Grenache and Graves

by Sandra Woffington

  Ruby reached over and took Joy’s hand, which made Joy uncomfortable, but she said nothing, hoping for a detail she could use.

  Ruby closed her eyes. Her lips moved. She opened them again and let go of Joy’s hand. “You will heal and surpass the pain. I will too.”

  Joy knew she’d get nothing more. “Ruby,” asked Joy. “Didn’t you know the obelisk was unsafe? I hear the groundskeeper, Bear, had chased you off before.”

  Ruby could not look Joy in the eyes. Her head bowed in shame, laden with guilt. “Obviously, if we thought the headstone would topple, we would never have set up our circle before it. But we use wands and the athame—the obelisk too—to channel the universe’s energies. Bear knows we use the cemetery. He looks the other way, and so do we.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “We caught him digging beside a gravestone.”

  “What for?”

  “I don’t know, but he had a cardboard box with a dead snake in it.”

  “We’ll look into it. Can you send your mother in to see me?”

  “Of course. I’ll stay outside. I love watching the creek and the birds. I talk to the trees and grasses.” Ruby glided out and Alizon glided in.

  Joy could not help but to see how a lifetime of Alizon’s and Drew’s influence had molded Ruby into a holistic healer and high priestess.

  Joy’s mind raced over the lifetime she’d spent with Sam. Why had she felt like she didn’t belonged to him? Now that she and Max had grown so close, she could not imagine ever feeling as alone and isolated as she had back then. The irony is that she’d formed a new connection to Steele, and Max remained the loner. Before she could ponder more, Alizon entered the room.

  Alizon walked across the room with an affable, free-wheeling gait, yet there was a haughtiness about her. Joy could see that she liked to lead, to wear her crown. Her hickory-brown hair feathered around her face, accentuating her hickory-brown eyes, which seemed to bore into Joy’s eyes like she was trying to read a crystal ball.

  Alizon sat beside Joy. She kept her chin down and her eyes up, like one animal reading the intent of the other. She had a slim nose and full lips. Joy could imagine her former beauty, but she didn’t have to imagine the power she wielded in her circle. Alizon exuded it from every pore. Confidence. Drive.

  “Were you born into the circle, like Ruby?”

  Alizon laughed in a harmonic tone free of inhibition or restraint. “I was born in a commune. What does that tell you? I grew up with freedoms most people only dream about. Our commune welcomed all religions. A pagan couple moved to the farm. They explained about the god and goddess. They taught me, and when I participated in ceremonies, I felt transported. Alive. Blessed Be.”

  “And Drew?”

  Again Alizon laughed. “Political science degree from Georgetown. The universe put us together. In a country store near the farm where I lived. I’d walked over to buy chewing gun, and there he was, wearing a collared shirt and slacks and with his hair neatly trimmed—back when he had hair. I jumped at the chance to be with him. To try a new experience. But we fell in love. I became pregnant with Ruby. We moved to California, and here we are.”

  “Did you notice anything out of the ordinary at the ceremony?”

  “Not at all. Drew poured us a drink of tea—it’s our habit before a ceremony. Jared was on my left and Gregor on my right. We called the corners. Ruby invoked the spirits. We chanted and danced. I picked up the athame and danced with it, then passed it to Val. Jared returned to his place before the obelisk. Ruby stood before him. We gathered on each side of them in a small circle. We reached out and put our hands on them. Ruby told us to close our eyes.”

  “Ruby asked?”

  “Yes.”

  “Is that normal?”

  “Not really, but not unheard of either.”

  “Then what?”

  “Then I heard a crack. I opened my eyes. The obelisk tilted. I screamed, and everyone jumped out of the way, except Jared. You know, Val glared at Jared constantly at the Ayahuasca ceremony. At first, I thought she was keeping an eye on me. And come to think of it, she paid unusual attention to him at the Mabon ceremony too.”

  “That might help. Anything else?”

  “No, but like I said. You should take a closer look at Crystal.”

  “We will. I appreciate your candor.” Joy said the word as a mental test—by using the world “candor,” she hoped Alizon would produce better details. “You don’t think Gregor would kill Jared to become high priest?”

