“How do you do that?” Ben asked.
Belladonna just shrugged and got back to digging. Ben looked at his watch and was impressed it took them just under an hour to dig up a six-foot grave. Belladonna told him to get out of the way, and she levitated the casket out of the hole in the earth and set it down gently next to the gravesite.
“Are we really going to open it?” Ben looked a little squeamish.
“We dug it up, what else would we do now?” Bella said with a chuckle. “Stand back and let me handle it.”
Neither one of them could say that were truly shocked when Bella opened the lid and the Reverend Midnight was laid out on top of Jerry Rice’s body.
“That’s disturbing,” Ben muttered.
“I wish my Aunt and Granny were here,” Belladonna said without thinking.
And just like that, Granny Pepper and Aunt Sumac appeared next to them. Ben’s face blanched and Belladonna shot him the look.
“I’m sorry. I couldn’t help it.” He said.
“This is going to cost us,” Belladonna said with a playful roll of her eyes, but she was happy to see them even if there was going to be a price to pay. “Hi, guys. Glad you could join us.”
“What did Genie Boy do?” Granny Pepper asked.
“How did you know it was him?” Aunt Sumac said. “Maybe it was MY superior magic skills.”
“I can tell by the way Belladonna was trying to stare a hole in his head when we instantly appeared here. It’s pretty obvious she made a wish, and he went off half-cocked and granted it.”
“It’s true,” Ben said sheepishly.
“I’m the one who forgot myself and made a wish,” Belladonna said and patted him on the back. “That being said, you don’t have to grant them just because I make them.”
“Sorry, Baby. I think it’s the Voodoo. It just happened like a reflex or something.”
“Moving on.” Granny Pepper said and lit her pipe. “I see we’re grave robbing here. So, what’s up?”
“It’s not grave robbing.” Bella protested.
She gave up on trying to convince everyone that it wasn’t really grave robbing and filled Aunt Sumac and Granny Pepper in on the details.
“So, there’s a demon in a Voodoo King, inside a grave, and covering the dead body of a demon hunter?” Aunt Sumac asked while she pulled a Ziploc bag of marshmallows out of her sweatshirt pocket.
“That’s the idea,” Bella responded.
“Well, let’s wake that sucker up.” Granny Pepper said gleefully. “It’s been a long time since I went toe to toe with a demon.”
Granny Pepper peered inside the coffin and let out a holler when she found that the casket did contain a demon possessed Voodoo priest on top of a former demon hunter.
“Granny, we’re trying to keep from being discovered,” Bella said.
“Oh, hush. Let em come. Now that we’re together, they’re in trouble.” She almost sounded as if she was growling.
“Okay, Mom calm down.” Aunt Sumac said. “We’re still not exactly sure what we’re dealing with here.”
“I always thought you would make a better daughter if you were a llama.” Granny Pepper teased.
“Bring it, old lady.” Sumac responded.
“Okay, guys. We really need to figure out what to do about the bodies, demons, and open grave we’ve got here.” Ben said nervously.
Everyone turned to look at Ben, and before he could apologize, Granny Pepper turned him into a raccoon.
“Haha.” Aunt Sumac laughed. “Look, Belladonna, your Granny turned your husband into a trash panda.”
Belladonna sighed loudly. “Granny, I know he probably deserved that, but can you please change him back. He’s the Chief of Police, and we can’t afford for him to go running off into the woods or something.
Granny Pepper mumbled something under her breath, and Ben turned back into a person.
“What happened?” He asked.
“Granny Pepper turned you into a raccoon.” Bella tried to conceal her grin.
“I’m not even going to ask,” Ben said.
“It’s probably better that way.” Sumac said with a wink.
“So, what are we going to do with him?” Belladonna asked. “If he was going to wake up and attack, I guess he’d have already done that.”
“We could set him on fire.” Granny Pepper said cheerfully.
“We can’t set him on fire. We’re trying to save the man and destroy the demon.” Ben said without thinking.
