a little more specific?”

  She smiled, her wrinkles deepening. “That’s for you to figure out.”

  I rose and carried my now empty cup to the sink. “Answers like that is what I hate about all this psychic stuff,” I grumbled. “Why can’t you just know what you need to know, without all the mumbo jumbo ‘Here’s a sign’ crap.”

  Aunt Dot exchanged a look with Abby. “I’d bet her next lesson will be one in patience,” she said in
a wise voice.

  “Listen, messages from the fairies aside,” I said, leaning against the counter, “the way I see it, we’re no closer to finding Tink than we were—”

  Aunt Dot turned to me in surprise. “Didn’t Tink contact you?”

  “No,” I replied in a clipped voice.

  “Hmm, the fairies said the message is there. It’s going to show you the way.”

  I clutched the edge of the counter. “I did a Celtic cross reading with the runes.”

  Aunt Dot nodded in approval. “Good, good.”

  “They were all positive except the one representing the present.” I snorted. “Go figure. Oh…wait a second…the rune in the ‘past’ position was inverted.”

  “And it said what, dear?” Abby asked.

  “The current situation is being affected by lies and trickery.”

  “Someone is lying to you?”

  “Abby, all we’ve run into so far is liars. Kevin Roth, Silas Green, Christopher Mason.” I crossed the room and joined them again at the table. “And none of them know anything about Tink.”

  “Maybe you need to look a little deeper?” she suggested, patting my hand. “You’ll figure it out. You can’t let what’s happened shake your belief in your gifts.”

  “That’s kind of hard at the moment. I—”

  The sound of a car pulling into my driveway interrupted me.

  “Dang, I don’t want company now,” I exclaimed.

  “Don’t worry.” Darci rose with a determined expression on her face. “I’ll take care of them.”

  Moments later Darci’s strident voice filtered into the kitchen. “This isn’t a good time.”

  “Nonsense.”

  Crap. Gert.

  She bustled into the room, holding a plate in her hand. Placing it on the table, she threw her arms around me. “You poor, poor thing. It just goes from bad to worse for you, doesn’t it?”

  Releasing my shoulders, she stepped back. “I heard what happened. Have they found Tink’s body yet?”

  “What?” I exclaimed.

  “That’s an awful question to ask, Gert.” Darci stood in the doorway with her hands fisted at her sides.

  Gert looked at each of us in turn with complete innocence. “I’m sorry. The story I heard said that terrible man, Silas Green, kidnapped Tink. It—it only made sense to assume he’d hide her body with the rest of the unburied.”

  The fairies said she’s safe. I repeated it over and over in my head while I fought the sickness gripping my stomach.

  Abby took charge of the situation. “I know you didn’t mean to be unkind, Gert—”

  She waved her hands. “No, no, I didn’t.” She pointed at the plate. “Mama made cookies as a way to offer our condolences.”

  Darci moved to the table. “They don’t need condolences.”

  “Darci, dear, why don’t you have a seat?” Abby got to her feet. “Gert, here, take mine. Would you like a cup of tea?”

  Gert seated herself. “No. Thank you for asking. Mama and I just feel so sorry for y’all. I can’t imagine. It all must seem so hopeless to you.”

  “Humph.” Aunt Dot quickly stood and hobbled over to the sink.

  “One can never give up hope,” Abby replied in a firm voice.

  Gert pivoted in her chair. “You haven’t given up even though the sheriff doesn’t have any clues? You must have a plan to find her.”

  “I’ll find her if I have to go house to house myself.”

  Gert looked at me with pity written all over her face. “Ophelia, sometimes it’s best just to accept the inevitable.”

  Darci’s open palms hit the table. “What are you trying to do, Gert, shove the knife in and twist it?”

  Gert’s hand flew to the pendant around her neck. “Whatever do you mean? I’m only trying to help.”

  “Ha!”

  “I am,” she huffed.

  “Well, so far there hasn’t been a single ‘helpful’ remark come out of your mouth.” Darci waved a hand toward the door. “You come waltzing in here, saying you heard Tink’s dead, telling this family their situation is hopeless.” Her eyes narrowed as she scowled at Gert. “How ‘helpful’ is that, huh?”

  “What an insulting thing to say. You never have liked me,” Gert sniffed. “And I’ve tried so hard to do a good job at the library.”

  “You have, Gert,” I said in an effort to placate her and ease the tension building in the room.

  “She doesn’t think so,” she replied, her tone injured.

  “Sure she does.” I nudged Darci with my foot from under the table. “Don’t you, Darci?”

  Darci leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms over her chest, and frowned at Gert with hostility. She refused to answer.

  “Come on, everyone’s upset right now. I’m sure Darci didn’t mean to insult you, Gert.”