  “I don’t think so, but we never really know people, do we? I mean, he was in love with me. He was one of my partners in the commune. Nothing serious. I fell in love with Drew. But Gregor followed us to California. He tried to win me back. I heard he even tried a binding spell. But he’s been in the circle for ages—first in mine, and when Ruby started her first circle, he jumped at the chance. It’s water under the bridge. Gregor and I are just friends now. Pagans are open.”

  Joy ripped her assertion to shreds to goad her. “I’m not sure that’s true! You hide your celebrations.”

  Alizon became defensive and raised her voice. “We only hide from the wrath and condemnation of others. But I don’t care who knows I’m a pagan queen. It’s on my license plate, although most will misconstrue it as arrogance. And I’m fine with that. They’re right.” Alizon paused. “Dr. Burton, you have a strong aura. Dark and light. There’s a war within you. But you’re powerful. Naturally so. Be careful how you use it.”

  Joy was momentarily taken aback by Alizon’s prophetic reading. Then she realized Alizon had indeed read her. Like a gypsy fortuneteller, she knew exactly what to say to make her words seem magical and prophetic. “You have an equally strong aura. Dark and light, I would also wager. But then—a prophecy that good and evil exists in all of us is not really a prophecy. More of a sure bet.”

  Alizon narrowed her eyes. “We shall see.”

  12

  Max and Joy returned to the station. They crossed the squad room and fell into their seats.

  Joy searched the arrest database. “Max, Alizon was right about Crystal. She stalked a boy in Ojai and keyed his car. After paying for the damages and promising to leave town, the boy, Mike, dropped the charges.”

  Max asked, “What about her time in L.A.?”

  “Worse, not better. She stalked another young man. The report says she left a ‘poppet’ stuffed with herbs on his doorstep, followed by dead rats, followed by a brick heaved through his window. When she agreed to move, he dropped the charges.”

  Max called the Ojai boy; Joy called the Los Angeles one. They traded notes.

  “Whew!” Max leaned back in his chair. “He called Crystal—real name Chris—a nutcase. She confessed her love to him, and when he rejected her, his life became a nightmare. Crystal stalked him. She’d leave tied bundles of ‘Venus’ herbs on his car or on his doorstep. She’d sit in her car outside his house chanting every evening. One night, his girlfriend, a member of the same circle, stepped outside and confronted Crystal, threatened her, and chased her off. The next morning, a pentagram was scratched into his car door and windshield. Crystal’s mother, an attorney, offered to pay for the repairs and to compensate him for anguish if he dropped the charges. He agreed, if Crystal would move far, far away.”

  “Crystal escalated in Los Angeles,” said Joy. “She went after David, a member of her new circle. He also rebuffed her—nicely at first and forcefully when that failed. He, too, found gifts—herbal sachets or a doll tied with a red ribbon on his doorstep, and when he had had enough and called Crystal a ‘black spirit,’ the gifts became dead rats and a brick thrown through his window. He said she even cast a death spell on him. Again, Crystal’s mother paid for damages and convinced her daughter to move away.”

  “Let’s pay Crystal another visit,” said Max, already dialing Crystal’s cell number.

  “Hello?” Crystal answered.

  “Crystal, this is Detective Max King. Can we stop by the
store to see you?”

  “I’m out making deliveries. I’ll come your way,” suggested Crystal.

  Max gave her the address of the station.

  A half hour later, Crystal sat in a chair halfway between Max’s and Joy’s desks.

  Joy began, “Crystal, we need to be blunt. You have a history of violent acts toward boys you professed to love, both in Ojai and Los Angeles.”

  Crystal wore a long red dress that scooped low in front to show her cleavage. She had her blond hair pulled up into a poof atop her head and let some scraggly ends hang down beside her face. She wore dark eye shadow, thick black liner, and red lipstick. She had a beautiful face but her makeup gave her a hard edge. She picked at her cuticles. “I’m not proud of that. No one pressed charges.”

  Max swiveled in his chair. “Your mother bought them off. Crystal, did you love Jared?”

  Crystal rolled her eyes. “Yes. I won’t lie. He was totally handsome and super nice. I’d flirt with him, and he’d put his arm around my shoulder or my waist and give me a hug. He even kissed me on the head once, same as Ruby.”