Aunt Sumac stepped in front of her mother’s wand before she could turn Ben into another animal. “He’s right, Mom.”
“Fine.” She huffed in return.
During the course of their debate about what to do with the bodies in the grave, Reverend Midnight did not wake up. The group wasn’t sure what they should do with him, and they had no idea what to do about Jerry Rice either.
“He could have put some sort of spell on the body, and if he did, we’d just have to dig it back up again,” Belladonna said.
“So, we’ve got to figure out what we’re supposed to do with two bodies?” Ben asked as respectfully as possible. “I don’t know what to do with the Voodoo King demon guy, but maybe we should take Jerry’s body to his son.”
The knock at Joe Rice’s door wasn’t exactly a surprise. He’d had an expectant feeling all evening, but he didn’t anticipate that three witches and the Chief of Police would show up at his door claiming to have his father’s body.
“Well, where is he?” Joe asked as he rubbed his jaw.
“We didn’t want to bring him to the door.” Aunt Sumac said. “Some people would find that troubling.”
“Come in. I’ve got a spot you can put him.”
Joe walked down the hallway and pulled the attic stairs down. He gestured up towards the opening in the ceiling.
“Are you sure you want to keep him here? Will you be okay sleeping here with him up there?” Belladonna asked softly.
“I don’t know anywhere else we could put the old man.” He said and ran his hand over his head and through his closely cropped salt and pepper hair. “I have a cot and a mini fridge at the shop. I can stay there until this is over.”
Ben had left them all in the cemetery while he got his car. It was now parked out in front of Joe’s house, and his dad’s body was in the trunk.
“I’ll just be in the kitchen. Let me know when you’re done. We’ll go to the shop and talk after.” Joe said.
He went into the kitchen and got two chocolate chip cookies out of a jar on the counter and poured himself a glass of milk. Joe sat at the kitchen table eating the cookies and milk while the ghost of his mother sat across the table from him and told him the story of the day he was born.
When they were done moving Jerry Rice’s remains up to the attic, everyone got in Ben’s car, and they all went to Joe’s shop.
“We have something we have to tell you, Joe,” Ben said once they were all inside and sitting on metal folding chairs in the garage bay.
He took a few minutes to explain to Joe how they’d found the body of Reverend Midnight in the grave with his father. Belladonna and her family warded all of the doors with protection magic, and they told Joe to call them if he needed help. No one knew for sure if Sister Oshun would grow impatient and come after Joe, and the Belladonna didn’t want him to have to deal with the priestess on his own.
The decision was made not to tell Joe where they had taken the Reverend Midnight. If he knew, there was always the chance that he could be compelled to tell Sister Oshun.
They had to figure out why the demon in Reverend Midnight had hidden in Jerry Rice’s grave, and they had to find out why he hadn’t told the entity in Sister Oshun.
Things just didn’t add up.
Twelve
“I don’t know if this was the best place to store him,” Belladonna said skeptically.
“Well, did you have a better idea?” Granny Pepper asked.
The truth was, Belladonna,
didn’t have a better idea. When Nick was comatose, they’d kept him at Carly’s house, but this was different.
“Well, if we keep him in a jail cell, Lucy will start asking questions. I’m not sure how much of this I want to let her in on just yet.” Ben offered. “But, we need to keep the body somewhere secure. Nobody comes in this evidence locker.”
“But they just finished building this place. Now, we’re storing the body of a Voodoo King with a demon inside of it here. This could end badly.” Belladonna said.
“Okay. So, body’s secure. Now what?” Aunt Sumac asked.
“Why don’t we ask the preacher?” Granny Pepper said.
“The preacher?”
“The one we sealed in the old church. Maybe he knows something.”
“That guy hates us.” Bella was shocked at the suggestion.
“Well, he hates us because I sealed him into the church and because he was a nasty, angry man in real life. But, if I offer to free him in exchange for information, maybe he’ll help us.” Granny said thoughtfully.