  A smirk played at Darci’s mouth. “Yes, I did. I don’t like her sowing her negativity.”

  “Darci—”

  Gert surged to her feet. “I’ve heard stories about the two of you, but I didn’t believe them. I’d heard you’re so grateful for her friendship that you let her run all over you. Now I see it’s true.”

  “Gert,” I said in a cold voice, “she does not run all over me. Darci is a valued employee and a friend. I’m sorry if you have a problem with that.”

  “A friend? You should hear what she tells the other employees about you.”

  I grabbed Darci’s arm to prevent her from rising. “You must be mistaken. I trust Darci.”

  “Humph, but you don’t trust me. I had such hopes for this job. There’s so much to be done.” She lifted her chin. “But it’s impossible for me to continue working in such a hostile environment. I’ll be calling Claire with my resignation.”

  She turned on her heel and stalked out of the kitchen.

  For a moment no one spoke.

  “Hey, she forgot her cookies,” Darci said, picking up one and taking a bite. “Bleah. That’s the worst cookie I’ve ever tasted.”

  She grabbed the plate and dumped it, cookies and all, into the garbage.

  Thirty-Four

  I wandered the dark, silent house. I’d tried to sleep, but it eluded me. I found myself alone in my office. From the window, near the ring of trees circling my backyard, I saw lightning bugs flitting amid the flower beds. Huge lightning bugs. Their lights blinked on and off in a mesmerizing, almost comforting pattern.

  I paused at the window, watching them.

  When would this nightmare brought on by Tink’s disappearance end? Abby had said I couldn’t lose faith in my talents, but they hadn’t helped me find her. I still felt she was safe. But did I know it or was it because I needed so desperately to believe it was true?

  The thought scared me.

  Aunt Dot had said I’d learned a lesson. What lesson? I thought back to the rune reading. Raido had shown an emotional journey—one that would change my life. My life had changed. It was unrecognizable from how it had been six years ago. Trust and friendship mattered more to me now than ever before.

  Sitting at my desk, I picked up the old leather pouch holding my runes and leaned back in the chair. The weight of it felt good in my hand. I shifted the bag from one hand to the next.

  With Gert quitting, I had no choice but to go to the library tomorrow. I groaned. Working the counter would be impossible. The town gossips would be on me like a pack of dogs, all wanting to know about Silas Green, the bodies, Tink’s disappearance. My nerves were strong enough at this time to handle their stares and their questions.

  I’d go in early and hide out in my office.

  I opened the pouch, and sticking my hand inside, let my fingers play among the cool stones. Suddenly, I felt a tingle on the side of my palm as if I’d touched a hot electrical wire. Running my fingers through the stones, I felt it again. Strange.

  Sitting forward, I withdrew my hand and placed the bag on the desk. I unfolded the linen square, emptied the pouch, and closed my eyes as I ran a finge
r over the runes.

  The shock hit me again. Opening my eyes, I looked to see which stone had called to me. By their position, it was impossible to tell.

  Leaving my eyes open, I ran my finger across them. Ouch. The shock tingled all the way up my arm. Taking a pen, I flipped the rune over.

  Ansuz inverted. Lies, trickery, deceit. The same rune that had appeared earlier in the Celtic cross reading in the “past” position. The runes were making a point—someone from my past was deceiving me, and somehow it was related to Tink’s kidnapping.

  Was this the message the fairies had described?

  Early the next morning I stood on the library steps unlocking the front door for the first time in days. My car had been returned the prior evening by one of Bill’s deputies and now sat in its usual parking spot in front of the building. Ha, I thought, it would be like a beacon drawing the curious to the library.

  I stepped inside, and all the familiar smells greeted me. Lemon oil, old leather, the funny, kind of musty smell that old buildings have. Taking a deep breath, I paused and drew comfort from the fact that some things never change.

  Darci was already here. Spotting me, she smiled, and I felt a tinge of sadness. Her presence here every day would be a change. In all that had gone on over the past couple of weeks, I’d not thought about how soon she’d be starting college.

  “Hey, how are you? Did you get any sleep?” she asked.

  After strolling to the counter, I shoved my backpack in its regular spot underneath. “Yes.”

  “No dreams?”

  “No.” I straightened the pens on the counter. “I did think about the rune reading.” I paused, staring off into space. “A funny thing happened. I picked out Ansuz again. In fact, it was almost as if the rune was shouting at me.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I felt a shock when I touched it. The rune was inverted, too, just like in the reading.”

  “And that means what?”

  “Someone’s lying.” I pursed my lips, thinking. “You don’t suppose it could be Ethan, do you?”

  Darci snorted. “Are you kidding? That guy’s as straight up as they come.” She thought for a moment. “Do you think the rune is Tink’s message to you?”