  “That could be friendship too,” said Joy.

  Crystal kept her eyes down at her hands. Her voice sounded like a child’s. “I know. Jared told me that he loved Ruby. He was super nice about it. I stopped putting spells on him.”

  “You did a binding spell?” asked Joy.

  Crystal bobbed her chin. “That was before. But I removed it.”

  “And what about Gunner?” asked Max.

  Crystal became defensive. “Yes! He’s totally cute. He’s a mess and so am I. I figured we’d be perfect together.”

  “You bound him too?” asked Max.

  “Yes.” Crystal sighed. She picked at her cuticles. “But I removed that spell too! Alizon saw me casting it. She told Gregor. He pulled me aside and hugged me. He gave me a job. He let me try an Ayahuasca ceremony for free, saying I had to rid myself of my demons. Start over. He said that’s how he rid himself of his love for Alizon. He had followed her to California. He’d tried binding spells. He said Ayahuasca helped him to let go of her and his life in the commune. It helped him see he’d be a great healer, and he is.”

  Joy leaned closer to Crystal and lowered her voice. “Before Ayahuasca, did you ever seek therapy?”

  Crystal’s tone changed. Her anger flared. “Since I was five! What kind of a mother puts her five-year-old in therapy?”

  “This is just a guess,” said Max. “But one worried about anger issues?”

  Crystal glared. “My mother gave me anger issues! She’s a successful attorney. Mergers and acquisitions. Also beautiful—blond, tall, and vivacious. Everything her daughter is not! She chased my father away. He wanted nothing to do with either of us! And she stuck me in therapy for one reason—so she could tell her fancy friends that her daughter suffered from anxiety and depression. She told people that was why I ate. She did this so her clients and friends excused me for not being like her. And—even sweeter—Mother gained a sympathetic ear.”

  “You rebelled?” asked Joy.

  “I crumbled. Then I became everything I knew my mother would hate. The more weight I gained, the more miserable I made her. She nagged me constantly.”

  Crystal’s brows furrowed in an expression born of long-standing, deep-seated, unflinching pain. She picked her cuticle, and her index finger bled. “I started to practice the craft to try to regain some power over my life. To force my mother to love me as I am. The first binding love spell I ever tried was on her.”

  Max leaned in and lowered his voice. “I’m sorry, Crystal. That sounds miserable.”

  Joy added, “You were psychologically abandoned. But you’ve lashed out at yourself and others.”

  Crystal gazed at Joy. She interlocked her fingers. “That’s how my therapist explained it.” Her voice strained. “When I joined the first circle in Ojai, everyone seemed so loving, but they ignored me too. The guys were as bad as the girls. That’s when I saw the fourth moon, and I began to study the black arts. The high priestess asked me to leave the circle. Same thing happened in Los Angeles.”

  Max confronted her. “That’s not entirely accurate. You stalked a boy in Ojai. You keyed his car and windshield. Your mother fixed the problem.”

  Crystal closed her eyes for a moment. She squeaked out a barely audible “Yes.”

  “And you escalated in Los Angeles,” pushed Joy.

  Crystal nodded. She avoided Max and spoke to Joy. “I’ve spent my life hating myself, punishing myself for not being good enough for my mother. Punishing myself for being unworthy of love!”

  Max dove in. Time to press. “From Ojai to Los Angeles, your rage grew. Maybe enough to plunge a knife into Jared’s chest when he rebuffed you. You killed him like you wish you could kill your mother?”

  “No! You’re wrong.” Crystal’s eyes filled with fear and anger. “I did try to kill once—myself! The doctor gave me an anti-depressant, Prozac. When I first came here, I sat at my kitchen table and poured myself a glass of wine. I poured out the green and red pills, and I stared at them. I sipped the wine. But I couldn’t do it. I realized that if I did it—my mother won! It was what she wanted. For me to disappear. That day changed my life.”

  Joy pressed her. “Crystal, people don’t just change. Your rage could not have simply disappeared. Problem solved. Let’s move on.”