“Are you really going to let an angry spirit go free for a little bit of information?” Ben asked.
“Haha. Nope, but don’t tell him that.” Granny Pepper said with a wink.
Sumac and Belladonna were shocked that Granny hadn’t turned Ben into a toad for questioning her, but they just shrugged. She must have thought it was a legitimate question.
Belladonna and Granny Pepper went to the church alone. Aunt Sumac stayed back at the police station with Ben. She wanted to try casting a few spells on the deceased while Pepper and Belladonna went ghost hunting.
“Do I have to sit here while you mess around with the dead guy?” Ben asked a little too boldly.
“Hush.” Aunt Sumac said without looking away from her task. “You’re going to find yourself being a toad more than a husband if you don’t learn some manners, young man.”
Aunt Sumac looked up to see that Ben looked completely flabbergasted. She knew if she wasn’t careful, he could get scared off. Or at least, she worried that might happen. Men could be so sensitive.
“I’m kidding.” She looked at him with an affectionate smile. “You’re family now. That’s why we mess with you.”
“We aren’t married yet.”
“You guys haven’t been through some fancy schmancy ceremony, but you’re as good as hitched. I sincerely hope you don’t think of backing out on my girl, and I really pray, for your own safety, that you never hurt her.” The look Aunt Sumac gave Ben could have melted steel. “I’ll send a hitman after your behind.”
“Okay, first, I’m the Chief of Police and second, you know a hitman?” Ben was more impressed than upset.
“I’m the Chief of Police.” Aunt Sumac mocked him with her chest out. “Yeah, well, they’re not hitmen like you’d see in the movies. Just a couple of country boys who’ll do just about anything for a six pack and a chance at righting a few wrongs.” She winked at him.
“Who are they?” Ben asked.
“Haha. Like I’d tell you.”
“But, we’re family, Aunt Sumac.” Ben teased.
“Don’t push it, Genie Boy.”
Belladonna and Granny Pepper approached the church quietly. Bella cringed when the door to the abandoned chapel groaned loudly as it opened.
“Do you really think you can convince him to help us?” Bella whispered.
“Not really. Your Aunt Sumac had some things she wanted to say to that Man of yours. I figured we’d get out and stretch our legs while I tried to come up with a plan.” Granny Pepper answered with a cackle.
“Oh, jeez. We should go back.” Belladonna turned to leave.
“Calm down, woman. They’ll be okay. Besides, it wouldn’t hurt to ask the old specter since we’re here already.
“So, then, we’re going to the basement?”
“Yes.” Granny Peppers said.
Belladonna followed behind. She wasn’t sure what it was about this place that made her feel so uneasy. It was worse this time than the last. Feeling that way made no sense because she was with one of the most powerful witches in this life and the next.
When they got to the bottom of the stairs, the two witches walked to the middle of the room and stood silently for a few minutes. Belladonna wanted to ask what they were doing, but if Granny Pepper was standing quietly, she knew she needed to do the same.
Before long, the air around them took on a heavy feeling that hadn’t been present before. It began to buzz with energy, but anyone, even an ordinary, would be able to tell that it was negative.
“You again.” An angry man’s voice hissed from behind them.
Granny Pepper and Belladonna turned around to face the specter hovering in the air behind them. In life, he had been tall, thin, and balding. At least, this is how his soul presented itself now. His ghost Bible, most likely a replica of one he’d owned in life, was still clutched in his hands.
“Why do you always have that Bible?” Belladonna blurted out without thinking.
He looked down at the book in his hands as if he’d forgotten it was there. The preacher turned it over a couple of times and then opened the Bible. He read a few lines and looked up at the witches again.
“I’d forgotten about this.” He almost smiled.” Thank you.”
“We need to ask you something.” Granny Pepper said as sweetly as she could manage. “There’s a…”
“I know.” The preacher said. “I can see a lot more of what goes on than you think.”
“But, you’re trapped in here,” Belladonna argued.