  Crystal’s scared, child-like blue eyes roamed between Joy and Max. “I know. I have a long way to go. But I’ve started down the path. A white path. I’m finally not wearing black—mourning my own death. Gregor knows what it’s like to obsess. He didn’t just give me a job. He’s helping me take my life back. I confronted my mother in the Ayahuasca ceremony. When I came out of it, I felt like I had purged her—every snide remark, every glance of dissatisfaction, every scolding word.” Crystal laughed. “I’ve even lost a couple of pounds. It’s a start. You can’t make people love you.”

  Max shot Joy a glance of concern. This girl had problems. Could she go off the rails and kill Jared? It seemed likely. “What about Gunner?”

  “Gregor made me realize I can’t love anyone else until I love myself. And Gunner had his own issues. He needed to heal too. Now I cast spells to bring love my way—the love of the divine.”

  Max switched gears. “Did you know anything about a problem between Val and Jared?”

  Crystal’s brows knit in confusion. “Not really, but the morning of the Mabon ceremony, I dropped off some mugwort leaves to Ruby’s house. I heard Val yelling and Jared yelling back. I hesitated, but I knocked. Val shouted, ‘Just a minute.’ She came to the door, barely opened it a crack, and she took the package. I left. Alizon, Ruby, and Drew were on a walking path, headed back to the house. They waved. I waved back as I drove away.”

  Max pressed, “We hear Gregor wanted to be high priest. Was that part of his obsession?”

  Crystal’s eyes narrowed, as if Max had asked her to stab Gregor in the back. “He deserves to be high priest! He knows more than Jared ever will. Know what Jared did before he moved here? He was in show business! But, he’s a nice guy and he’s Ruby’s consort.”

  Max laid on the pressure. “Would Gregor kill to be high priest?”

  “No! That’s crazy!” objected Crystal.

  Joy pushed her. “Would you kill to open the high priest position for the man you love—Gregor!”

  “No. Gregor is so impressed with me, we spoke about forming our own circle. He would be high priest and I’d be high priestess.” Crystal beamed. “Gregor is a healer, not a killer.”

  Joy tilted her head. “You love him?”

  Crystal demurred. “I have to love myself first. I’m getting there. Then we’ll see. We have a lot in common. We both felt abandoned, dismissed.”

  “Thanks, Crystal,” said Joy. “I’m glad you’re feeling better. Rage will destroy you.”

  Crystal nodded. “That’s what Gregor said. He’s teaching me white magic. I need to find peace in my life. I don’t like
what my mother has made me. And what I’ve made of myself. I can’t change her. But I can change me.”

  Max added, “Thanks for coming in. We’ll be in touch.”

  Crystal departed.

  When out of earshot, Max leaned forward. “Maybe she killed Jared to open up the high priest spot for him?”

  Joy stretched. “I have to admit, I’m not sure she’s as in control of herself as she’d like us to believe. But she’s right. Gregor could have left the circle. No need to kill for it.”

  Max argued, “And leave Alizon? Cut his obsessive ties once and for all? I don’t know.”

  “Speaking of obsessive, are you up for a stakeout at the cemetery? See if we can figure out what Bear’s up to?”

  Max joked. “Maybe grave-robbing?”

  Joy scrunched her face. “Be serious. That would take a forklift.”

  “What then?” asked Max. “Planting flower bulbs at night?”

  “Planting something or extracting something. Steele will go if you’re afraid of the graveyard at night.”

  “Steele can come to protect you. I’m not afraid.”

  “That didn’t sound convincing. I’ll bring the coffee.”

  Max added, “I’ll bring the sugar.”

  “Naturally.”

  13

  The Wine Valley Cemetery had been placed in close proximity to the original town, the area now called Grape Gulch. That meant the city had long ago engulfed it. As Max parked on a side street, his phone rang. Joy and Steele hopped out, popped the trunk, and grabbed gear, while Max finished the call. “Hi, Sophia.”

  Sophia Hansen sounded excited. “Here’s the scoop. I hope it helps. It looks like the original James Summerfield married his wealth. He had land, but his father drank and gambled away the family fortune. Clara was the only daughter of a recently arrived Irish immigrant—a man with wealth but no land. He could have purchased the land, but the man wanted status—a name, and the Summerfields had that.”

  “The perfect couple,” said Max.