“I am physically trapped, yes. If you can call it that since I’m not really physical anymore. Think of it more as I’m tethered. I can make it partially across the field before your Granny’s spell snaps me back. I can see a lot further than that, but I can’t influence anything outside of this old church. My old church.”
“So, you know what’s going on?” Belladonna asked hopefully.
“I do. I’ve seen it before.” The Preacher’s ghostly voice was full of sorrow. “We had the best intentions, you know. It was never supposed to end the way it did.”
“That happens a lot,” Belladonna said a bit too impatiently.
“Let him speak, Belladonna.” Granny Pepper said softly.
“When we came here, we had the best intentions.” The preacher continued without missing a beat. “We wanted a peaceful place where we could love God as we knew God to be. I’d watched the residents of Winterfield for a while before we chose this location. I’d stopped into your shops and eaten at your diner. You all seemed like lovely people. It never occurred to me that you weren’t ordinary humans. We built the church, and everything was fine for a while.”
After a long pause, Belladonna encouraged him to go on. “Tell us what happened. Maybe we can help.”
He looked at her skeptically, but continued anyway. “Someone in the congregation discovered that Winterfield’s residents were, for the most part, paranormals. They started looking through the Bible for answers, and one after another of them focused on the more judgmental parts of the book. They forgot about loving their neighbors and decided that they were entitled to righteous anger. My congregation decided they were going to deliver Winterfield to salvation even if they had to do it by force.” His anger was gone, and there was nothing but regret and humiliation left. “It didn’t start out with force, though. At first, they convinced me that their actions were being done with love, and we’d hold ice cream socials and soup suppers. I’d go into Winterfield and invite the whole town.”
“When did things turn ugly?” Granny Pepper asked.
“Well, I didn’t realize at first that I wasn’t running the church anymore. Something else had crept in and had taken hold of a few members of my congregation. They were the ones who eventually wanted to cleanse Winterfield of evil. But, they were the ones who were being controlled by sinister forces. Those few men didn’t want to spread God’s love. They wanted war.”
“It’s
always the men who want war.” Granny Pepper blurted out.
For the first time since they’d encountered the preacher, he chuckled.
“I suppose I should be angry about that, but it’s true. We do tend to believe that we’re hammers and every problem is a nail.”
“So, that’s when your congregation started going into Winterfield in large groups and trying to convert the residents by force?” Belladonna had heard the stories.
“There were a few who refused, but they ended up moving away before the real violence started. I know it’s no excuse, but most of my church members were decent people. They got caught up in something ugly, but most of them never would have done anything like that if they weren’t led by those few men who I later figured out were possessed.”
“What violence?” Belladonna pressed. “I’d heard that Winterfield got sick of your congregation coming into town and trying to exorcise them, so they burned your church down. That’s not how it happened?”
“Do you think the Winterfield residents, your town’s ancestors, would burn a church down because of something like that?” the preacher asked.
“I guess that doesn’t sound right. It’s just always been how the story was told.”
“That happens. People don’t want to talk about the worst of it, so they leave out things. Eventually, a story is just accepted as it is.” The preacher said. “No, that’s not how it happened. It was much worse, but not because of anything Winterfield did. Three of the men who’d been leading the congregation down this dark path decided to do something drastic. They kidnapped a child. She was a very unique paranormal. Her mother was a witch, and her father was an elemental. The men thought that if they prayed over her and removed her powers, it would convince her parents to repent. They insisted that she was infested with the devil when it was them that were bowing to evil.”
“How did the church burn down?” Belladonna thought for a moment. “Wait, we’re standing in the church now. It didn’t burn. You said something about it burning down.”
“It did, and it didn’t. Remember I said the little girl was half witch and half elemental. Well, she was half fire elemental. Only her flame was magical, and it only affected some people and paranormals. That’s why people don’t talk about what happened here. None of them see it the same way. To some, this place looks like a burnt shell, and to others, it just looks like and old church.”
Love Hexed Page 6